Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Everyone Else is Doing IT ❯ Showdown ( Chapter 12 )

Everyone Else is Doing IT

(part 12)

SasuNaru

 

Naruto and Sasuke bond unconventionally over XXX Yaoi fanfiction. Neji turns out to have an interesting talent or two. Gaara is Gaara. Psychotic and unpredictable, with a penchant for black.

 

______

 

A hand, and then an arm became visible as the gate scrolled to the left, pale skin reflecting moonlight. The gate rolled past, exposing a shoulder, a side, a down-turned head, the whole of the dark-clad figure. Only when the gate was no longer obscuring him did he look up, his expression dark, his eyes scary.

 

“Naruto.”

 

“Sasuke?!” Naruto felt any number of things at that moment but surprise lorded over them all.

 

Sasuke immediately noticed the dark bite marks on Naruto's neck, and his hostility damn near exploded. “HYUUGA.”

 

Naruto made the connection Sasuke had, and jumped to intervene. “Wait, Sasuke, That wasn't him - ”

 

Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life, as his body fell into a fighting stance.

 

Neji did likewise, invoking Byakugan to his pale eyes.

 

“Dammit, Sasuke, it was Gaara!”

 

They were circling around each other now, so intent that they probably weren't hearing Naruto at all. This would be a horrific fight. Dislike was radiating off of them almost visibly.

 

“I warned you, Hyuuga.”

 

“Bring it, Uchiha.”

 

Naruto debated breaking it up as they seemed rather hell bent, but self-preservation rose to the fore.

 

“Who is gonna help keep Gaara away from me if you two kill each other?!” he yelled.

 

“What?” Sasuke said. His red eyes swept to Naruto. “Did something happen?”

 

“Behind the times, Uchiha,” Neji mocked him quietly.

 

“Shut it, Hyuuga,” he snarled back.

 

“Quit it! You're both giving me a headache!” Naruto shouted.

 

The two stopped quibbling.

 

“What happened?” Sasuke asked again.

 

“Well, Gaara sort of accosted me today -”

 

“What?” Sasuke interrupted him, incredulous. “How was there time?!” He looked at Neji. “I would've thought you'd be dogging his every move, being a stalker and all. How did you let this happen?”

 

Neji glared at him. Oh, if looks could kill.

 

Naruto didn't miss that exchange. “He knocked me out during training, and dragged me back to his place, where I discovered the joys of sand-bondage and psychopaths, and why do you still think Neji is the stalker?”

 

“Are you ok?” Sasuke followed the double conversation without missing a beat. “Because he IS. Why don't you ask him why he never told you I came to see you the last time you were here? ”

 

“Physically, yes,” Naruto replied. He turned to Neji. “What is he talking about?”

 

Neji was looking at Sasuke pityingly. He shrugged. “I never saw him that day.”

 

“So that's how you do it,” Sasuke said as realization dawned on him. “Half truths… You didn't see me because you wouldn't open the damn gate.”

 

Naruto looked from one dark haired boy to the other.

 

“And how do you explain the stalker's nice new fic appearing the same DAY Naruto stayed over here?”

 

Neji internally vowed to kill the damn Uchiha for putting him on the spot like this.

 

“And how,” Sasuke continued, “Would the stalker know, without a doubt, that Naruto wasn't at home that night, or anywhere else that he could be IMing from? Unless, of course, he was with Naruto at the time?”

 

Fuck. Neji marshaled all his wit, ready to bullshit the hell out of this to the best of his ability, when Naruto spoke.

 

“Were you impersonating me?” Naruto gave Sasuke a strange look.

 

Sasuke set his jaw stubbornly. “Yes.”

 

“And you somehow have my password, even though I never gave it to you?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Naruto turned to Neji. “And you really are the stalker?”

 

Neji crossed his arms. “I admit nothing.”

 

He felt Naruto looking at him, but he chose to focus instead on the smug eyes of the Sharingan user. He'd be damned if he was going down alone. “Though it looks like Uchiha would've been stalking you if he hadn't had the privilege of seeing you every day. Isn't that right, Sasuke?”

 

Sasuke bristled. “Don't compare me to you!”

 

Naruto felt like his brain was being compressed by swarm of overly industrious circus mice. “I can't handle this,” he muttered, clutching his head. He staggered around Sasuke, and headed through the gate, intent on going home, and sleeping in his own bed, and forgetting for a few hours how fucked up his personal life was becoming.

 

“You can't,” Neji said, catching his arm, apparently guessing his plan. His face exhibited nothing of the cavalier attitude he'd shown but moments before, only a calm intensity. “You won't be safe.”

 

“And why should I listen to a stalker?” he shot back, trying to wrench his arm out of Neji's solid grasp. He felt exceedingly tired and overwhelmed, and he knew he was just going to take it out on anybody who got near him. He'd suspected Neji and all, but to know it was true… And Sasuke, he was no better. Sure, he wasn't so much of a stalker, but he had the tendencies, AND he had the whole asshole thing going for him.

 

“Naruto can stay with me,” Sasuke said tersely.

 

“Stop thinking only about yourself, Uchiha,” Neji said sharply. “He'll be safer here.”

 

“There's no way he's staying here alone with you!”

 

“Don't I get a say in this?” Naruto interjected limply.

 

“NO,” they replied in unison.

 

“Didn't think so,” he mumbled as they continued to talk over his head.

 

“Fine,” Neji said, “If you stay here as well, will that appease you?”

 

Sasuke deliberated.

 

“A spare room is not a problem,” Neji added.

 

“Then who is staying with Naruto? If we're all in different rooms, that won't do him much good.”

 

Neji frowned. “You have a point.”

 

“Why don't we all stay in the same room then?” Naruto suggested drolly. “That way nobody can be accused of molesting me?”

 

---

 

“I didn't think you meant in the same bed,” Sasuke grumbled. He was wearing borrowed sleep clothes and was currently glaring at the ceiling of Hyuuga's room, something he never would have thought he'd be doing.

 

Neji had to agree with Sasuke. This annoyed him, however, as did the entire situation, so he decided to taunt the other boy. “I never imagined you would ever be in my bed, Uchiha.” Neji, also lying on his back, was staring at the ceiling with disdain.

 

“Yeah, you wish,” Sasuke said sarcastically. “I'm surprised you haven't written a story for that too.”

 

“I'd cut my own throat first.”

 

“Stop complaining,” Naruto said. His arms were crossed as he lay stiffly between the two. “One bed was the only solution. None of the rooms can handle three separate ones - they're all too large - and two beds wouldn't keep both of you happy either.”

 

“How am I supposed to sleep with a yaoi porn author right next to me?” Sasuke grumbled.

 

“He's not next to you, he's next to me - ”

 

Neji laughed shortly. “Don't act like you didn't read just about everything on that fic site, Uchiha.”

 

“I didn't!” Sasuke protested.

 

“You knew there were SasuItachi fics,” Naruto said unhelpfully. If they weren't going to stop, he might as well join in.

 

“Oh, those are hard to find,” Neji said. He whistled as if he was impressed, knowing it would rankle the uptight brunette. “You must know the site better than I thought, Uchiha.”

 

Sasuke spluttered angrily, “At least I didn't READ them! Naruto.”

 

“I was bored,” Naruto said, not rising to the bait.

 

“No guess as to who the uke was in those,” Neji mused, just loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

 

Sasuke growled.

 

Naruto threw an arm across his chest to keep him from getting up.

 

Neji smirked.

 

“It's a given,” Naruto said. “He's older, and crazy. The crazies always top.”

 

“Is Hyuuga one of the crazies then?” Sasuke sneered. “He always topped in his fics.”

 

Naruto's face turned red. “We are NOT talking about that! And why do you know so much about it?”

 

Sasuke answered with petulant silence. He was not going to admit that he read all of Hyuuga's stories, just so he could try to get the drop on him and keep Naruto from falling into his clutches.

 

“Stalker,” Neji baited.

 

“ME?” Sasuke raged, “Look who's talking, you -”

 

“If you two don't stop RIGHT NOW, I'm going home - where I'll probably get pwned by a psycho - and though the thought of it makes me want to cry, at least I won't have to listen to this.”

 

There was silence once more.

 

In fact, there were several minutes worth before it was inevitably broken.

 

“You ever read Gaara/Naruto?” Neji asked.

 

“No,” Naruto said. “I was afraid of mutilation.”

 

“As you should be,” Neji acknowledged. “You read them though, didn't you, Sasuke?”

 

“Don't call me that.”

 

“Fine. Uchiha. Now answer the question.”

 

“Yes. They were terrible.”

 

“Do you think he writes any of them?”

 

“That's it,” Naruto said, sitting up. He couldn't bear the thought of Gaara writing fanfiction about him. Especially not the sicko types he was imagining. He tried to get up to leave but his arms were grabbed, and both Sasuke and Neji yanked him back down.

 

“I sincerely hope not,” Sasuke replied. “We don't need more of YOU running around.”

 

“I resent that.”

 

“You should.”

 

“At least I'm mentally stable.”

 

“I'm not,” Naruto interrupted, wondering how he was going to survive the night.

 

 

---

 

Dawn broke cruel and vengeful upon the three exhausted ninja.

 

None of them had gotten much sleep, between the bickering and being unaccustomed to each other's unconscious movements and restlessness.

 

Sasuke woke first, as he had a beam of sunlight happily trying to burn out one of his eyeballs. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his two bedmates.

 

Neji, his back turned to the rising sun, was still asleep. If the bed had been all that much smaller he could've been spooning Naruto, who was facing the same way.

 

Sasuke looked down at Naruto, who was burrowed against his side, sleeping with an arm wrapped around him. He reached out and brushed the blonde bangs out of his eyes, marveling at how peaceful the boy looked like this. Naruto swiped at his face with a limp hand, then turned his head into Sasuke's chest.

 

Maybe things would be ok. Was it a sign, that when put between the two of them, Naruto had sidled up to him instead of Neji? Or was it merely a coincidence?

 

“Naruto,” he said quietly, leaning closer to the blonde's ear. “Wake up.”

 

Naruto shifted and clutched him tighter, a leg carelessly thrown between his. His body was flush against Sasuke's. “Mmm. Sasuke,” he mumbled in a sleep-rough voice. Sasuke felt his face heat suddenly.

 

“Wake up, dobe,” he whispered, trying not to also wake Hyuuga. There were some things he couldn't deal with in the morning. Hyuuga was one. A sexy sounding Naruto wrapped around his body while they were in Hyuuga's bed was another.

 

His self-control cracked as he felt one of Naruto's hands slide under his shirt. Morning was a horrible time for this. He could feel his body start to react as he felt Naruto against his hip. Oh, no. This was the worst time and place for something like this. He had to put a stop to this, and take the lesser evil. Waking Neji.

 

“NARUTO,” he said loudly, shaking him. “Wake up, Dobe, we'll be late for training.”

 

Neji sat up, blinking tiredly. “Morning already?” he muttered, putting a hand to his head. He looked punch-drunk. Sasuke was pretty sure he didn't look much better himself.

 

Neji reached his other hand out and shook Naruto's shoulder. “It's time for breakfast.”

 

Naruto's eyes blinked open. “Really?” he asked, suddenly awake.

 

Neji squinted at his clock. “Actually, no. There isn't time. We all overslept.” He threw his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet unsteadily.

 

Sasuke followed suit. Naruto curled into a ball and shut his eyes. Sasuke sighed in exasperation, and yanked him out of bed.

 

“I'll leave him to you,” Neji said. “My training area is further away than both of yours, and I won't make it if I don't leave now.”

 

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement, and struggled to make Naruto stand on his own two feet.

 

Neji frowned. “I suppose I could help you get him to the gate, however.”

 

---

 

Naruto yawned widely. “Sasuke, I'm hungry.” He hung on Sasuke's shoulder as if he was too weak to support himself. “Can't we get something to eat on the way?”

 

“There's no time.” It was a good thing Naruto's training area was near his. He doubted the blonde would have made it there on his own today.

 

“Then let's skip and go get some breakfast.”

 

“No. You can't afford to miss another day so soon after the last one.”

 

“Uuugh, Sasukeeeee, you're so straight laced,” he whined.

 

“I am not. I'm disciplined.” He didn't think straight laced applied to people who had trouble not jumping their best friend, even when there were other people around.

 

“Hmph,” Naruto grumbled, sliding off of him at last. It was time to part ways.

 

“Naruto.”

 

“Yeah?” Naruto paused in his leaving.

 

“If you want, I'll treat you to ramen when we're done.”

 

Naruto's face broke into a smile. “Really?”

 

Sasuke smiled back, though it was dimmer in comparison. “Yeah. And maybe when you have time, we can start sparring again… I think I'm getting rusty.”

 

“You?? HA!” Naruto was grinning now. “But I'll come kick your butt if you really miss it so much.”

 

“Pfft,” Sasuke scoffed, but barreled forward anyhow. “You can stay over sometime, if you want, since my place is so much closer.”

 

“Um…” Naruto hesitated. “I'd like to… but the last time didn't go so well… you know?”

 

Oh damn. He didn't really expect Naruto to suddenly bring that up. And so quickly too. “That won't happen again,” he promised.

 

Naruto looked more and more distant. “It was a mistake then?” His tone of voice was ambivalent, not indicating what the right answer would be, but Sasuke knew how he was going to reply anyway.

 

“The only mistake was how I acted afterwards,” he said honestly. “I guess it was just kind of unexpected and I freaked out a little.”

 

“You freaked out a lot.” Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. “Bit of an ego killer, you know,” he muttered.

 

Downhill. This was all going downhill. Time to stop beating around the bush. Time to be blunt. He took a deep breath. Wow, this was hard. “Naruto-” The blonde looked back at him. “I like you.”

 

“You what?”

 

“I like you.”

 

Naruto shook his head. “That isn't what you just said.”

 

Sasuke's brow furrowed. “Yes it is, I said I -“

 

“You said you loved me.”

 

What?! Sasuke almost wished he would die from the spontaneous heart failure he was experiencing at the moment. Blunt. Too blunt! He stared at Naruto with wide eyes. He'd meant to take this slow. Lesser admissions first… not the big one. Not the one that he'd been mulling over almost constantly as of late. Not the one that was both exhilarating, and scared the shit out of him. Not that one, when he wasn't even sure how it would be received.

 

“Is that true?”

 

“Uh, well - you see -” Oh goddammit.

 

“Sasuke?” Naruto's voice was soft, as if he were trying not to startle him into taking off.

 

Sasuke deliberated as fast as he could. If he denied it now, and Naruto did have feelings for him, any chance they might have of working things out could be crushed. On the other hand, he could be horrible at expressing himself, and he might screw this up anyway.

 

Sasuke did the only thing he could think of. He stepped forward and kissed Naruto, trying to admit his feelings in a way that did not have him stammering like a blithering idiot.

 

Naruto's mouth opened to his slowly, enveloping his senses. It was like diving - A heady rush that flowed around you, submerging you. Hands gripped Sasuke's shoulders. Clenching. Unclenching. Like the paws of a cat.

 

Naruto made a small, helpless sound, and kissed him back for all he was worth.

 

Sasuke wrapped his arms around the blonde, basking in the warmth of the other boy's body pulled close to his. He breathed in the elusive scent of him that pulled at things low in his body. Naruto was an aphrodisiac. One that was hard-hitting, permanent, and had no cure.

 

The rational, practical part of Sasuke's mind tried to inform him exactly how late this was going to make him. He ignored it. Maybe Naruto was right. Maybe they should skip today's training.

 

“Sasuke…” Naruto pulled away, his voice husky and rough. “We're late.” His blue eyes were languid, inviting. Everything in his face spoke in favor of ditching obligations, forever if need be, just so long as they could stay like this.

 

“I know.” Sasuke knew they shouldn't miss. There would be hell to pay. Yet, amazingly, he found that he didn't care. He tilted his face into Naruto's neck, happy to drown in the smell of warm skin.

 

“A-HEM,” someone cleared their throat loudly.

 

Sasuke jumped back, remembering all of a sudden that the world existed. Unfortunately, that world included them - standing in the middle of a well-used street.

 

In a rush, Sasuke's awareness flared out, allowing him to see not only the broad, matronly woman standing with her hands on her hips before him, but the steady stream of villages who were detouring around them.

 

“You're ninja, aren't you?” the heavyset woman snipped, glaring at them. She had a bland, forgettable appearance. In fact, the only remarkable thing about her was her attitude.

 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. Why couldn't she have just gone around them like everyone else?

 

“Y-Yes,” Naruto stuttered out, startled at her tone.

 

“If you aren't going to get a real job,” she said sharply, “shouldn't you be out training somewhere, or doing something useful instead of blocking the street?”

 

Sasuke scowled at her. Not a real job? Just because it wasn't a classic 9 to 5? Ninja had longer hours than almost anyone else and risked their lives on nearly a daily basis. For people like this? They could damn well show a little appreciation. Somehow people conveniently forgot who saved their asses whenever trouble threatened the village.

 

“We -” the blonde tried again.

 

“Honestly. A display like that?” She heaved the bag she was carrying to a more comfortable position on her ample hip, and favored them with a lofty look of disdain. “The least you could do is not impede the rest of us working folk,” she huffed and stomped off.

 

Sasuke narrowly resisted the urge to throw a kunai at her retreating back.

 

“Sasuke, forget it,” Naruto muttered to him, tugging on his arm. More people had stopped to stare.

 

Sasuke was surprised to find he had drawn a kunai in his right hand and was running his thumb across the thick base of the throwing knife. He hastily shoved it back into his pouch with the others as he let Naruto pull him away from pedestrian traffic.

 

“Stupid villagers,” Sasuke muttered under his breath. “Do they have ANY idea what we go through protecting them and this stupid village? Do they have any CLUE as to what we're up against if we get attacked by any of a dozen powerful ninja, should they decide on a whim that they want to take over Leaf?”

 

“No, they probably don't,” Naruto replied. “Leave them to their blissful ignorance, where a couple of wayward ninja blocking the roadway is all they have to worry about.”

 

“Che,” Sasuke scoffed, thrusting his hands into his pockets with a sour look on his face. “Do something useful, she says. Unbelievable.” That ox had been a total mood killer, he thought unkindly. Plus, she'd gone out of her way to interrupt them, and it had cost her more time than if she'd simply been a decent person, and gone around.

 

Sasuke mentally added her to his list of `People to Dispose of If I Ever Turn Evil'.

 

“Um, Sasuke?”

 

Sasuke looked up, pulled from his diabolical thoughts of revenge. The dappled sunshine, filtered through the trees, played across the blonde's face and made sections of his hair to shine like white gold. His blue eyes matched the sky - the hue of cloudless, limitless altitudes. The kind of sky that seems to swallow you when you look up into it.

 

“About earlier…” Naruto began hesitantly.

 

Sasuke suddenly felt his heart seize in his chest.

 

How earlier? Kiss earlier, invite-for-ramen earlier, or Sasuke-you-were-an-asshole earlier? Was this going to good or bad? Should I interrupt?? No, Sasuke, be a man about it. “Yes?” he prompted.

 

Naruto just looked at him with those eyes for a long moment.

 

Sasuke felt his heart beat like the grinding of rusty gears.

 

Finally, though, the blonde stretched his arms back and laced his fingers behind his head with a trademark grin. This didn't fool Sasuke. He'd seen this sort of mood shift before. Whatever was on the blonde's mind was still there. Though he couldn't help but feel relieved at the temporary reprieve.

 

“I hope you have enough on you to feed my ramen habit later,” Naruto warned blithely.

 

Well, that was good at least. Naruto was still going to meet him after training was over.

 

“I'll add it to your tab,” Sasuke said with a faint smirk. Their familiar banter was unfolding around them. Thank god. He'd missed it… To him, it was the sign that things were ok between them.

 

“Whaaaaaaaaaat?” Naruto screeched. “You said you were treating me!”

 

Sasuke smiled. “Maybe, maybe not.” How long had it been since anything had felt normal between himself and Naruto? Days? Weeks? Or had it been even longer?

 

“You jerk! You can't offer ramen, then snatch it away!” Naruto grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt, hauling him forward till they were nose-to-nose. His whisker-marks canted upward as he mock growled.

 

Sasuke's hands reflexively grasped the blonde's wrists.

 

The air between them grew heavy as they stared at each other.

 

Naruto's bare skin felt hot in his hands. How long had it been that he had had this stomach fluttering uneasiness near the blonde?

 

Naruto's playful anger faded. His eyes looked serious once more, his pupils dilating widely. He leaned forward, hesitantly at first, and brushed his lips against Sasuke's.

 

Soft, warm. A chaste kiss. But there was an intensity to it, Sasuke thought. Something electric that he felt to the core of him. Longing? Promise?

 

Naruto moved back and Sasuke released him automatically, still sorting through things.

 

“I'll see you after training,” the blonde said.

 

Sasuke came back to himself. He fished out his shiny blue cell phone, and held it aloft. “If Gaara causes you problems, call me.”

 

A flicker of something crossed Naruto's face. Apprehension? But it was gone again, chased by a ready smile.

 

“Can't let him drag me off again, when I have ramen to live for,” the blonde joked as they parted ways.

 

 

____________________________________

TBC

 

 

Thank you for your reviews, comments, observations, etc!

And of course, thank you for reading! :)

 

This story has gotten rather longer than planned ^^

I still have major fun writing it, so apologies to those who feel it is drawn out, but I am working everything towards the eventual end (I plan ahead a LOT haha). So, rest assured this fic will not go on forever.

 

FYI: Sasuke and Naruto will be drawing close to each other and things will be heating up! The rest of this fic is definitely flavored sasunaru.

 

And there is a nice lemon ahead very soon. Suspense! I know you're all just waiting to see how who tops who. Will it be Sasuke pushing the smex, or will it be Naruto? XD