A/N: A college!au of some sorts, where the trio is on a road trip back to school, and Naruto's just trying to understand how he feels about everything. This fic also kinda works with, and might possibly be in the same universe as my other fic, the million-dollar question (naruhina), so if you have time you can check that one out too. Reviews are very much loved and appreciated. I was playing around with Team 7 dynamics here and just wanted to write this so I hope you enjoy, maybe?

(one)

Naruto doesn't remember falling asleep on the way to Sakura's but Sasuke's old Mazda screeches piercingly when it stops, probably waking up the entire street at this point without even using the horn. How many assholes do you need to wake up a single neighborhood? Just one Uchiha.

His shabby duffel bag drops to his feet, and the smell of Sasuke's aftershave lingers when he slams the door out, calling after Naruto as though the Uchiha didn't notice him stirring from his mirror. There's also a lot of things Sasuke doesn't particular take notice of, Naruto gathers, when a particular rosette haired girl is a few feet away.

When Naruto shifts and gets off the car to where Sasuke is standing, Sakura waves at them from their kitchen window, something in the lines of "Hold on!" or "Be out in a minute!"

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

Mebuki rounds up the corner after what looked like early gardening and approaches them, fussing, hands on either of their cheeks like they're ten year olds again.

"My, my! You sure grew over the summer!" Mebuki tells Naruto, eyeing him from head to toe. Not a lie: Naruto's diet the past few weeks are reduced to good old milk and proteins (right after Kushina's protest about never sending him back to university all skin and bones. No sir, she really will not have it).

Sasuke on the other hand looks leaner, fit really is a more appropriate term, features mature for a twenty-one year old due to the sideburns. Ugly sideburns. Naruto decides Sasuke really needs a haircut if he's driving for the next two days – how can he even see with all that motherfucking hair anyway?

A good amount of small talk is exchanged between Sasuke and Mebuki before the woman runs back into her home, telling Sakura to hurry up.

"You look like shit," Naruto says.

Sasuke yawns, hands shoved down his pocket as the two lean against his car. "You don't look any better than shit."

A second later before the blonde could further propose Sasuke get a damn haircut, Sakura and Kizashi surges out of the doorway, a pink trolley bag in tow and a good old backpack and that ten thousand watt smile.

"Ready!" She announces, Mebuki nit picking the paper clip stuck on her daughter's bangs, while Kizashi crushes her into a half-hug of parting. Naruto takes the roller bag out the man's hands and into the car's rear, while Sasuke gets bombarded with instructions from either parents.

"You didn't have to pack your entire closet, you know!" Naruto whines, squeezing her luggage in between Sasuke's obnoxiously larger duffel bag, and Naruto's orange luggage. As he awkwardly settles it to top all three of theirs, it hits the roof making Sasuke from behind the wheel edgy with a glare from the mirror.

"Any scratches and you're answering to Itachi, Dobe."

"Any scratches and you're answering to I-ta-chi," Naruto repeats in disdain, closes the back door and climbs into the passenger about the same time as Sakura gets into the shotgun. "And why does she get to sit in front? I always sit in front." His arms cross, leaning back as he takes off his slippers and props both his legs up.

In between Kizashi's yelling, 'I've packed you guys tuna sandwiches for lunch on the road!' to Mebuki adding 'Drive safely, you guys! Call us when you get there!', Sasuke's response drowns in Sakura's incessant goodbyes – like it's freshmen year all over again except this time, someone's saved enough courage not to cry.

"Why does Sakura-chan get to sit in front?" Naruto asserts, more irately than Sakura tightening her seatbelt.

"Her legs aren't up the dashboard like yours always are, dumbass." Sasuke rolls his eyes at this, to which Naruto responds with a kick to his seat – once, and then twice, and then Sasuke stops at the red light to glare at him.

"That's it? She gets shotgun privilege because she's more, what, refined in carpool etiquette?"

"Do you even hear yourself sometimes, Naruto," Sakura mutters, unable to hide her temper. "We played jenga two nights ago and Sasuke-kun lost so he's driving. Besides, we switch places in the next stop over so quit complaining."

Pouting, Naruto's petulance prevails, incredulous as to how the hell did a drunken jenga game prophesize the order of who gets to take the shotgun throne. "That's not fair! I don't even remember playing."

When silence ensues, Naruto rests his back, lying now on his side, his bag a makeshift pillow. "Yeah, okay, pretend I'm not here." Sasuke seems to have easily picked up that request fast, and Sakura switches the radio on for some music, streaming from channel to channel to see if there's anything that's going to endure the ride. The blonde groans out of frustration, right arm directly covering his eyes to get some warranted slumber from all the betrayal.

Before he does fall asleep, he catches Sakura's hand finding Sasuke's on the gear lever, the music from the stereo blasting some bullshit pop love song that's just been released and Sakura's hums to the rhythm.

Sometimes Naruto forgets his best friends are in love. It takes some getting used to, really.

Sasuke is that sort of pretentious asshole you just meet when you're Naruto who initiates all his friendships with a good mannered hello – except the latter can't exactly remember how it all happened, to which Kushina oftentimes supply it started with a brawl at the back of the daycare center. No one wanted to play with Sasuke then, because he sprawled his Legos around the classroom during naptime and there were about ten kids crying from the pain, including Naruto. He's guessing Sasuke's been around forever.

Naruto loves his best friend, the way he highly regards himself to be always better than the blonde, pretends like he knows what he's saying and doesn't comfort Naruto but tells him to suck it up instead every time because if nothing else, they've got each other. Sasuke is a complete jerk and Naruto wouldn't want it any other way. He tries to recall when had that been enough.

(two)

After a wink or two, Sasuke's attempt at sleep completely dissolves, grumpily sitting upright as Sakura pulls over at a McDonald's drive-thru, Naruto finally in front – legs naturally extending up to the dash. A while ago at a gas refill, they decide to change places, only because his body demands some peace from his morning shift and because Naruto might pee the newly vacuumed backseats out of excitement for finally acquiring the prized shotgun. Yes, it has happened before and Itachi didn't talk to him for a month.

"Feet off."

Naruto snorts, rubbing his soles harder against the dashboard's velvet mantle. "Make me."

"You wouldn't."

"No, Sasuke, you wouldn't."

It doesn't take a fraction of a second because both of Sasuke's hands are around his neck, tackling him backwards, to which Naruto throws a punch back, in attempt to hit him. The cat-mouse struggle lasts a little longer with more bickers, Sakura nonchalantly placing her order that the lady at the drive-thru throws a look of growing concern. Sakura pretend-whispers, "Don't mind them." The two eventually behave, with the blonde crossing his arms and looking away, and Sasuke sinking back into his seat with a louder scoff.

"What about you, Sasuke-kun?"

He groggily stares at the menu outside, then at the lady waiting for any addition. She looks terrified. "Large fries. An extra bag of ketchup will do."

Sakura finalizes the order, and then hands in cash to which Sasuke belatedly remembers, "Didn't your dad pack tuna sandwiches?"

"Naruto ate all of them along the way," she points out, Naruto blushing slightly. "And I'm sorta not in the mood for tuna."

Naruto picks up their last conversation, about that one time their high school gym teacher was watching porn and had the entire thing projected in the open field. Sakura recalls, and laughter follows, the kind Sasuke only hears from her when it's something that Naruto has to tell and he doesn't know what he's doing, in between the two of them, somehow this time the awkward third wheel out.

She parks the car to the side; Sasuke gets his huge cup of fries with no one to share with, while the two in front start humming to a song that has recently topped the charts and everyone knows the lyrics except – surprise – Sasuke.

"It's time for some car-a-oke!" Naruto yells.

"Kara - what?" Sasuke asks, until Sakura and Naruto fall in sync to a duet of cosmic proportions. The volume is uncomfortably high and the pitch and tempo is remarkably trashy that Naruto's standing up on his seat, shaking his butt around while Sakura, bits of the burger stuck on her teeth, does all the singing, getting on her seat as well to reach those higher notes that hurt Sasuke's ears. The cola she drinks squirts out of her nose, and Naruto collapses over from snickering.

"God, you two are disgusting." He throws a piece of fries at them, Sasuke not noticing himself laughing along, because Sakura's gross and Naruto's even worse, and Itachi will kill him for wrecking his car, but they're his best friends and they're impossibly pathetic down to their last atomic particle.

Sasuke remembers the day he has to leave for boarding school: a prestigious a.k.a. prissy all boys' school for ages 11-17, an alternative to going to a public middle school, where Naruto intends to go. He breaks the news when they are having lunch of what had been Minato's spicy ham recipe. Of course, Naruto's been sad about it the entire time, so Sasuke promises to IM if he gets the chance – although when he does get there, his pet turtle breathes faster than the internet connection and just like that, they fall out over the course of their adolescence.

The reunion breezes in easy when they get to college – somehow enrolling in the same university, all three funded by scholarship programs. Then Sasuke meets Sakura, because Naruto drags her to Kiba's party.

Sasuke doesn't know what drew him to Sakura, and although she's come into the scenario a little too late, something about her just won't work if she's not somehow close to the two of them – like the universe isn't functioning correctly if Sakura Haruno hadn't take that one English class with them. Her eyes are the perfect shade of green (ultimately now his favorite shade of green), empty circles underneath of endless nights reading through her medical texts, skin porcelain and smooth, cherry blossom hair that Sasuke obsessed about for at least two months when they barely knew each other, because he's a creep. She's loud, not as loud as Naruto – and she packs a punch with those tiny fists. Literally an amazon in her own distinct tier. And being with her is the most thrill Sasuke's had in all of his years.

He doesn't know why he loves her, he just kind of does.

(three)

Nighttime catches up fast, and so does the rain, with the nearest Bed & Breakfast Inn still 40 kilometers away. Naruto pulls over because the road has gotten too slippery for him to drive in the dark and the lovebirds are almost asleep in the back seat.

He stretches his legs out on to the passenger seat, with the radio on too low and the raindrops race each other against the windshield. The song's a catchy one, they sang this just earlier and he hums along, unsure of his lyrics so he does the hand movements instead and it's when he hears Sakura shift.

"You're a terrible singer."

"What the fuck." Startled, Naruto looks at her, frizzy hair and smiling stupidly. He breathes deep, hand gripping his chest to which Sakura only continues to giggle. "I woke you up, didn't I?"

She shrugs, climbing over to the passenger seat, dragging her ducky duvet with her. "A little. Mainly because I couldn't sleep." She folds her legs together and drapes the comforter over herself, making sure no part of her body is exposed to the cold.

"Sasuke's arm isn't comfortable enough?" Naruto retorts, his head down on the wheel, and he thinks it might have come out kind of harshly as he looks up to find Sakura still raising an eyebrow, shuffling on the seat awkwardly.

"What?"

He groans, crashing his head on the wheel at least three times before looking up. "Sorry, that came out wrong."

Sakura hums an agreement, leaning over so her head properly rests on his shoulder, snugged with her eyes closed. "Still can't get over that little crush you have on me, huh? Am I that attractive?"

"Ew, Sakura-chan." He shrugs her off of him vehemently, Sakura smacks his arm, and he flinches. "Get over yourself."

"Too late, it's going to my head." She giggles, falling once more to his side and he lets her, an arm already extending to the other side to keep her there, locked and tucked in place. "You never told me about it though." Sakura looks up, his eyes downward to gaze back at her and it's a confrontation Naruto's never really prepared for. Ever.

"Just didn't think it was worth it," Naruto explains. "Besides, you liked Sasuke too much." Sasuke, asleep in the back with his head tilted against the window, mouth hanging slightly, arms crossed, innocent as ever, and better than him in so many ways.

They both fall silent. Naruto gulps audibly. She laughs at this, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Get some sleep, dummy."

She slips out of his grip and crawls back into Sasuke's arms. Without another word, Naruto falls asleep long after her kiss stops burning against his skin.

The second semester of their first year takes him aback: Sasuke's less brooding and unnaturally filled with an energy challenging Rock Lee's. Sakura has gotten silent over the phone, before Naruto hears that they're dating from Ino, resident and literal Gossip Girl among his close-knit friends and it feels like he's walking on tight ropes.

Like most things, Naruto smiles. It doesn't hit him until much later, and by then he laughs awkwardly. Sasuke thinks it's all right after that and Sakura does too, and much later, she just plays along even after she figures out the truth and the deed has already been done.

Naruto always wears his feelings on his sleeve – but it's not like his feelings were any deeper than the baritone notes he attempts to reach during choir practice. He really finds no need in informing Sakura he was actually fostering feelings more than a crush but much, much less than infatuation. It's unimportant – how dare he question their bond? - but it manages to take up his thoughts.

Of course, Naruto was okay with their relationship. He didn't mind being a third wheel. He was friends with Sakura first before Sasuke even knew she existed, meeting her in high school and filling in the gap that Sasuke's left when he studied away.

He walks in on them at some frat party, nothing too explicit but seeing his two favorite people in the world, in love and perfectly sober - it starts to hit him how he's become the intruder, the outsider, something he just can't seem to be a part of anymore. Her legs are on his lap, and they seem to be so engrossed about politics at first until Sasuke mispronounces something and Sakura teases him about it, and then there's tickling and then he pecks her lips, swift and crass, her eyes crinkling in gratitude.

They don't notice him so he leaves just like how he came in, and Naruto thinks that he might not be okay after all, being the odd one out in a picture he both worked so hard to perfect.

(four)

Although the drizzle from last night still subsisted, the sun glistens against his eyes and Sasuke stirs, Sakura curling closer to him whenever he tries to move, her face buried in his shoulder. Naruto on the other hand snores at an indisputably constant pace, still guarding the shotgun.

Sasuke's legs are hijacked by the pins and needles so he waits it out for another good five minutes. When the numbness dwindles, he lets down Sakura easily with Naruto's reliable bag as pillow replacement, slips out, then climbs into the driver's seat - Naruto obliging to curl up his legs sleepily without much resistance.

His stomach grumbles and they're almost out of gas, but he starts driving nonetheless. A few miles in and Naruto starts mumbling things about homework and that fucking pop song Sasuke still doesn't know the lyrics too.

Then Naruto breaks into a scream, which also startles Sakura from the backseat. Upon realizing there's no critical danger, she throws her shoe at Naruto, receiving a thump on the head that makes Sasuke smirk. He peeks at his mirror a minute later and sees Sakura passed out again into slumber.

"I didn't order a concussion for breakfast," Naruto cries, rubbing the back of his head.

"Fully awake now?"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto nods. "Hey, can you check if I'm bleeding?" He shows off bulks of his blondeness, Sasuke patting the area endearingly with his free hand, eyes still on the road.

"You've literally taken harder hits from her before," Sasuke deadpans. He glances at Sakura in the mirror again, still soundly in dreamland. "How are you holding up?"

Naruto shrugs; stretching his arms around that they nearly hit Sasuke's face. "Fine, just hungry."

"I meant with me and Sakura," Sasuke says, noticing a sign of the nearest gas station in four miles.

"What?" Sasuke likes to think Naruto's really an idiot so he tries to expound by adding the word 'dating', and it's Naruto's turn to keep quiet, not nervous though, just speechless at the sudden question.

Naruto clears his throat. "So you heard us last night?"

There's sullen tone to the usual ringing, the usual magic in Naruto's voice and Sasuke feels a little guilty for opening up something so heavy before even feeding their stomachs. He fakes a yawn to ease the awkward air, sneaking a look again at Sakura in his rearview mirror.

"A little, yeah," Sasuke admits, throat scratchy from starting conversations he usually avoids. "Although unlike Sakura, I'm not particularly friends with a certain Yamanaka, so I never knew about it."

"Dude, I just – it was waaaay back, though."

Sasuke retains his usual stoic face. Naruto groans, rocking back and forth at the situation, hands in between his legs. "I'm sorry –"

Sasuke reaches over to mess up Naruto's hair, hand lingering at the back of his most prized seat as if he wants to say something more but doesn't really know how. He isn't expecting to even reach this point in the discussion because Sasuke would just rather shut up. "You don't have to apologize or anything. We could fight this out or something like that, if you want."

Naruto shakes his head, chuckling, wearing a look on his face that he's just been hit by an epiphany. "No, it wasn't really anything deep. I love her more like a sister now, and before we entered college, we sort of settled it. That we don't want it. At all."

Sasuke feels his breathing ease, not exactly because he's cleared what Naruto meant, but because Naruto and Sakura already did - before he even comes into the picture. Naruto doesn't say anything afterwards.

"Want to hear something sappy?" Sasuke starts, locating another sign that they are two miles away from the gas refill. And maybe even a diner.

Naruto eyes him instinctively. "Hit it."

"We're best friends," he smiles and Naruto grins, punching him lightly on his limb. "But you're still a dumbass for not telling me."

The blonde agrees with that, turning on the radio again and it's one of those happy funky dance songs from the 80s (and even then, Sasuke still isn't familiar with it) that he doesn't feel obliged to sing, letting Naruto raise his legs up the dash, throwing random lyrics out of the window.

Later Sasuke gets a kick from the back of his seat, arms snaking around his shoulder lazily. Consumed by his mediocre harmonization, Naruto's too loud to hear her, but Sasuke's trained his ears enough to hear even the smallest of her winces.

"Babe, I need to pee."

(five)

Sakura's late to the party that is Naruto and Sasuke, forever and always, the sun and moon - like an intruder to what has already been built right under her nose. She isn't like either of them, because Sasuke is always brooding and Naruto can only be described as an idiot and Sakura loves them both still, with her spirited personality that fits all the letters of the alphabet, the extra piece they didn't need but cram in anyways.

They arrive at the university for their third year nearing twilight, and Sasuke's lifting her bag out of Naruto's way and she thanks him with a kiss on the cheek. Naruto's already egging Sasuke to hurry his goodbyes, because he needs Ichiraku's ramen, and he actually misses their dorm room and Kiba and even Shikamaru.

"Sakura-chan, can you let Sasuke go now? I'm starving," Naruto complains. Sakura's arms are still wrapped around her boyfriend's waist, while Sasuke rests his chin on top of her pink head - both of them deliberately making it worse for Naruto.

"You can go ahead, you know," Sasuke mutters, still holding a giggling Sakura.

Naruto snorts. "Bitch, I wish I could but you have the key pass and I've been blacklisted the last time at Senju Hall for returning a book five months late."

"Then suffer," Sakura tells him, burying her face into Sasuke's scent before they go their separate ways. Why is the Medical Department at the other end of the campus? Why are the business majors so hidden on the opposite side? Questions like these make Sakura burst into a melodramatic stage that she and the Uchiha are probably the most star-crossed lovers on the block.

"Oh god, can we just fucking go?"

Sasuke lets go first, tapping her forehead before joining a rampaging Naruto Uzumaki, crude with all the swearing that other students (and even lecturers) begin staring. Sakura embraces the blonde swiftly, telling him to calm the fuck down, pats him in the back in hasty beats, to which he returns with the same enthusiasm.

Sasuke starts walking ahead, Naruto catching up and automatically hooking arms with him and already negotiating rather loudly, who's going to get the top bunk this semester, and Sakura from behind staring at their backs, amused.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sakura calls. "Get a haircut!"