Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Author's note can be found below.

Enjoy!

Sasuke stared unblinkingly at the answering machine before him. The late afternoon sun filtered through the wide windows, the deep, navy blue curtains drawn to the sides, framing a lighter, more alive shade of blue. The sky.

Inside the spacious apartment, the pale man sat on a deep chocolate brown sofa, the multicoloured rays of the fading sun playing against his dark hair, blue hues standing out. Sasuke lifted a long, pale finger to the machine innocently sitting in his lap, to replay the messages that left him wondering. Wondering why Naruto was not locked far far away...in a sound proof room. Noise exploded from the machine as he pressed a button, and Sasuke once again wished it was possible to lower the volume.

After about six consecutive messages of Naruto screaming about Sasuke being a bastard, Sakura's birthday, Sasuke distracting him, ramen, Sasuke being a bastard, and why in the name of fishcakes did it take three minutes for the ramen to be ready, Sasuke reached the last message left by the loud moron: "Look Sasuke, you probably think I haven't noticed the way you've avoided me, but I have, and quite frankly, it is pissing me the hell off! Honestly, do you know what you are doing to me?" At this, Sasuke raised an eyebrow, something jolting in his chest, spreading warmth everywhere. "But never mind that. The point is, you haven't given me an explanation for all of this. You always give explanations dammit! Like...like hitting me cause I forgot to lock the door...again, or...cause I was an idiot, or...or...erm...cause I was an idiot?...You should give me better reasons, bastard, this is all getting old." A sigh escaped the machine in front of Sasuke, and he vaguely wondered if Naruto was tired. He was not speaking, but shuffling could be heard accompanied by a muted seldom thud, and it was clear that the phone was still recording.

After what felt like forever, Naruto was talking again. "I was just going through some stuff, and you know, looking at an old picture of us, I realised that we've now been friends for over ten years. Ten years teme, of calling each other names, fighting, and unconsciously relying on each other for support. And then I thought, Sasuke was a downright prick when I first met him, he didn't give a shit about anyone, but I guess he got better over the years." Another pause, in which only soft inhaling could be heard, somehow creating tension in the air that Sasuke was breathing, even if he knew the words that followed. "But I guess, nothing can be changed completely, especially an unyielding bastard like you...So I guess, and I hope I'm wrong...but my luck ran out, eh? You got bored, and now it's time to move on, and...you are going to leave me behind? Is that it? You've had enough of me and my annoying intrusion, eh? Is that why you haven't said anything? Did you hope that by distancing yourself you could get rid of me, mmm? Well let me tell you once and for all, I am NOT, hear me? NOT, going to let you run away! Nuh uh, you're not getting rid of me this easily, dattebayo!" The listening man couldn't help but snort at the last word, something the ramen obsessed freak hadn't stopped using since high school. "So yeah, I guess that's all I wanted to say, and I will see you tomorrow and we better talk about this or I'm going to kick your ass! Hmph."

The message finished, a faint smirk left on the pale man's lips as he imagined Naruto with crossed arms and pouting. What an idiot. Sasuke got up from the sofa, took his keys and wallet, deciding that he really needed to talk to the idiot, as this was clearly a misunderstanding. Sasuke didn't get 'bored' with his friend. It had nothing to do with that. He started walking towards the door, wondering how the blond moron reached this conclusion. Didn't his long-time friend know that to Sasuke he was-

Sasuke stopped mid step across his living room, a thought crossing his mind. Why did he need to rectify the situation? Wouldn't this make it easier for him to move away without concern of a bugging, interfering idiot? Sure, he said he won't give up on Sasuke, but at least Naruto will expect it when the raven tells him he's moving away. He turned back towards the sofa and sat down, a frown marring his brow as he thought. He seriously didn't know what to do anymore and he couldn't help but wonder when his life turned into such a drama. It was probably Itachi's fault, Sasuke thought as a vein started twitching in his temple. Somehow, it was always that weasel's fault. Suddenly, a shrill noise echoed around the apartment, and Sasuke cursed as he jogged down the hallway and towards his bedroom where his iPhone was charging. Seeing the caller ID he hesitated, wondering what the hell Neji Hyuuga could want with him. He answered the phone, curious despite himself.

"Yes?"

"Hello, Sasuke. I hope I am not bothering you."

"You're not. Why are you calling?"

"I need to ask you a favour, if you will comply."

Sasuke hummed in thought.

"What do you need?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could give me Naruto's number. We lost contact despite the fact that we all went to the same college, and I would like to get back in contact with him."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow, instantly becoming suspicious.

"I hope you don't mind if I ask, but what is with this sudden wish to see him?"

On the other side, Neji gave a humourless chuckle.

"I see you are as protective and possessive as always Uchiha. But if you must now, I saw him at this big party last month, the one Ten Ten hosted, but unfortunately, as much as I tried I just couldn't get a hold of him. He's such a social butterfly, don't you agree? The complete opposite of you. It's a wonder he's still beside you. Is your curiosity satisfied then?" Neji asked, sarcasm evident in his voice.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and wondered where Neji got all this courage to tell such undermining things.

"Is that so? Well, that's rather unfortunate of you, but Naruto is not the type to neglect his friends, so if he didn't even see you…well I guess there is no reason for you to have his number. Have a good day Neji." And with that, the annoyed Uchiha brought the phone down from his ear before Neji got any chance to retaliate.

'Stuck up, pompous bastard.' Thought Sasuke as he made his way into the living room. He realised that those were adjectives that Naruto would use to describe Sasuke. His lips quirked in amusement and decided that he'd just go and see the blond.

Naruto was merrily singing in the shower, steam formed by the hot water, while he lathered his hair. The bathroom door was open, Abba's Dancing Queen blasting from the CD player in the living room. Inside the shower, Naruto was singing his lungs out: 'You can danceeee, you can jiveeee, having the time of your lifeeee...'

As the song finished, Naruto stepped out of the shower, quickly dried his body after which he wrapped a towel around his waist and took another to dry his hair. Naruto wondered why the next song didn't come up, but as he stepped out the bathroom and saw his friend near his CD player, the mystery was solved. Sasuke didn't turn around as Naruto walked in.

"Abba? Dancing Queen? Really, I thought you were twenty-five, not forty-five."

Naruto scoffed and took a seat on a chair, still rubbing his head with the towel.

"I know I gave you a spare key, but that doesn't mean you can barge in anytime, bastard. What if I was masturbating, hm?" Sasuke could already feel his bad mood dissipate as he bantered with the blond.

"Oh? It's a wonder you know the meaning of that word." Sasuke had a smirk plastered on his face as he turned away from scrutinizing his friend's CD collection, and his smirk got impossibly wider as he took in the appearance of his hair.

After rubbing his hair like crazy, Naruto's blond thick hair stuck up in all directions, as if someone electrocuted him. The blond narrowed his eyes and glared at his amused friend. Sasuke didn't have the chance to tease him about his hair as he quickly got distracted. Naruto's tanned skin gave a soft shine in the late afternoon sun, and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if that tan spread all across his body. The Uchiha blinked. 'Some weird thoughts you're having there, eh Sasuke?' A mocking voice, sounding suspiciously like Itachi's , resounded in Sasuke's head and he shook his head, coming back to reality.

"Hmm, Sasuke? Is there something on my chest? Why are you staring at me like that?" Sasuke glanced at Naruto's face and saw just how confused his blond friend looked. Interesting to note was that Naruto also seemed to be blushing.

"Hn, I was just wondering how much more out of shape you could get." Sasuke walked out of the living room and into the kitchen where he opened one of the cupboards. "I told you all this garbage is not good for you." Said Sasuke, pointing at the countless ramen cups stashed in the cupboard. He took some mugs out and decided to make some tea, while Naruto walked towards his friend gesticulating wildly.

"What are you talking about bastard? I go to the gym four times a week. I'm not out of shape, you're just jealous of my toned body!"

"Hn. Go put some clothes on, moron." Said Sasuke, feeling uncomfortable with his friend's undressed state. When he saw that the blond idiot wasn't moving from his place in the kitchen doorway, he took a kitchen towel and threw it at his face. Naruto dodged just in time, sprinting out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom while yelling at his friend.

"Ha! You missed bastard!"

Sasuke just chuckled and continued making the tea. Of course Naruto was not out of shape. Sasuke just said that to aggravate his friend. He clearly saw the defined abdominal muscles, the slightly bulging biceps…Because you know, it's not like he saw his friend almost naked every day. Of course he stared. Anyone would…

In the bedroom, Naruto was hurriedly getting dressed, wondering why his friend came, but also feeling glad that Sasuke came to visit him on his own volition. Maybe things were back to normal. Sasuke didn't say anything about the message that Naruto left him, but Naruto hoped that Sasuke didn't agree with what he said. He didn't want to lose his friend after so many years of being together. Together as friends obviously, Naruto quickly rectified that in his head.

As he took a light blue sweatshirt to put on, he glanced at his chest, wondering why his friend has stared like that. Why Sasuke looked him up and down, from his messy hair to his bare feet and then back up to his chest, while his black, bottomless eyes became slightly hazy. To his horror, Naruto realised that his cheeks were heating up, and looking in the mirror he did actually see light pink dusting his cheeks. 'What the hell…' he thought as he quickly pulled on his shirt.

He quickly ran his fingers through his drying hair, adding a touch of gel to give it some shape. It never hurt to look good, right?

He went back in his living room, where Sasuke was sipping tea and reading a newspaper that he found on Naruto's coffee table. The Uchiha didn't look up as his friend picked his own steaming mug from the table.

"Heh, for one moment, I actually thought you made me tea. God knows I detest that tasteless shit. However, I'm lucky to have a friend that knows that I loooove hot chocolate, eh bastard?" He grinned as he sat down next to his friend and nudged him with his elbow.

"It's not hard to guess your tastes when you choose the unhealthy alternative of any food or drink."

"Heh." Naruto sipped his hot chocolate and turned on the T.V. He kept switching channels but he wasn't even aware of what was on T.V. since his entire attention was focused on the man reading beside him. He really wanted to know what Sasuke had to tell him and he wasn't known as a patient person. At one point, he even started fidgeting and casting furtive glances at Sasuke. The raven however, only calmly sipped his tea, reading through the newspaper, seemingly oblivious to Naruto's agitated state.

Sasuke kept staring at the newspaper, not seeing any of the words printed on the paper in front of him. If someone asked him, he wouldn't have the littlest idea of what the article was about. He just took enough care to run his eyes across the paper and flick the page at the right times so it looked like he was actually reading. On the other hand, the blonde moron was obviously not paying attention to the T.V. if considering the fact that he was changing the channels so fast that you only saw a flick. And the glances that he gave Sasuke every five seconds or so was more than an indication of what, or who he was actually paying attention to.

However, Sasuke had to admit that he wasn't looking forward to talking to Naruto about the message he left on the Uchiha's phone, or the fact that in less than two months he was going to marry a stranger and move four hours away. So he took as much time as he could drinking his tea, taking tiny sips, even if his friend was obviously about to die from impatience.

The tension became so thick you could cut it with a knife. Sasuke finished reading and they were just staring at a screen that both of them paid no attention to, and the silence finally became awkward. And then, the phone rang. They both jumped, and in their confusion, they both started looking for their phones, and Sasuke belatedly realised that it was not his phone ringing. His ringtone would never be such an obnoxious song like 'Distance' by Long Shot Party.

Naruto got his phone out, looked at the unknown number flashing on the screen and frowned. He gave Sasuke a small smile and walked out of the room and into his bedroom. He could hear the blond talking but couldn't discern the words since the T.V. had its volume on an annoyingly high volume. By the time Sasuke turned down the T.V. Naruto was already talking about meeting up with someone. He sounded really enthusiastic. For some reason, Sasuke didn't like it one bit.

As Naruto said bye to whoever he was talking to, Sasuke composed himself so it didn't look like he has been trying to listen to the whole conversation. The blond literally skipped into the room, a huge grin on his face.

"Sasuke, Sasuke! Guess what?" Naruto sounded so enthusiastic that Sasuke wanted to kill something.

"What." He deadpanned.

"Guess who called?" Naruto threw himself next to Sasuke and faced the raven. The Uchiha just raised a cool eyebrow, wondering if the blond actually expected him to take part in this silly game.

"Fine, fine. I'll just tell you, you boring bastard." He stuck his tongue out, and Sasuke was really curious about what could get him so excited. Not that Naruto was hard to get excited or anything.

"Hn."

"You are not going to ruin my good mood with your stupid hns!" Naruto said to Sasuke rather loudly.

"Since you're obviously so curious," Naruto continued sarcastically. "I will let you know that Neji Hyuuga just called!" Sasuke's blood run cold.

"Remember him? We went to the same college. He was such an awesome guy but unfortunately we lost contact. I'm so glad he called. I always wondered what happened with him. Last time we talked he had a huge row with his uncle. Oooh and remember Hinata? His cousin?"

'Ah yeah, the bitch with the huge boobs that was always in heat when around you.'

"Yeah."

"Well I wonder if she could come as well. It would be fun to reminisce on the college years."

"Come? Come where?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"Ah right. Neji asked if I could meet him tonight to have dinner together and catch up on stuff." The blond grinned at Sasuke. The more excited Naruto got, the more irritated his friend became. Not that he noticed.

"I know! You should come as well! I'm sure Neji wouldn't mind. It would be so fun! Ne Sasuke, will you come? Please?"

Sasuke was just about to say no and walk out of the apartment so he could remind himself why it was not okay to strangle people. However, the more he thought about it, he realised that it would be a good idea if he was there with them to see what Neji's intentions were.

"Sure."

"Really? Yay! You are strangely complacent today, but I'm not going to complain!"

"Hn. Did he by any chance tell you where he got your number from?" Asked Sasuke, as casually as he could. Naruto scratched his neck and hummed.

"Oh yeah! I'm pretty sure he said he got it from Itachi. Heh. That devil finally did something good for us, eh?" He smiled and nudged his friend playfully oblivious to the dark aura emanating from his friend.

"Did he now…" Sasuke muttered darkly under his breath.

"Say what, bastard?" Asked the confused blond as he picked up the mugs to take them to the kitchen.

"I said 'Can we go now?'. I can't wait to see Neji." Sasuke smirked. Naruto had to stop walking and gulp. Now that the excitement was over, he realised there was something wrong with his friend.

A/N: Well, I finally decided to get my shit together and write again. I'm not even going to try apologising for the ridiculous late update, and it would be a miracle if any of my previous readers are still here. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, even if you celebrated Christmas or not. Let's hope this new year brings more updates from me,eh? Anyway, I realise that not much happened in this chapter, but it is needed for what is going to happen.

Thank you for reading, and as always, reviews are loved, taken care of, and a huge motivation for me.