I don't own Naruto!

A/N: Thanks for the reviews I've been getting! As silly as it may sound I get really, really excited whenever I see that I've received another, so please continue to share your opinions :). Time for Naruto to confess! This is not the last chapter, by the way.

Naruto was standing right outside the Uchiha Mansion, more nervous than he had ever been before.

If he rejects me I'll just kill have to kill myself, no big deal. No big deal at all.

He sighed before he opened the gate and stepped through. He walked up to the front door and knocked on it immediately, just to get it over with.

Sasuke looked as good as ever. His dark hair was slightly damp, probably from stepping out of the shower recently. A weak smell of cologne reached him as he tried to not stare awkwardly at the handsomeness of his face.

"Hey dobe, can I come in?" He asked and flashed a grin.

Sasuke nodded briefly and then turned back into his house. Naruto followed him through the corridors. The high ceiling and grand interior made him feel smaller for some reason.

Sasuke settled down by the table in a dining room Naruto hadn't even seen before. He pulled a chair out of his own and sat down at the opposed end before beginning to bite his nails.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked after staring at the obviously nervous blonde for a few seconds.

"There's something I have to tell you," Naruto began, forcing his hands down in his lap. "Though I'm not sure how you will react."

Sasuke was beginning to look a bit nervous as well, frowning at the blonde slightly.

"What is it?"

"Uhm … I'm not sure how to say it."

"Just tell me."

"Fine," He began, staring at a bookshelf behind Sasuke. He counted the last seconds he had to live before opening his mouth. "I lo- … I love-" He managed, before something suddenly clicked in his mind. He couldn't die yet! He was just sixteen, for god's sake. He searched franticly between the titles written on the book straps in the shelf. 'All there is to know about cats' was the only title written bold enough for him to distinguish. "I love- … your cat."

The sound of a feather falling to the ground would have been heard in the silence that followed these words. Time passed by slowly, Naruto kept his gaze at the book until Sasuke finally spoke.

"What are you talking about? … I don't … I don't have a cat." He said, seeming confused. He frowned at Naruto who eventually frowned back.

"Oh? Uhm … I thought I- … thought I saw one … before." Naruto stuttered. Suddenly feeling like crying, he looked down at his hands in his lap.

"Right …" He heard Sasuke say, before the room went silent again.

Naruto cursed inwardly. How could he confess to him without actually confessing? Maybe he could tell someone else to do it, or pass him a note, or down a bottle of vodka to still his nerves.

"It was really beautiful." He whispered to no one in particular. "It had black fur … and really dark eyes …" Naruto continued to stare down into his lap, fingers clenching to the hem of his shirt and pulling at it.

"His eyes were very beautiful … I almost got lost in them." He frowned down into his lap and grasped the fabric tighter, his knuckles whitening.

"I don't know why, but I wish I hadn't liked his eyes so much. Maybe then I would have been able to stop staring all the time."

Yep. He would definitely have to down some vodka after this.

"He left once, and didn't come back for years." Naruto continued as he threaded the hem of his shirt through the spaces between his fingers. "I missed him a lot, during those years."

He finally looked up at Sasuke, who was staring back at him with shock and confusion written across his face.

"But it's okay … you're back now." Naruto said and smiled a little. "Uhm … The cat, I mean."

With Sasuke looking at him that way, he was reminded of the words he had just uttered, and he had to look away.

"I- …" Sasuke began, seeming unable to find any words.

"It's okay." Naruto said quickly. "Should I leave?"

"N-No … wait." He said, looking down at the table for a while before frowning at the blonde again.

" … You like me?" He asked, which annoyed Naruto a little bit. Hadn't he understood what he had just confessed?

"Uhm … I guess so."

"You guess so?"

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, frustrated. Hadn't he noticed how hard it had been for him to say these words? Why couldn't he just throw him out already?

"Yes, I do! And I know its fucking weird, alright!" He spat before rising up from the chair and turning around, a last attempt of escaping those calculating eyes and the fast beating of his heart.

He stopped right at the threshold, grasping the doorframe tightly before turning around to stare at the helpless-looking Sasuke.

"I can't help that I feel this way. Those feelings are complicated you know … I don't know what to do." He said, feeling just as helpless and confused as Sasuke was looking at the moment.

"Stop looking at me like that, it's not my fault! I never chose to start liking you. Technically, it's your fault. So suit yourself." He finished before turning around again to find a way out of the god-forsaken labyrinth.

His walked his way through a few hallways before eventually reaching the front door. Just as he reached his hand out to turn the handle, someone grabbed his sleeve from behind.

"You can't just leave." Sasuke told him from behind. Naruto yanked his sleeve out of his grasp before he stared at him, intense emotion evident in his eyes.

"Yes I can. I'm sick of this."

"I'll come with you."

Naruto frowned, feeling disoriented. Thinking about it, Sasuke didn't really look as disgusted as he had expected.

"Fine." He said before he grabbed his thin jacket and slid it on. "I'm going to Ichiraku's."

Sasuke merely nodded, grabbed his own jacket and followed Naruto through the door. He jogged up to him until they were walking side by side.

"So, for how long have you been interested?" Sasuke asked, smirking slightly. But it looked forced. The blonde just glared back.

"You're just making fun of me." He said, trying to hide how frustrated he felt at not being taken seriously.

"No, I'm curious." Sasuke said and arched an eyebrow, looking sufficiently genuine.

Naruto blushed when he thought about it. Sasuke had always interested him, he just hadn't realized it was more then friendship until after he came back. It was easy to take things for granted, having them right in front of you.

Naruto ended up shrugging and eventually muttered "For a while …"

Sasuke just nodded, then turned to look forwards again. Naruto's gaze lingered at his face for a while, before he looked away as well.

He wanted to ask if his feeling were even remotely returned, if it was totally out of the question from him to keep his hopes up. But the fear of being rejected silenced him. He realized knowing nothing would be better then knowing there was no chance at all.

They were both quiet the remaining way to the ramen store. Once they got into the shop, Naruto couldn't help but smile when he noticed Teuchi's happy expression once he caught sight of him.

"Naruto! What a pleasant surprise." He said in greeting, and Naruto grinned in response.

"The usual, I suppose?" Teuchi asked the blonde, who nodded instantly and settled down at the counter. The shopkeeper's eyes then turned to Sasuke, who was currently frowning at the menu.

"Er, I think I'll pass." He said eventually, and then settled down on a chair next to his blonde friend.

Teuchi's smile had brightened his mood a little, and he was actually quite relieved to finally have told Sasuke about his feelings. At least he didn't seem like he was disgusted, or worse – thought of discontinuing their friendship.

A bowl of miso ramen was thrust in front of him. He grabbed his chopsticks and was just going to dig in, but he caught sight of Sasuke looking his way. When he diverted his gaze to his face, he noticed that he was smiling at him.

He looked genuinely happy, endearing. There wasn't any trace of the amused smirk he usually flashed him. Naruto felt butterflies beginning to flap around in his stomach; he didn't think he had ever seen Sasuke wearing such an expression.

"W-What?" He got out, not sure of where to look or what to do.

"I like you too."