a/n: Hi! So, this is actually part of the It Started Over Coffee Universe, but, specifically it was written to take place after Seattle, ch. 8. BUT, you do not need to read ANY coffee to read this fic. It definitely stands on its own, but within Coffee/Seattle, it is simply a dream that Sasuke is having (yes, it's an AU within an AU).

Explanation: There is a single dream chapter for Naruto within the Seattle sidefic if you want to read it. I wanted to do interludes as a sort of shout out to Spiral Falling, but Sasuke's just happened to take on a life of its own, and it is probably one of my most favorite universes I've written. It has its own sidefics, too, which can be found on y-gallery.

If you are interested in the timeline, this "dream" world takes place shortly after Coffee!Naruto's mother dies (except in this world she dies when Naruto is 16, not 12).

If you have NOT read Coffee: You can read this simply as a Naruto/Sasuke AU high school fic. I've always had a soft spot for high school fics but never really sat down to write one properly... until this.

Yes, this is a boyxboy fic. Reviews are welcome, but I will be updating this fairly often so I can get back to posting Seattle.

It was mid-March, a week before spring break, and the morning for Sasuke had already started out terrible. Not for any particular reason other than if someone so much as looked at him wrong he felt inclined to pick a fight. He'd had an argument with his father last night, but that wasn't anything new or even worth being angry about. It'd taken him a while to finally roll out of bed. Choosing something to wear took longer than usual, and when Itachi drove him all the way to his private school in downtown Seattle, he was set to be ten minutes late to first period. Luckily, the instructor was always late, so it wasn't likely he'd even notice.

After he put his backpack away in his locker, he grabbed his textbook and notebook and made his way to the classroom. It was abnormal of him to be late, so a few students turned around and looked at him as he came in, but he didn't care. He slid into his seat and, no surprise, Kakashi wasn't here yet. The girl sitting behind him tapped him on the shoulder, so, with a grunt, he turned around.

"Did you hear there's a new transfer student?" She asked. "You're in student council, right? Do you know anything about him?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What kind of idiot transfers this late into a school year?"

"I don't know," she said in a snotty tone. "I heard he's from out of state, though. I think he's here on a sports scholarship?"

"Like I care," he replied. "Just what this school needs is one more dumb jock."

"What?" She asked.

Ignoring her, he turned back around, but it didn't matter as their teacher finally decided to show up. He strolled through one of the aisles and took a seat on the edge of his desk, arms folded to his chest, tie not knotted correctly, and his silver hair sticking out all over the place. If he wasn't so irritating, he might've come off as an attractive man, but he was, in fact, very irritating.

"Sasuke, you look particularly constipated today," noted Kakashi. "Did someone steal your favorite hair gel and replace it with a generic brand this morning?"

A couple of kids snickered at the joke, but there were several girls who swiftly shushed them.

"It's good to see the new hair transplant is finally taking," Sasuke muttered. "I'm sure it was easy to pay for since you moved into your dad's basement."

"I'm really going to have to have a conversation with your brother about how much he shares with you." Kakashi probed at his hairline. "I'll have you know that for a man my age, I have a very healthy head of hair. By the way, just for that, I'm forcing you to take the new kid around school today. He was in the office earlier, so he should be here shortly."

Of course, announcing that he'd seen the new student caused the class to erupt in chaos as the girls bombarded their teacher with questions - most of which involved what he looked like.

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. All teenagers look alike to me. How am I supposed to distinguish one from the other?"

"But Kakashi," a short girl with brunette hair at the front said, "Can't you at least tell us his hair color? Or what about his eyes?"

"I assure you that he had both hair and eyes." He scratched his chin. "I think."

"If Sasuke doesn't want to show him around, I'll be happy to," she chirped.

"No." He shook his head. "We all know how much Sasuke enjoys people, so this is his punishment."

"For what?" asked Sasuke. "What did I do?"

"You've got this look about you I don't like."

Sasuke glared. "Why would anyone ever give you a license to teach?"

"Because most people have sense not to want to work with high school-aged children. Schools are in desperate need of teachers, and I am happiest when I'm able to torture the younger generation, so here I am."

Sasuke might've had one more smartass comment to make, but the classroom door opened. Everyone turned around to look, including Sasuke. Even though the boy stood there with a stupid grin on his face, he couldn't help but take in a subtle sweep of all his acceptable features: bright blond hair, even brighter blue eyes, nice smile, athletic build, and somewhat tanned. He wore a red-hooded sweatshirt and faded jeans while everyone else was wearing their crisp school uniforms. He glanced around the room at the class and appeared to be surprised by the onslaught of attention (however, he seemed to like it, which annoyed Sasuke).

"Hi," said the boy, giving everyone a wave, and suddenly the room broke into a cacophony of concealed whispers and comments. It would've been impossible to distinguish any one thing being said.

After a moment, the new kid shrugged and casually made his way down the aisle while slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Yo," said Kakashi, holding up his hand in greeting. "Nice of you to join us."

"Uh, yeah." The boy scratched the back of his head. "There was stuff missin' from my file, I guess, so it took a bit longer than I thought."

"Don't worry about it. Consider it a lesson on bureaucracy. It only gets worse as you get older."

"Um, sure."

Sasuke continued to observe from his desk. Other students were still having hushed conversations. He heard some girls saying that the new boy was "so cute" and "wow, did you see his eyes?" Sasuke wasn't so sure, though. Their school was big, and there were a lot of decent looking people already. He was a bit wary of adding one more jock to the mix.

"Feel free to introduce yourself to your new classmates. I'll be grateful if you extend it as long as possible. That puts us all that much closer to the end of the period," said Kakashi. As soon as their teacher said that, the entire room went dead silent, and all eyes were on the new boy. He stared back at them and flashed a huge grin, feeding off everybody's anticipation.

"Hello!" He practically shouted. "Uh, this is sorta awkward to be up here, but anyway. So, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm a Libra, and I like movies with explosions, video games, baseball and all kinds of sports. Oh, and I like pizza. And pasta. And Asian food?"

"Naruto, this isn't an online dating site, just tell us where you came from and why you moved to Seattle, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly at their teacher. "I'm from near Chicago. My dad got offered a position out here, and since we recently lost my mom," he paused momentarily with a slight falter to his smile, "We thought we'd try somethin' new. I'm here on a sports scholarship, uh, baseball specifically. I'm not a great student, but everyone I've met here so far has been nice."

"Don't worry about that," said Kakashi, "Most of them are terrible students. We do grade on a curve, but that one over there typically ruins it for everybody." He pointed at Sasuke.

Briefly, Sasuke's gaze met Naruto's, which was curious and calculating, and when he smirked, Sasuke simply narrowed his eyes at him.

"Sasuke will be showing you around the campus today."

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Is he bein' punished for somethin'?"

The class erupted into laughter.

"I have this feeling," Kakashi said, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "That I'm not going to like you. Now that you're done sharing, why don't you take that open seat?"

"But Kakashi," one girl who always wore heavy makeup interrupted, "Can't we ask Naruto questions?"

"Why? He's not going anywhere. Ask him out on your free period. I don't like to mix romance and teaching in my classes."

"Wh-what? I wasn't! Why. Ugh!" She hid her face behind her hands.

"It's cool," said Naruto. "I haven't made any friends yet, so I'd be happy to talk to you whenever."

She moved her hands, staring at him, dumbfounded. "R-really?"

"Sure," said Naruto. "Who wouldn't wanna talk to a pretty girl like yourself?"

She flushed bright red, and there were a couple of laughs, catcalls, and whistles. Naruto, looking pleased with himself, settled down into the empty seat that was two desks behind Sasuke and in the aisle next to him. He clucked his tongue, feeling uncomfortable with this exchange but couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why he felt this way.

Finally, after all the drama was over, the class proceeded with very minimal distraction throughout, except the occasional banter between Kakashi and Naruto that sometimes made even Sasuke smirk or quietly snigger, though he tried to hide it.

Since Sasuke's second period was a free one where he typically did errands for student council, he stopped at Naruto's desk and waited. He hadn't noticed it earlier since Naruto had his hands in his pockets, but there was a bandage wrapped around his right hand. Naruto glanced at him and smiled.

"Hey, my tour guide." He started to get up, but a few girls crowded around him, blocking his way. Politely, he excused himself from their questions and waved at Sasuke. "You ready?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but walked down his aisle and met Naruto at the end.

"Have you been to your locker yet?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. It's on the second floor." Naruto nudged him. "It's close to the girls' locker room."

"How fantastic for them," he replied dryly. "What do you have this period?"

"Um." Naruto pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket, "Modern World History?"

"It's fine if you're late or skip it entirely. Most people sleep through it."

"My Dad'll kill me if I cause any trouble on my first day."

"Why? Did you cause a lot of trouble at your last school?" Sasuke glanced at Naruto's hand.

"Heh. I'd prefer not to say. So, you're Sasuke? Sorry you have to go out of your way to show me around."

"Don't mention it," he said while avoiding a very slow-moving group of gossiping girls. "Kakashi's eccentric, but at least he makes class interesting." Since he wasn't particularly big on small talk, he didn't have much to add to the conversation, which turned out to not be a problem because Naruto was full of comments, observations, and questions. Sasuke could barely keep up, and, eventually, quit responding since he could tell Naruto was a little too overstimulated to absorb any more new information.

He showed Naruto all the classrooms on the first floor, where the cafeteria was located, and one of the lab rooms. He already knew where the office was, so there was no need to bring him there. They took their time. After all, it was better than him being forced to make copies of assignments in the office.

"So you're on student council," Naruto was saying as they headed up the stairwell to the second floor. "That must mean you're pretty popular, eh?"

"The school's not that large, so it isn't that big of a deal."

"You're so modest, Sasuke," Naruto's tone held a hint of teasing, "That must be why so many people like you."

"Hardly," he said. "You clearly know where the girls' locker room is, but the boys' locker room is down this hallway."

"What hour do you have P.E.?" Naruto asked.

"Fifth," Sasuke answered. "It's athletic P.E."

"Ah, good. At least there will be one familiar face then. I've got it fifth period, too. But, I didn't bring any gym clothes yet."

"They have some you can borrow," he said absently. "Or I have an extra set you can use."

"Really?" Naruto stopped at the door leading to the locker room.

Sasuke stopped, too, an eyebrow raised. "Is there a problem?"

"No!" Naruto adamantly shook his head. "I just was kinda worried that comin' here, bein' the new kid... I might not meet any friends on the first day."

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself by calling us friends," Sasuke told him.

"Heh. Fair enough. Sorry to interrupt. Please continue the tour. I'll be quiet."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." He gave Naruto a light push on the lower part of his back. Sasuke showed him where his locker was located. There were several empty ones, but Naruto hadn't brought a padlock. He pointed out the showers, which rather than being open, were made of seven individual stalls.

Afterward, Sasuke showed him the rest of the classrooms upstairs, the computer labs, and the teachers' lounge. He gave him the rundown on the personalities of various teachers, who to be wary of, who to suck up to, who were actually decent teachers that cared about students. By the time the tour concluded, there were only 10 minutes left before third period. Sasuke walked Naruto to his locker and quizzed him on where his English class could be found. Satisfied that Naruto might remember at least that much, he left him to it.

"I'll see you in P.E.!" He yelled to Sasuke as he was walking away. "Thanks again for the tour!"

Sasuke didn't look back, but he gave a backward, indifferent sort of wave, half-wondering why that hadn't been nearly as annoying as he'd expected. However, he simply chalked it up to the fact he'd done his good deed for the day. So what if his bad mood from earlier had lifted and he couldn't stop wondering how someone's eyes could be that blue. It was almost obscene.

When Sasuke arrived for fifth period, Naruto was sitting on the bench, having a chat with a senior about the varsity baseball team. Without greeting either of them, Sasuke opened his locker and pulled out one set of clothes for him (blue shirt, black shorts) and one for Naruto. He was already tugging his shirt over his head when Naruto finished his conversation.

"Hey," said Naruto. "Long time no see."

Sasuke wasn't amused, and as he pulled on his gym shirt, he glared out of the corner of his eye.

"What did I do?" Naruto asked.

The room started to fill up with other boys in their P.E. class.

"Put those on," Sasuke pointed at the clothing he'd set out as he adjusted his shirt.

"Okay." Naruto frowned, but Sasuke turned his back on him while he removed his shoes and undid his belt. "So, should I not ask if you've had a good day so far?"

Sasuke grunted, and when he turned around after putting his belt away, he caught a healthy glimpse of Naruto's very toned arms, chest, and stomach. In fact, he was busy removing his jeans, so he was bent over a bit, leaning against one of the lockers. Naruto happened to glance up at him. He hoped he was able to make his face go blank instantaneously because he very clearly had been leering.

Naruto didn't seem to notice, though. "Did I do somethin' wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. I'm trying to figure out why someone would purposely buy boxers that color?"

"Heh. I love these. They're my favorite pair. Let's see what you're wearing. I bet they're Calvin Klein or somethin', right?"

Sasuke squinted suspiciously at him. "Why are you so interested in my underwear?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "You started it."

Sasuke shook his head and hurried up with taking off his own pants, which he folded and neatly put away into the locker. He slipped on his gym shorts and grabbed his sneakers. "You should probably have a separate pair of sneakers to leave here. Luckily you wore some today."

"I don't wear much other than sneakers," Naruto replied.

"You must get a lot of complaints from the neighbors," Sasuke remarked dryly and looked up from tying his laces when Naruto laughed. "It looks like my clothes fit you."

"Yeah, thanks." Naruto slicked down his hair in spots that had been sticking up. "I'll be sure to wash them after I get my own set. I guess my uniform isn't coming until next week."

"Next week is spring break," said Sasuke.

"Oh. Well. Whenever."

"You ready?" He asked, smoothing out one or two wrinkles on his shirt.

Naruto had his arms folded behind his head. "Yep!"

"Are you really going to be this enthusiastic about P.E.?"

"Yeah. I always have a lot of energy, and it's a good way to get rid of some of it. What sorta stuff do you guys usually do?"

"It depends. This week we've mostly been doing long-distance running, but since it's raining, that typically means about 25 laps around the gym. Maybe more if it's Gai teaching today instead of Kakashi."

"Kakashi teaches P.E., too?"

"It depends on what you mean by 'teach'," he replied.

"I thought he was alright this mornin'. Other than he spent about 20 minutes talking about the amount of male nudity that took place in the first Olympics, and the chapter had been about conserving the Great Coral Reef. I'm not quite sure how the two were related?"

"It's best not to think too deeply on these things," said Sasuke, and he led the way to the stairwell. Other boys were already headed down, their voices echoing against the concrete walls. "Have you met anyone of interest yet?"

"You mean any girls I like?" Naruto glanced at him.

"I didn't mean that in particular, but sure."

"You have a lot of pretty girls here. My school did, too. I liked a lot of people in my English class third period, and I sat next to a girl in my biology class who was pretty sweet. Kinda reminded me of this girl from my last school. She was super shy, but always nice. Do you have a girlfriend, Sasuke?"

He cleared his throat. "Not at the moment, no."

"Ah, that's too bad. I would've thought you did."

They entered a narrow, brightly lit hallway. The walls were painted a very harsh white that was almost blinding.

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

Naruto gave him a pointed look. "You know."

Sasuke didn't know, so he stared back at him expectantly.

"You're not really gonna make me say it, are you?" Naruto complained.

"I'm not making you do anything. I just don't know what you mean."

Naruto sighed. "There's no way you don't know that you're, y'know, a good lookin' guy. Not as good lookin' as me." He grinned broadly. "But. You're alright."

"Right."

"Are you gonna tell me you're one of those guys who doesn't care about looks at all? That it's more about brains and personality? Maybe that's why you don't have a girlfriend. Your standards are too high. Maybe college women would be more your type?" Naruto hummed questioningly.

"Well if it's brains and personality that I'm after," Sasuke said, beginning to get irritated with this line of questioning, "At least we know you have nothing to worry about."

"Hey, harsh!"

Sasuke began to walk a little faster.

"Oh that's mature," Naruto called after him. "Walk away from the new kid."

Sasuke ignored him, and conveniently, since Naruto could strike up a conversation with a fence post, he began chatting up the next person who entered his radar. It happened to be Sai, who most students tended to avoid because he was broody and had no concept of personal space or how to act in a social setting. Also, he often fell prey to a very small group of jocks who'd recently found out about his sexual orientation. Sasuke put an end to the bullying when he could (he had that power as someone on the student council and because he knew enough martial arts to take down a number of people at once), but he also thought Sai needed to show a little more backbone. Or discretion. Maybe Sasuke hadn't shouted his own sexuality from the rooftops, but he'd never been one to want to draw attention to himself either.

They all entered the gym and gathered in their respective lines, which were based on year in school and, apparently, athletic prowess. Sasuke was at the front of the line for sophomores. Naruto didn't know where to go, so he stood at the front awkwardly until Sasuke waved him over.

"We're in line by grade," he said.

"Why are you at the front, though?" Naruto asked. "Is it alphabetical?"

The boy standing in the line beside them laughed; Naruto glared at him.

"It was just a question," Naruto defended.

"It's by how well you do in activities overall," answered the other boy. "Best running time, number of goals, pull-ups, push-ups, stuff like that."

"Ah." Naruto seemed to understand, but he suddenly narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "That must make you the best, eh?"

Sasuke didn't answer since he actually thought it meant he was the mostcompetitive.

"Fine then," said Naruto. "I'll consider you my competition."

"It's not really that big of a deal." That was a lie, but best not to antagonize Naruto because he might not shut up about it, and the thing he liked about gym class was the fact he only had to focus on being physical for an hour.

"He's been at the front since we started high school," the boy from earlier just had to mention. "Good luck with that, new kid."

"Y'know," Naruto said and pointed at him. "I don't like you."

Thankfully - and even though it ended up being Gai, after all - the teacher finally showed up, practically sprinting to the sophomore line of boys. He put one hand on Naruto's shoulder and the other on the shoulder of the boy in the line next to them.

"As much as I applaud your youthful competitiveness, I'd rather see you take that energy and put it toward your athletics, boys! You're new, aren't you? What's your name?" He asked Naruto.

"Naruto, sir." Naruto practically saluted. "Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I like your enthusiasm, Naruto. But since you're new - get to the back of the line. Like all men, we have to earn our spot in life, and in this gym, we have to earn our spot in line." He gave Naruto a shove toward the back. A few boys laughed, but most of them were immune to Gai's unique personality. Sasuke had learned to tune him out long ago. Besides, he couldn't fault someone for being into something they enjoyed, and Gai was certainly very into sports, athletics, and working out.

As predicted, they were told to run a mile, which was no big deal to Sasuke. For a while, as they started running, he kept to himself like he typically did. After about five laps, however, Naruto caught up with him.

"I'm gonna be like those guys who do the biathlon at the winter Olympics. You gotta set your pace with the leader and all that."

"What happened to your friend Sai?" Sasuke asked, noticing Naruto hadn't even broken a sweat and his breathing was completely under control.

"Uh. He started talkin' about weird things I didn't understand."

"What?" Sasuke glanced at him. "Simple addition and subtraction?"

"Ha ha, very funny, bastard."

"What did you just call me?"

"Uh... bastard?"

"You know the literal definition of that word, don't you?"

"I dunno if it's literal, but doesn't it usually mean you're a jerk?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No wonder they put you in remedial English."

"See!" Naruto knocked into his shoulder. "You're a total jerk. Sai talking about iambic pentameter is almost preferable to this, except he didn't wanna run very fast, and I don't wanna be in the back of the line."

"Everyone knows you're new, Naruto. Why do you care so much about what anyone thinks?"

"Why do you care so little?" Naruto asked. "Maybe if you did, it might make you less cynical and sarcastic."

"If you don't like the way I talk," Sasuke replied coldly, "You don't need to stay at my side." He sped up his pace.

For a few laps, Naruto hung back, but eventually he was right beside him again.

"Sorry," he said. "I dunno why I said that. You've been nothin' but nice to me today. I guess I just want people to like me. You, especially."

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Well, you're obviously top of the class in homeroom, top of the class here. You're probably at the top in every class. You're on student council. When I mentioned to a bunch of people in my last class that you were the one who gave me a tour, all the girls practically swooned. I guess if I was you, I'd be pretty damn happy. I bet there are a lotta people who look up to you. Hell, even wanna be you."

Sasuke absorbed this quietly, trying to find an angle for why Naruto would be flattering him so blatantly. Did he want something?

"You know," he said. "Hanging out with me won't necessarily cause you to soar in popularity."

Naruto stopped running, and when he did, he grabbed hold of Sasuke's sleeve. "What did you just say?"

Sasuke glanced at the hand on his sleeve. "You heard me."

Naruto glared. "I didn't say all that 'cause I want you to make me popular. Jesus, you really are a bastard, aren't you? Do you think after everything I went through recently that I give a shit about trivial crap like bein' popular? I was paying you a compliment, not tryin' to stick my nose up your butt." With a shake of his head, he let go of Sasuke's shirt and jogged off.

Sasuke stood a moment in disbelief, watching his back, and noticing others were looking at him (Naruto hadn't exactly kept his voice down during his tirade), began to run again. He didn't think there was anything wrong in jumping to the conclusion that someone would want something from him. Other people had done similar things, which is why he kept a very small group of friends, and none of which he would consider to be close friends.

He blanked it out and concentrated on finishing his mile in a decent time. It didn't even bother him that Naruto finished with a better time, but it did sort of bother him that Naruto didn't say a single word to him throughout the rest of the class, even when they went to change in the locker room. Usually Sasuke wouldn't have cared except Naruto had sounded so sincere when he'd been saying all that. Maybe it had just confused and flustered him because he wasn't used to, well. Sincerity. Or honesty. Not from boys their age. Mostly the guys around here were only interested in boasting how good they were, and not so much about complimenting others on their strengths.

Why had it made him so uneasy that he'd needed to lash out? Even if Naruto had been blowing smoke up his ass, why had he gotten so defensive? Why should he care what Naruto did?

Annoying.

Thankfully, there was just lunch and two more periods left. He and Naruto only shared the two classes, so it wasn't like he'd have to deal with him the rest of the day.

But, again, why the hell did he even care so much?

At the end of the day, Sasuke was beyond grateful to see his brother's car parked in the school lot. The rain was pouring, and he was in no mood to take a bus, plus he would've had to walk several blocks to get to the right bus stop. As he was leaving, he noticed Naruto standing outside of the entrance, his hood drawn up and ratty backpack hanging off of his shoulder. He considered walking past him without saying anything, but... he wasn't that childish.

He paused at Naruto's side. "Do you need a ride home?"

Naruto glanced his way, obviously not happy to see him. "Oh," he said. "It's you."

Sasuke sucked in a breath, which was apparently a tactic that helped with pride swallowing. "Would it help if I said I'm sorry about earlier?"

"It's fine. I'm sure you're used to people leechin' on to you. I'll find someone else to bother about stuff, don't worry."

"Naruto," Sasuke said, biting back the urge to punch him. "You're not a bother. Are you going to accept my apology or not?"

Naruto cocked his head. "If I do," he started to smile. "What do I get out of it?"

He felt an odd sense of relief seeing Naruto smile. "Like I said. I'll give you a ride. Or are you philosophizing about the rain? Perhaps you can write a poem about it and share it with Sai?"

"What's your obsession with Sai?" Naruto asked.

He scowled. "I don't have an obsession with Sai."

"Yeah, right. You act like you're jealous or somethin'."

"Me?" He scoffed. "Jealous of Sai?"

"Just 'cause other people pick on him doesn't mean he's not a cool guy. He just thinks differently. That's why I hate high school. People are so small-minded. It irritates me." Naruto shook his arms out.

That was the second time today Naruto had left him rather speechless with his, well, for lack of better words, show of passion. When he managed to collect himself, he grabbed for Naruto's wrist.

"Come on," he said. "We'll make a run for it."

"What?" Naruto didn't have much time to react as Sasuke dragged him through the rain and made a dash for Itachi's car. When they got there, he opened the back door for Naruto and practically threw him inside. He got in on the passenger's side, shirt soaked and sticking to his skin.

"Uh, am I bein' kidnapped?" Naruto asked from the back.

"Yes, Sasuke. What exactly are your plans? If I'd known of this ahead of time, I would've brought the leather hood."

"Leather hood?" Naruto leaned forward between the two front seats. "Really?"

"Don't put weird ideas into his head," said Sasuke as he fixed his hair using the mirror on the back of the visor. "This is Naruto, by the way. Naruto, this is my brother, Itachi."

"Hello, Naruto," said Itachi, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

"'Ello."

"I don't believe I've seen you in Sasuke's company before."

"I'm new. Just moved here."

"From Chicago?" Itachi asked, and surprised, Sasuke glanced at him curiously.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

"He has a little bit of an accent, can't you tell?"

"Really?" Naruto beamed. "I have an accent?" He covered his mouth for a few seconds and then removed his hand. "You have to be pretty smart to notice somethin' like that. Your parents must be proud, eh? To have two smart sons?"

"Oh," said Itachi. "I like you. Much better than the uppity academic clique Sasuke sometimes socializes with, and I use the term socializes very loosely."

Sasuke scowled. "Who are you even talking about?"

"Heh. I can see that about him," said Naruto. "He's popular, but he acts like such a loner."

"Well, Sasuke is very mature for his age, and most of his contemporaries are not. I'm sure you can imagine the problem."

"Why are you talking about me as if I'm not here?" Sasuke growled and threw his backpack behind him. Naruto let out a curse since it nailed him in the face.

"What the hell did I do?" Naruto yelled. "Why is it every time I compliment you, you look like you're gonna shoot lasers out your eyes?"

"It's difficult being misunderstood," Itachi said in his place. "Be a little more patient, Naruto. You'll get used to it. Before we torment my brother further, would you mind telling me where you'd like to be dropped off, or," he looked at Sasuke with a smirk, "Will he be coming home with us?"

Sasuke glared because he knew what his brother was implying. "Just drop him off wherever he lives."

"Maybe he's thirsty," said Itachi. "Perhaps we should stop somewhere and get something warm to drink?"

Oblivious, Naruto started to ramble on about all the reasons he couldn't possibly ask them to go out of their way like that. Finally, Sasuke had to tell him to shut up. Itachi chuckled, which meant Sasuke, yet again, sent him a glare.

"By the way, Naruto," said Itachi, "You don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

"No," replied Naruto. "Why? Do you?"

"Thank you for asking, but I do not. Did you know Sasuke's single?"

"Yeah. I asked him earlier. I figured he woulda had one."

"Well, he doesn't. Or, he did last year, didn't you, Sasuke? I believe you two went to Homecoming together?"

Okay, now Sasuke was really getting irritated. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Itachi said. "I don't know why he doesn't date more often. I think he'd make someone a very good boyfriend." He turned around in the seat. "Don't you think so, Naruto?"

"Um, I guess? Maybe? Well, no. Not really. He kinda has a short temper and a superiority complex, and he's also pretty competitive. And he can't take compliments."

"And there you have it," Itachi said, smirking at Sasuke.

Sasuke turned his irritation on Naruto. "What happened to everything you were saying in gym?"

"Yeah, well that all changed after you were a bastard. I'm not gonna say nice things about you ever again!"

Itachi made a noise of amusement. "Bastard? Did he just refer to you as a bastard?"

"He's too base to understand the literal definition."

"I don't think he's calling you that based on the literal definition."

"That's what I said!" added Naruto.

"I'm surprised he was able to follow the conversation," Sasuke murmured.

"As am I," agreed Itachi.

"You guys both suck. Should I just leave? I don't wanna stay in here if you're gonna mock my intelligence the entire time."

"That's not true," Itachi said. "The only person I want to continuously mock is my brother. Would you like to get a hot chocolate before I take you home?"

"I don't really wanna trouble you," said Naruto.

"It's no trouble, really. I'm only in town for a few more days, and it's always a pleasure to meet one of Sasuke's boy...friends."

"Huh?"

Sasuke punched his brother in the shoulder. "Stop confusing him. It's obnoxious."

"It's hard to say who the confused one is," Itachi replied in a quiet voice, and then he leaned over to whisper in Sasuke's ear. "He's nice, Sasuke. And very attractive for a boy your age."

Sasuke glared. "Yes, and also very heterosexual. Now shut up and drive."

"What are you two whisperin' about?" Luckily, Naruto was too busy trying to work the seat belt to have noticed their little tête-à-tête.

"We're trying to decide who has the best hot chocolate in town," answered Itachi.

"Oh, when I wanted a hot drink back home, I usually went to Starbuck's. You have some of those, right?"

"Only about a thousand," Sasuke said sarcastically, glancing at Naruto in the mirror. "Did you figure out how to work that seat belt yet, or do I need to come back there and show you?"

"No, I'm fine." Naruto pouted and crossed his arms.

Sasuke smirked. When he noticed Itachi noticing him smirking, he replaced it with a deep scowl.

"You're hilarious, Sasuke," Itachi said as he put the car in reverse.

"Yeah," said Naruto, having missed the deeper meaning of Itachi's words. "He is pretty funny, isn't he. He had me laughin' several times today."

"Did you hear that, Sasuke? He says he likes your sense of humor. At least you have one thing going for you."

"I hate you." Sasuke loosened the knot of his tie. "I will pay you back for this."

"Look at you and your goals of revenge." Itachi smirked. "So adorable."

He heard Naruto laughing in the back seat, so Sasuke found the closest hard object and lobbed it behind him, satisfied when Naruto cursed and shouted something about being blinded in one of his eyes now.

The next day, instead of heading downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch, Sasuke opted to stay after fifth period to take a shower. Usually gym didn't cause him to work up enough sweat that he needed one, but keeping up with Naruto had led him to become... especially competitive today.

Once most of the boys had gone, he stripped down and wrapped a towel around his waist, bringing a bottle of body wash with him into the stall. He stood under the spray and shook his head, flinging droplets of water that scattered across the white tiles. Placing his hands on the wall, he let the hot water hit his back. They'd done pull-ups, so his shoulders and arms were sore. He was about to reach for the body wash when there was a knock on the door. When Sasuke cracked it open it was to find Naruto standing there, dressed in the school's uniform, including the blazer that carried the school's emblem on a blue and gold patch.

"Were you wearing that before?" Sasuke asked. "I thought you weren't getting your uniform until next week."

"Oh this?" Naruto smirked. "I borrowed it."

"From who?"

"Why does it matter?"

Sasuke stared at him irritably. "Well, what did you want? Can't you see that I'm showering?"

"I noticed that," said Naruto, glancing down and then up again before taking off his blazer and throwing it behind him on the floor.

He put his hand on the door - above Sasuke's so that their fingers touched - and pushed it open. Immediately, the water hit him, soaking his clothes as he forced Sasuke to take several steps backward - a hand on his chest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, too momentarily stunned to do anything, even when his back collided with the wall.

"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto cupped the side of his face. All of his bright, blond hair was becoming matted to his forehead and cheeks. The white button-down shirt he wore was nearly transparent as it clung to his slim build. "You think I didn't notice the way you were leering at me yesterday when I was changing?"

"I don't know what you're - " Sasuke began to argue, but Naruto tipped his chin up and attacked his throat, sucking on it as fingers traced down from his chest to his stomach, lower still until Sasuke finally regained his sense and grabbed his hand. "Stop."

"Why?" Naruto's face was close to his. "You think I didn't pick up on all those hints that your brother kept goin' on about?"

"Naruto..." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Get out, or I'll make you get out."

"Why? You heard what I said yesterday. You're smart, you're funny, you're good lookin'. Why do you think I asked if you had a girlfriend?" He tilted his head and parted his lips while staring intently at Sasuke's mouth. "We're alone. I made sure of it before I came in here. Contrary to what you think," he leaned in and brushed his lips to Sasuke's, causing him to shiver, "I'm not stupid. When I see somethin' I want, I go after it."

Naruto kissed him fully on the lips, and Sasuke, being a hormonal teenager - a very gay, hormonal teenager - slid his hands into Naruto's hair and crushed their mouths together all the harder. He let out a loud moan when Naruto moved a thigh between his legs and started to rub it against him. From there, the chemistry between them exploded as he struggled to undo Naruto's tie while Naruto's fingers worked fast at undoing his buttons. It wasn't happening fast enough for him, so he grabbed for Naruto and brought their mouths together again, pushing his tongue between Naruto's lips until he felt the other boy take hold of him by the shoulders and roughly turn him around. Naruto pressed up against him from behind, running his hands over the front of Sasuke's body while biting at the base of his neck, along his shoulder and upper back. The instant the other boy wrapped his hand around Sasuke's penis, he felt like his skin was on fire - he felt that painfully consumed with desire for more.

He heard the sound of Naruto's belt hitting the floor, but the hand on him continued to pump when he was already so hard. Gratifyingly, he felt Naruto's bare skin against his as he molded to Sasuke's back. He wanted to look behind him, but Naruto put a hand on the back of his head and told him to stay still.

"Tell me, Sasuke," Naruto said into his ear. "Have you done this before?"

"...Once."

"Good, then I don't have to worry about bein' gentle, do I?" He scraped his teeth along the side of Sasuke's throat and pulled at his hair, forcing his head back. "Unlike in gym, I hope you're able to keep up with me 'cause I could do this to you all night long."

Just as he felt the tip of a probing finger, a loud alarm went off in the school building - shrill, buzzing, and persistent.

"Sasuke - "

Sasuke woke up in his own bed, staring blearily at the ceiling. He slammed his hand down on his alarm and nearly ripped it out of the wall so that he could throw it across the room. Slowly, he pulled himself into a sitting position, noticing one very obvious, rather uncomfortable situation that involved him now sporting a tent in his boxer-briefs. What the hell had that been about? That idiot? Really? Still, everything had felt... rather real. The kissing, the touching, the passion, the look of desire on Naruto's face... shit.

Then someone knocked at the door, and instead of waiting for him to answer, opened it and peeked a head in.

"You're up," said his brother. "Time for school."

"Yes, I know," he snapped. "That's what alarms are for." Self-consciously he pulled the blankets toward him.

Itachi smirked. "Well, if you want a ride today, make sure you're ready in time. I have a breakfast date with some friends of mine at 8. Why don't you call Naruto and see if he needs a ride?"

Haughtily, he lifted up his chin, ignoring Itachi's choice of words. "I'm not calling Naruto. I don't even have his number. He can find his own damn way to school."

"Very well. I'll leave you to it then. Let me know when you're ready." He shut the door.

Sasuke sighed, shaking his head as he glanced at the bit of morning light streaming through the window. He blamed this on being a teenager, and, unlike most boys he knew, he happened to like other boys, which could feel extremely frustrating at times. Objectively, Naruto was not entirely unattractive, and he'd filled Sasuke's head with all that stupid flattery yesterday. But, it didn't mean anything, so like anyone who wanted to forget the physical attraction he felt toward a classmate of the same gender would do, he chose to bury it somewhere in his sub-conscious so that he never had to think about it again.

Or, well. He would put that plan into action after he took a shower since he needed to get a handle on his little problem. If he didn't do it now, who knew what sort of embarrassing situation could arise during class.

When Sasuke arrived to homeroom, he immediately went to his seat, refused to look at anyone or anything, and decided to immerse himself in a book Itachi had bought him the other week. He must've read the same sentence about 10 times when he felt a hand on his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Wow, sorry," said Naruto. "You musta really been deep into whatever it is you're readin'."

Sasuke should've ignored him entirely, but made the mistake of glancing up. Naruto, like in his dream, was dressed in the school's full uniform. The tie was a bit crooked, and he fought a compulsive urge to fix it for him.

"Where did you get that?" He immediately asked, but recalling more of the dream, decided he didn't care. "Nevermind. I don't want to know. I'm sure it's a boring story. Now go away so that I can read this book in peace."

"Why?" Naruto plucked the book from his fingers. "I've never read this before, is it any good?"

Sasuke attempted to glare at him, but Naruto was busy reading the summary on the back. "Do you mind?"

"Not really, no," Naruto answered distractedly.

Since he had the opportunity, he took in Naruto's overall appearance with the intention that he was only trying to figure out why he would possibly fantasize about someone as ignorant as Naruto. He'd put some effort into styling his hair today. It was spiked a lot more on top and in the back, and he swore he caught a whiff of cologne. The clothes looked clean, and the shirt and black slacks were well-pressed. He knew Naruto had mentioned losing his mother, so who was there to do the house work, and where had he borrowed a uniform from on such short notice? Was it just him, or did the sleeves look to be a little long? Naruto had rolled up the cuffs of the blazer and the white button-down underneath it. He had on the same pair of orange and blue Nike sneakers from yesterday. It was the girl that sat behind Sasuke who interrupted his gawking by complimenting Naruto on how the uniform looked on him.

Absently, he returned the book to Sasuke and smiled at her. "Really? Thanks."

He beamed and took a seat on the edge of her desk, completely turning his back to him, which was fine because Sasuke did not care. He buried his face in the book, trying to remain as casual as possible. Not that anyone was paying attention. Even for a Tuesday everyone else seemed loud and full of energy. He tried to tune out the conversation going on behind him, but just when he'd finally been able to move on to the second sentence, Naruto appeared beside him in a crouched position. For balance, he put his hand on Sasuke's knee. He tried his best not to react, not even to glare like he would usually do, but the feel of Naruto's hand on him in combination with the memories of his dream - yeah, he was really thankful that he relieved some of his tension in the shower.

"You seem a little tense today," Naruto said. "Am I botherin' you?"

"If you're breathing, you're bothering me," Sasuke replied.

"Wow, I can already tell you're not a mornin' person." Naruto got to his feet. "Fine. I just wanted to thank you for the hot chocolate and ride home yesterday, but as my gratitude will be wasted on a bastard like you, I'll just have to say thanks to your brother the next time I see him."

"Why would you be seeing my brother again?" Sasuke asked. When Naruto didn't give a response, he dragged his gaze away from the book to look up at Naruto. The clarity he saw in Naruto's eyes momentarily threw him off, as if Naruto was attempting to put the pieces together in his head. "What?"

Naruto shrugged. "Nothin'. You just seem... different today. Not scary like you sometimes pretend to be, but, like... edgy."

"You're giving it too much thought," he replied coldly. "I did what I did yesterday because I felt sorry for you, that's all. Don't get any ideas that we're suddenly best friends."

The hurt that dealt Naruto was obvious, but Sasuke thought it was best to protect himself. He hardly knew this boy, and he hated feeling uncomfortable like this, like he wasn't at the top of his game.

"Fine." Naruto's tone was short. "Enjoy your book." He returned to his seat only to strike up a conversation with some others around him, but he kept his back to Sasuke.

Throughout the rest of the period, after Kakashi arrived 12 minutes late to his own class, he did his best to pretend like yesterday never happened and Naruto didn't so much as exist in his world.

Since Naruto had brought his own set of gym clothes today (as well as a lock), he removed his things from Sasuke's locker and went to find his own. He kept the ones he'd borrowed yesterday, mumbling something to Sasuke about washing them before he returned them. He thought he would be fine washing them himself, but he didn't feel like prolonging any sort of communication with Naruto today. Every time he looked at him, he kept remembering the feeling of being pushed against the cold tiles and that cocksure look Naruto had worn, all those things that he'd said, too...

Sasuke slammed the locker door when he was finished and headed, along with the rest of the boys, to the gym. The weather was nicer today so they'd be able to use the outdoor track. They were going to split into three groups - some would run a relay, some would try jumping hurdles, and others would try the high jump. He noticed that Naruto was talking to Sai quite a lot. Even when others approached Naruto to join them, he seemed to stay at Sai's side. Thankfully, Gai didn't force them to group together by grade, so while he got sent to the group doing hurdles, Naruto went with the group doing the relay. After every group had rotated among the three events, the boys with the best times competed. With the relay, it was changed into a 200 meter sprint. Even though Sasuke had bested everyone in his group at each rotation, Gai decided it would be more fair for him to choose just one. Naruto had several of the upperclassmen in his group, unlike Sasuke, who'd mostly gone up against freshmen and sophomores. Even so, Naruto had been the fastest in the relay. So, of course, he chose to do the sprint.

Naruto barely paid him any attention as they went to their starting points on the track. All of the class was sitting in the bleachers, watching them. Some were openly cheering for him, others for Naruto. Gai stood beside them, holding his pair of stop watches. The end point was marked by a bright red piece of duct tape. When Gai told them to, they both got into a starting position - Naruto's stance was similar to his - and then there was the shout of GO!

While Sasuke ran, he felt hyper conscious of Naruto, even if they were a lane apart. The distance they were running wasn't much, but he put everything he had into it, so that when he reached the colored tape, he was panting hard. He wasn't even sure who had won. When he turned around, his arm accidentally brushed against Naruto since they were both waiting to see whose time was faster. No one was clapping. Gai walked up to the both of them and showed them the stopwatches.

The bowl-haired teacher scratched his head. "As much as I dislike saying this, I'm afraid it was too close to call. We'll have to label this one a tie!"

"We'll do it again then," said Sasuke, and he glared at Naruto.

Naruto crossed his arms. "Fine with me. I was holdin' back anyway."

Sasuke snorted. "Aren't you just a little too cocky for someone that's an idiot?"

"Aren't you just actin' threatened because someone else may be better than you at some things?"

"At what?" Sasuke said childishly, "Being an idiot?"

Naruto stepped over to him, getting in his face. "Better than bein' a bastard, jerk."

"Can't you make up your mind, loser. Am I a bastard or a jerk?"

"You're both!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"Boys," Gai stepped in between them and pushed both teenagers apart. "You remind me of me when I was young. Kakashi Hatake and I were just like the two of you, so competitive - "

Neither of them stayed to listen to what Gai had to say about his springtime of youth. Though they walked side by side, neither of them spoke. Sasuke went up the stairs to the bleachers and sat by himself toward the middle. Naruto went a different way and found an open seat next to Sai, who leaned over and said something in Naruto's ear that made the blond laugh out loud.

"Tch." Sasuke put his feet up on the bleacher seat in front of him.

The class went through the rest of the event competitions, but he hardly paid attention. The sun was starting to come out, warming his skin. For a brief few minutes, he shut his eyes and leaned his head back. When he opened them again, for some reason his gaze just happened to travel in Naruto's direction, where he almost swore the other boy quickly looked away the instant their eyes met.

But, by then it was time for everyone to go in, and it seemed to him Naruto was being very careful about keeping distance between them.

Up in the locker room, after most of the boys had cleared out for lunch, Sasuke remained sitting on the bench. He was debating taking a shower, but for obvious reasons, that didn't feel like such a good idea. He was already dressed anyway, so what if he stunk for a couple of hours? The sound of whistling caught his attention, and thinking that it was Gai, he got to his feet to talk to him about something regarding the track team. As Sasuke was walking toward the office, the whistling continued, and when he rounded the corner, he nearly ran right smack into Naruto, who was wearing a white towel around his waist. There was another smaller one thrown over his shoulder.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said without realizing it.

"Excuse me?" Naruto said.

"What are you still doing here?"

"I'm sorry, do you own this locker room? Can't you tell? Clearly I was takin' a shower 'cause I worked up quite a bit of sweat out there."

Sasuke bit his lip. It took a lot of willpower not to run his eyes over Naruto's -everything.

"I hate you," he ended up saying.

Rather than looking hurt, Naruto appeared genuinely confused. "What is wrong with you today? Did I do somethin' to bug you because yesterday we were gettin' along just fine. Y'know, we were jokin' and laughin', and I really enjoyed bein' around you. But today, you're like another person."

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort something incredibly nasty and cruel, but as he glanced down briefly and caught a glimpse of Naruto's bandaged hand, he asked: "What happened to your hand?"

"I put it through a window," Naruto answered. "So what? Are you gonna answer my question? Why are you bein' such a dick? I really liked you."

"Maybe that's the problem," said Sasuke.

"How can liking someone ever be a problem?" Naruto asked, his pale eyebrows knitting together.

Sasuke blinked at him and after a beat, replied: "You're naive."

"Maybe. I guess. If that's what you wanna think of me, but there's nothin' wrong with wanting to be someone's friend, Sasuke. I'm not backin' down on that one."

"Who cares? You seem to want everyone to be your friend. Are you that desperate for attention?"

If he'd punched Naruto directly in the gut, Sasuke didn't think he'd look any less hurt than he did now.

Naruto laughed darkly, looking away as he rubbed his hand down the side of his face. "That's great. I'm sorry I thought you were different from everyone else, but it turns out you're one of those typical narrow-minded assholes that think it's cooler to be an ice prick than to, y'know, be a decent human being." He pushed passed, shouldering into Sasuke as he went to his locker.

Sasuke stood a minute, absorbing Naruto's words, his anger, and all the while thinking he'd done a good job in putting distance between them because if Naruto found out that he was gay, he'd turn his back on him anyway. Still, to let anyone talk to him that way - he ended up following after him. Naruto was using the smaller towel to dry his hair, and as he dropped it on the floor, Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder. He spun Naruto around and shoved him into the locker.

"How is that fair?" He shouted. "How is it fair for you to unload on me like that when you don't know what I've been through?"

"What you've been through?" Naruto laughed in his face. "You haven't asked one goddam thing about me and my situation, and you're pissed off that I can't immediately understand why you're such a fucking... ASSHOLE?!"

"So you moved here with your father because your mother died, so what? Do you think you're the only one who's ever lost parents?"

"I'm sorry, did you lose your parents?" Naruto yelled, pushing back at him. "I got the impression you still had both parents based on what you and your brother talked about yesterday. So, how the hell would you know how I feel when I've lost my mother, Sasuke? Huh? What do you know about that kind of pain? I'm sorry that high school is so traumatic for you because you're so fuckin' popular and everyone loves you and all the girls want to date you, and yet none of this makes you happy!"

By the end, Naruto was panting and had a tight grip on his blazer; Sasuke's hand was placed flat to Naruto's chest. All he could see was that passion and fire and anger in Naruto's eyes, so bright and alive. His eyes searched Naruto's face for just a split second before he leaned in, cupped the back of Naruto's head, and kissed him on the mouth. While pressing him into the locker, he heard Naruto's sharp inhale of breath and ignored it as his fingers wound their way into damp, blond hair.

Naruto didn't respond to the kiss and, eventually, pushed him away. His blue eyes were so wide, so full of surprise and confusion that Sasuke immediately felt horror at what he'd done. He could clearly see himself reflected in the way Naruto looked at him now. His big secret was revealed, and he was going to be fucked if his father found out.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, touching his fingers to his lips. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT? DID YOU KISS ME JUST TO GET ME TO SHUT UP? WE WERE HAVING A SERIOUS CONVERSATION!"

Sasuke lunged at him and clapped a hand over his mouth. "Would you shut up, idiot? I don't think the entire school heard you!"

Naruto said something into his hand he couldn't make out.

"If I remove my hand, you better keep your voice down. Can you do that?"

Naruto nodded. His eyes had become suspicious slits as Sasuke moved his hand away.

Sighing, he rubbed his hand against his slacks as if having touched Naruto's mouth gave him a fear of germs. Ironic since he'd just kissed that same mouth and had no problem with it at all.

"I'm...sorry about what I said." He apologized. "I shouldn't have said that about your mother."

"So... to make it up to me, you decided to kiss me on the mouth?"

"Don't worry. I instantly regretted it." Lie. Lie. Lie. But Naruto didn't need to know that.

"Are you... y'know," Naruto questioned hesitantly.

"Am I...?" Sasuke slid his hands into his pockets. "What?"

"I think," Naruto licked his lips. "You're an exhibitionist. That's it. You're so high strung, so wound up that you get off on these weird pranks or whatever. Like, shocking people."

"Or," said Sasuke. "Maybe I like you."

"Huh?" Naruto stared stupidly.

"Didn't you say earlier that there was nothing wrong with liking someone?"

"Uuh... You like me? Wait. I'm confused. You said you hated me. Wait. I'm really, really confused."

Sasuke almost felt sorry for him. He placed his hand on top of Naruto's head and ruffled his hair. "Here's a secret I only tell to people I like and, for some reason, feel I can trust."

Naruto cocked his head, eyes curious and expectant.

"I'm gay."

There. He'd said it. He didn't think he'd ever even said that aloud. He knew his brother knew, mostly due to him not erasing the search history on his laptop, and several of Itachi's friends knew, including one in particular he'd lost his virginity to not all that long ago.

Naruto's mouth apparently had the intention of forming words, but nothing came out.

"It's fine if you no longer want to have anything to do with me," Sasuke said.

Naruto suddenly looked baffled. "Why would I do that?"

"We're in high school. And I just told you I'm gay. After kissing you while you were wearing only a towel."

"Oh." Naruto clutched at the front of his towel. "Forgot." He shook his head. "Anyway, I don't care if you're gay, I just... didn't know. Although, that does explain some things, like... yeah." He was apparently remembering things Sasuke could only imagine. "Wait, so when you say you 'like' me, do you mean you...?"

"That... I don't know."

"But you kissed me."

Sasuke shrugged. "I was moved by your words."

Naruto started to grin goofily. "Really?"

"Really."

"But you're a really good lookin' guy, Sasuke. And popular. And smart. And your brother's cool. And you're...so funny and witty... and... good at everything you do."

"Are you trying to get me to kiss you again?" Sasuke asked, sweeping his hair to the side. "Because it's working."

Naruto blushed under his gaze. "I dunno what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, but I appeal to your discretion. This isn't something I tell everybody."

"Right." Naruto nodded. "Thank you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Naruto smiled. "For tellin' me. It makes me oddly happy."

Sasuke had nothing to say to that.

"But, I do have a question," Naruto said, crossing his arms. "If you 'like' me, then why the hell were you such a jerk to me today? Was it to, like, throw me off or, or did I do or say somethin' wrong that offended you? I say 'gay' a lot, but I'll try to stop. Did I say it in front of you? I dunno how this works."

"Naruto."

"Hm?"

"I didn't tell you this so that you'd worry about it. I'm fine with it, but my father is a bit old-fashioned and conservative. I'd prefer to tell my parents in my own time."

"Sure," Naruto nodded in understanding. "I won't mention it to anybody, don't worry. Although..."

"What is it?"

"Doesn't it kinda suck to have to hide who you are?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "It's not that I'm hiding. I wouldn't deny it if someone asked."

"But you've had girlfriends and stuff, right? Isn't that what Itachi said? Or, did you just realize... I'm not sure how... er."

"I've known for a while. If I dated girls it's because I got tired of them asking, and maybe because..."

"You wanted to get your dad off your back?"

Sasuke sighed. "When you say it like that, it... it's complicated."

"I'm sure," said Naruto. "I'm not judging you. And I'm sorry from before, too. About... not seein' stuff from your perspective. I have no idea what you've been through. Not just regardin' bein' a gay high school boy, but... your whole life." Something in Sasuke's facial reaction to that made Naruto smile widely. "You look like you're gonna kiss me again." He waggled his eyebrows.

Sasuke covered his face with his hand, looking away, too, out of embarrassment. "Shut up, idiot. It was a mistake."

Naruto gave him a push. "Mistake my ass. If I wasn't so surprised, I mighta actually kissed back just 'cause it doesn't happen that often."

"Yeah right." Sasuke stared at the ground, digging the toe of his shoe into the floor.

"Who knows?" said Naruto. "Maybe I swing both ways?"

"Do you?" Sasuke asked in all seriousness.

Naruto lost some of the teasing humor from his eyes. "I... never thought about it before."

Sasuke tried to squash the little flame of hope that flickered in his heart. He'd rarely imagined the possibility of truly liking another man and having them... like him back. The thing with Yahiko had been a bit of a fluke and never would've happened had alcohol not been involved, but did he like Itachi's friend, or was it just about... getting that huge step in his sexuality out of the way? Not that it hadn't been enjoyable, but Naruto was his age, and Sasuke really, truly wanted to kiss him again.

"Do me a favor," Sasuke said to him.

"What? Y'know I won't tell anyone."

"Not that. Can you..." He let his gaze sweep down Naruto's body and then up again. "...Please put some clothes on."

Naruto's laughter was loud and genuine. "I like this," he said. "I'm baffled, but I'm also really flattered. I almost think you're fuckin' with me still."

Before Sasuke could stop himself, he replied, "If I was fucking with you," he tugged gently at a piece of Naruto's hair, "I think you'd know it."

Naruto cleared his throat, and Sasuke backed off in order to give him space.

"I should be careful," Naruto said quietly, the corner of his mouth twitching between a cautious smile and pensive frown, "You've got quite a bit of game. I thought I did, but maybe I've met my match."

"Maybe I've met mine," Sasuke replied in a soft voice and flashed the other boy an easy smile.

Naruto smiled in return, which, once more, filled Sasuke's head and chest with such lightness. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but, yeah, the attraction was there; it had just taken Naruto's fierce, determined, very loud and impassioned personality to cause him to act on it. Even if they couldn't be lovers, even if Naruto was straight, he thought they could at least be friends. For whatever unknown reason, he also felt he could trust Naruto. Naruto flirting back a little also... made him feel a bit less guilty about the dream.

"So um," Naruto said, still smiling. "If you're done perving on me, I think I'm gonna get dressed? I didn't eat yet, so I kinda wanna get down to the cafeteria before lunch ends."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Sasuke got out of his space, snapping out of his daze. He gave one last final glance at Naruto's back before turning around and walking away.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped, looking at Naruto over his shoulder. "What is it, idiot?"

"Heh. Uh. Not like as a date or whatever, but I... maybe we could hang out this weekend? I don't wanna go through any kind of weird crap where you think I'm gonna avoid you 'cause I know and stuff. I don't think of you any differently than I did before. I still wanna get to know you. If that's okay."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll let you know if I can fit it into my schedule. As you've noticed, I'm very popular."

Naruto smirked. "Good. Then I'll see ya later, bastard. I don't need a ride home, though. Someone's offered to take me on a walking tour around some of Seattle."

"Oh," said Sasuke, feeling a slight sting of disappointment though he'd never had the intention of giving Naruto another ride home. "Who's got the patience to show someone like you around the city?"

"Sai offered yesterday and then asked again today, so I thought I'd take him up on it."

"I see."

"You're not jealous, are you?" Naruto played with the knot at the front of his towel. Sasuke wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose, but it was definitely very distracting.

"Do you want me to be?" Sasuke asked.

"Very smooth, Sasuke." Naruto shook his head in approval. "Keep up that cocky attitude, and you'll have plenty of boyfriends in no time."

"Well, have fun with Sai. I'm sure he'll take very good care of you."

With that, he left the locker room, trying not to think that there would soon be a very naked Naruto in there, or that in a few more hours, he'd be going around town with Sai of all people. He wondered if Naruto knew that Sai was gay? Or did that just mean when it came to men, he and Sai shared tastes that were, unfortunately... very similar.