Pretending at Love

A/N: Crossposted from y-gal. Written by xIreth and me.

"Sasuke-kuuuun" A rather whiny voice was heard through the corridors of Furinken high school as a pink-haired girl came running through the halls, eliciting giggles from the girls and a mix of sighs and admireing stares from the boys. However, she didn't have eyes for any of them as she came to a halt behind one particular boy that stood in front of his locker, grabbing the books he needed for the day.

"Sasuke-kun~" Sakura shuffled her feet a little and battering her eyelids as she addressed him again. "Would you-"

"No."

"B-but... Sasuke-ku.."

"I said no. Get lost Haruno-san." The boy named Sasuke gave her an annoyed look before he threw the bag over his shoulder and proceeded to walk into the first class of the day: Math.

Shikamaru was already in the classroom, head down and resting on his arms, obviously napping. This class was the only one that he didn't mind, seeing as he could easily sleep through the class and still know what was going on. Math was simple and predictable like that.

It also helped that the teacher was a family friend and was used to his tendencies.

"Hey, freak!" Sasuke didn't even look towards where the voice came from, knowing the source all too well.

"Freak! I'm talking to ya!" A hand closed around his wrist, tugging him around to meet the stare of the other boy, a brunette with two red triangles painted under his eyes, no doubt trying to be cool. Alright, so he was cool, or at least, a majority of the school's population thought so. "Decided to get a new hole in your body, eh?" the other boy tugged painfully on his new earring, grinning at him with an air of superiority at him.

"Get lost, Kiba!" Sneering at him, Sasuke was about to tug himself loose from the other teen's grip on his wrist when he was shoved back, hard. Stumbling, a loud crash could be heard as he collided with a few desks, ruining Shikamaru's rest as the desk he leaned on was pushed away from beneath him.

"Alright... that's quite enough" came the teacher's voice as Sasuke stood, rubbing at a tender spot in his side where he had had an impact with the corner of the desk, not far away was Sakura and Ino quarrelling with Kiba, angry at him for hurting 'Sasuke-kun', to which Kiba and his friends were laughing because Sasuke seemed to need two girls to defend him. Rolling his eyes at the idiots, he muttered an apology to the boy he had disturbed before going to his own seat. Yeah, another normal day in high-school.

Shikamaru started awake, glaring at nothing in particular as he muttered a few choice words. If he was any less lazy or tired, he'd have directed them at one of the two boys, but instead he just straightened out his desk before trying to sleep again.

He could tell today would be one of those days. He should have just skipped.

------

"Sasuke-kun, sit with me... Sasuke-ku~n."

"No, Sasuke-kun, sit here, onega~i."

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Sasuke walked past the tables the shouts were coming from, eliciting sighs of disappointment from the girls before he started looking around for the table where his friends were sitting.

Gaara glared from where he was sitting (not that anyone could tell much difference between his glare and happy expressions), giving a small snort when Sasuke walked over.

"Your girlfriends are annoying."

"They're not my girlfriends" Sasuke glared back at his friend, sitting down between him and Neji, ignoring Ino's pout that he wouldn't sit beside her.

"They're fangirls, and annoying. I know." Sighing, he looked down at his tray, using his fork to poke the food, wondering if it was edible.

Gaara smirked, giving a shrug. "That's not what I've been hearing."

"Ugh.. what have you been hearing then?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, stealing some of Neji's rice, seeing as the Hyuuga had brought a bento instead of buying food in the cafeteria.

"You shouldn't be listening to rumours, you know. Bad for your health."

Gaara turned his piercing gaze onto the Hyuuga, raising a non-existent eyebrow. "That's only if you believe them. Who would believe that Uchiha here was dating that Tayuya bitch?"

"Tayuya?" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, stealing some more of Neji's rice before he looked towards the table where the music-group usually had lunch.

"No thanks, I'd rather not have her play my flute..." he shuddered at the thought, making Neji smirk in amusement. Then he proceeded to move his bento away, effectively stopping anymore theft of his food.

Sai cocked his head to the side, looking confused. "I didn't know you played the flute, Sasuke-kun."

Gaara rolled his eyes before swiping a piece of sashimi from Neji's bento with a smirk.

Almost choking on the rice he had stolen, Sasuke glared at his... oh-so-ignorant and air-headed friend.

"Sai, I don't!" He rolled his eyes once he stopped coughing. "Learn what a metaphor is."

Huffing slightly as Gaara had stolen a sashimi from him, Neji glared, but didn't comment. Instead he started eating while there still was some food left in his bento.

Sai nodded before he pulled out his pocket dictionary, looking up the word.

Gaara's smirk just widened then reached over and forcefully closed Sai's book without once looking at him. "Sasuke means he doesn't want Tayuya to suck his dick. Probably would rather have his brother do it," he said, voice completely serious but obviously just teasing his friend.

Sai perked up. "Oh! Does his brother like sucking penis?"

"Gaara!" Sasuke hit Gaara on the head, not really hard enough for it to hurt... much. "Don't teach the kid things that's not true!" He huffed, sitting back, face flushed in embarrassment.

"I don't like Itachi like... like that!" He exclaimed flustered. Damn it! That was it; he now wished Gaara would be swallowed by a hole in the ground and burn in the pits of hell! So what if he had been crushing on his older brother when he was little? He was good-looking and kind, so it wasn't that strange... He didn't like him like that anymore though. At least not much.

"Besides," he puffed up his cheeks angrily. "Itachi's dating our cousin, Shisui." He made a note to explain it all to Sai later; he wouldn't want him to run around and spread too many rumours about him and Itachi doing... incestuous things. He flushed again.

"...So, yes, Sai, I suppose he does like sucking penis," Gaara finished, taking a sip of his soda-- the only thing he ever buys for lunch.

Sai nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Gaara-san."

"You better not start telling that to everyone, Sai!" Sasuke glared at him. Alright, so he was still a bit angry at his brother for dating Shisui, but he wasn't angry enough to have his brother's happiness ruined. He was almost 100% sure that if their parents found out, Itachi would be sent away to go to school somewhere else, and Shisui would be mad as hell at him.

"It's not meant to be public knowledge."

"Still living off soda?" Ino raised an eyebrow critically at Gaara. "It's not healthy for your body at all. You'll get diabetes, or worse, you could get fat!"

"Of course not, Sasuke-kun," Sai said, still smiling. "I'll keep it to myself."

Gaara let out a soft sigh and shot a glare in her direction. He really only put up with her because everyone else did. In his opinion, she could go jump in front of a bus and he could care less.

"Shut up, Yamanaka, or you'll get a fat lip."

"Good," Sasuke nodded, hoping that Sai would actually keep his promise. Looking back to his lunch, he picked up some with his chopsticks, tasting it.

"Ugh..." he pushed the tray away before stealing a few fries from Sai, not even touching Ino's salad. Who brought salad for lunch, anyway?

Ino huffed, glaring at the redhead. "Mineral water is better for you!" She just said, turning back to her own salad.

"So is using condoms, but I know you didn't use them when you fucked my brother," Gaara said, finishing off the can of soda.

"How do you know?!!!" Ino glared at him, hitting him on the head, harder than Sasuke had. "What I did with your brother is none of your fucking business!"

Gaara rubbed the back of his head, glaring death at the girl. "Because he asked me for some the last time you were over and I didn't have any. Believe me, I'd have rather not known and be scarred with those mental images."

"You're just jealous you can't have me!" Ino stuck her nose up in the air, though her cheeks pinked slightly from knowing Kankurou had actually let Gaara know what they did. He was so dead next time she saw him!

Gaara shuddered, face twisting slightly in disgust. "No thanks, I know trash when I see it," he muttered.

"Oh do you?" Ino gave him a way-too-sweet look, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Then what about that junk you're pouring in you, huh? I guess that means you're gay then," she smirked at him. Not that any of them thought there was something wrong about being gay, but a straight guy, no matter how liberal, would never enjoy being called gay, at least, that was her experience.

Gaara snorted. "You wish. You just want to see me with Neji."

"Now, now... I haven't said anything about Neji, have I?" Ino smirked with a sense of superiority about her. "Perhaps you secretly wants to be with him," she suggested sweetly, noticing a faint blush in the Hyuuga's cheeks, but she didn't let her surprise show. Besides, she doubted anyone else had noticed; the blush was gone in an instant as Neji just continued eating in silence.

"He's the only other boy in the whole school besides Sasuke that you're interested in, but you're not obsessed with him. And I've been to your house; I've seen the manga you have."

"Humph!" Ino shook her head. "What if I said I'd rather see you with your brother?" She smirked suggestively at the redhead, not the least embarrassed over having that kind of manga in her shelves. Everyone knew Ino was a little perverted.

Gaara paled, though barely noticeable with his normal pallor. "...You're sick, Yamanaka," he muttered before standing up and walking away. He'd been done with his so-called lunch anyway.

Giggling in her victory, Ino watched him amused as he went off to find his next class.

"You should just grab him and have make-up sex with him" Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes at their friends' behaviour.

"Aww, but Sasuke-kun, you know you're the only one for me," she mock-flirted with him, even though they all knew she really meant it.

"Sucks for you then!" Was her only reply.

"Hey, Ino!" Kiba grinned at the girl, throwing an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the glare he got from her. "When will you learn that the freak over there don't dig chicks. He's obviously as gay as the sun is bright," he laughed, letting go of Ino before she bit him, like she had done once before, eliciting some laughter from his gang. "Isn't that right, freak?" He asked, grabbing the front of Sasuke's shirt, hoisting him up from his seat.

"You wish, idiot!" Sasuke smirked at him haughtily like only the Uchihas and the Hyuugas managed. "If I were you'd be begging me to fuck you, wouldn't you?!"

"You... bastard!" Kiba's fist connected with Sasuke's cheek, making the Uchiha growl as he grabbed Kiba's shirt before returning the hit. That caused an uproar from Kiba's followers and as the two boys fought, they stumbled again over Shikamaru's desk, only this time, neither of them noticed.

Shikamaru fell to the floor with his desk, glaring up at the ceiling. No, today just wasn't his day.

"Will you two idiots just shut up?" he growled out as he sat up. He reached out and grabbed one of their legs-- not sure who and not caring--tugging it out from under them in hopes it would end the fight quickly.

Letting out a yelp as he was pulled to the floor, pulling Sasuke down with him in return, Kiba glared angrily at whoever was interrupting their usual fight.

"Shut up you!" He countered, dealing out a hit to Shikamaru's cheek before going back to fight with Sasuke, both of them wiggling around trying to gain the upper hand.

Shikamaru scowled and carefully worked his jaw to make sure it wasn't damaged, standing up once he was sure he was okay.

"Tch, idiots."

Pulling him back down, Kiba smirked as Shikamaru went down before dealing Sasuke another hit, just as the teacher came in, making the classroom go silent.

"Inuzuka! Uchiha! Nara! On the corridor now!" Shizune's voice sounded crossly, as she pointed to the corridor. "If I see you in a fight again, it's straight to the principal's office!"

Shikamaru grunted as his head thunked against the concrete floor. Wincing as he touched the back of his head, he got up and made his way out into the hall. He slumped down on the floor, leaning up against the wall and closing his eyes. Maybe out here he could get a little peace.

Standing next to him, with quite a lot of space between them, Sasuke sighed as he softly touched the tender spots where the Inuzuka had managed to hit him.

"Cheh.." he grunted slightly in pain as he touched his cracked lip. Quite a bit away from them were Kiba standing, ignoring them before he walked away, deciding to skip the rest of the day, going home to nurse his black eye that Sasuke had given him.

Shikamaru sighed, visibly relaxing as there wasn't any more noise or action. He wasn't known for being in fights, so he had no worries about being in real trouble.

"Meh.. stupid Inuzuka..." Sasuke muttered to himself, once he had rubbed all his tender spots before he looked down at the one they had pulled down with them during the fight. Well, Kiba had... He didn't know much about him, other than he was a lazy, quiet teen that hung around with the losers. Didn't get into fights, didn't attract attention to himself, wasn't very good in gym... "You hurt much?" He asked after a while, knowing it was partly his fault the other had gotten a few punches from the wild brown-haired kid.

Grumbling internally, Shikamaru peeked open an eye at the other teen. Great, now he had to talk too?

He sighed and closed his eye again. "I'm fine." Of course his head did hurt, but if he could just sleep he was sure it'd go away.

"Good" Sasuke just nodded before sitting down too and closing his eyes. Good thing the other wasn't hurt too much, it would have been too much fuss getting him to the nursery and everything; Sasuke wasn't sure if he would have bothered had it been that bad.

Shikamaru did his best to ignore the throbbing in the back of his head and doze off. After about three minutes, he successfully was in a light sleep.

Wondering how the other could fall asleep that quickly, especially after having been at least part of a fight, Sasuke sighed. Closing his eyes, he waited for the bell to ring. At least it would be quiet that way.

After a minute, Shikamaru twitched slightly in his sleep, body slouching to the side and sliding down until his head made contact with Sasuke's shoulder.

Stiffening a little as something made contact with his shoulder, Sasuke turned his head to glare at the boy beside him. However, seeing as the Nara was asleep, his glare was highly ineffective. Considering to push him away, Sasuke sighed, but didn't. He guessed he owed him something; the hits Kiba had landed had looked rather painful.

A few more minutes and the bell rang, bringing Shikamaru back from sleep yet again. He heaved a sigh, opening his eyes and flinching slightly at the light, head still pounding. He pulled away after a second, murmuring a small apology; he hadn't meant to fall asleep on the other boy and he didn't want to chance getting another punch.

"...whatever." Getting on his legs, Sasuke just held his hand up in a vague bye before he got up and went back inside the classroom, sitting down at his desk next to Neji, waiting for the next lesson to begin.

Shikamaru stood up on his feet for a second before slumping back down, head swimming. ...Maybe he'd just stay here for a little bit longer...

Walking out of the classroom, Shizune blinked, watching the Nara slump back down against the wall. "Nara-kun?" she asked, squatting down beside him, looking a little bit worried.

Shikamaru looked back up at her, trying to give a small smile. "I'm fine, just a bit dizzy, tired," he said.

"Are you sure? You don't feel a bit nauseas? Do you have a headache?" Shizune asked, noticing that Shikamaru didn't look like he was in the best shape.

"I do," he muttered, eyes closing half way, not caring that he didn't specify to which question. "But it'll probably go away."

"I think you should go see the nurse" Shizune frowned, looking at her wrist-watch, seeing she didn't have the time before her next class started. Normally, being late wouldn't have been a problem, but they were having an excursion, and she had to be there on time before the bus came to pick her and the class up.

"Uchiha-kun, come out here," she called into the classroom, seeing as the Inuzuka wasn't there. Probably skipping out again.

"Yeah?" Came the drawl from the door as Sasuke looked at her and Shikamaru.

"I'm fine, Shizune-sensei," Shikamaru said, shaking his head then wincing.

"I don't think so," Shizune gripped his jaw and tilted his head up so she could look him into the eyes and nodded to herself.

"Uchiha-kun, be kind to take Nara-kun here to the nurse, I think he has a light concussion from that fall. I shall write a note about your absence to Kakashi-san," she nodded, carefully helping the Nara to his feet, moving until he was leaning against Sasuke.

Sighing, Sasuke just nodded to Shizune, muttering something before he pulled Shikamaru's arm around his neck.

Shikamaru sighed and muttered a 'troublesome' but didn't fight against it, letting himself be led to the nurses office.

"Don't complain," Sasuke glared at him, but continued to walk him to the nurse, knocking on the door.

"Hello?" He asked, opening the door when they got no reply. Sighing, he walked into the room. "Hello?" He called again, but it seemed the nurse was out.

"Here, lay down," he said walking over to one of the beds, standing so it would be easier for the other to lay down.

Shikamaru just grunted in answer, laying down on the cot and turning his back to the other and curling on his side. At least now he actually had a bed to sleep in.

"Where the hell is that fucking nurse when you need her?" Sneering, Sasuke looked down at the boy on the bed. If what Shizune had said was right, and he had a concussion, he doubted he should leave him alone until the nurse came back. With a sigh, he sat down in a chair, closing his eyes as he waited for someone to come so he could go back to the classroom.

Shikamaru curled up further, frowning a little. Of course the light overhead had to be obnoxiously bright, shining through his eyelids even.

Just then the door opened and the nurse came in, surprisingly enough a man. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment.

"Oh, hello?" Kabuto looked at him, then at Shikamaru.

"Shizune-sensei sent me up here with him," Sasuke pointed to the Shikamaru. "She said he might have a light concussion; he hit his head."

"'M just tired," Shikamaru muttered loud enough to be heard. He really didn't like all this attention.

Looking at him, Kabuto nodded.

"So... what's your name?" he asked gently, finding a notepad to scribble some notes on.

"Troublesome," he said softly before turning over to face them so he didn't have to talk as loud. "Nara Shikamaru."

"Ah, Shikamaru-kun" Kabuto smiled, writing the name down. "How are you feeling?"

He sighed, closing his eyes again. "Tired, but that's nothing new. Dizzy if I move too much; bit of a headache."

"I see" Kabuto nodded. "Any nausea?" he asked, reaching out to gently press a few points on Shikamaru's head, trying to find the area he had hit.

He made a small noise in the back of his throat when his hand trailed over the back of his head. "Not really," he finally answered.

"Hmm..." Kabuto found a small pocket-light. Switching it on, he held Shikamaru's head as he directed the light on his left pupil, then the right, turning it off again.

Shikamaru blinked, squinting a bit before rubbing at his eyes in irritation as spots appeared in his vision from the light.

"Is the light bothering you?" Kabuto asked, again jotting something down on the paper.'

"A little," he said, closing his eyes again and giving a yawn.

"I see" he nodded, writing some more down before putting his notes away. "As I see it, Shizune was right, you have a light concussion. Now, all you need is some rest, we will probably have you moved to the nursery ward where you can stay until you're cleared. We will also have someone watch over you." He looked at his watch.

"Now, I have something I have to do, so I'll appoint you to keep an eye on him" he pointed to Sasuke, writing something down on a note. "If you see any of the symptoms I have described here, or something unusual, call me; my cell-number is written at the bottom of the note." And without waiting for a response, he was out the door again.

Shikamaru scowled and peeked open one eye, eventually locking onto the other boy. "You don't have to stay here," he muttered. "I won't tell."

"And what will happen when he comes back?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, getting up and turning off the lights in the room, having heard that the lights bothered the the other boy, though why he did it he didn't know. "Besides, I'm not taking the blame if you die or something."

Shikamaru gave a snort, closing his eye again and relaxing more now that the light wasn't making his head pound more. "I won't die from a slight concussion, idiot," he muttered.

"Whatever. Just shut up and rest," Sasuke sat down in a chair, closing his eyes as he made himself as comfortable as possible while waiting for the nurse to get done with whatever he was doing.

He did, all too happy to comply with that request no matter who it was coming from. He let his mind drift off, wondering if his own friends, as few as they were, would panic when they found out about him ending up here.

Inwardly grumbling to himself about Kiba, Sasuke decided he'd pay him back good for making him sit here with the other boy, looking after him for something that wasn't his fucking fault.

A few days later, Shikamaru was sitting outside on the school's lawn and waiting for school to stop. He'd missed a few days of school, his mother throwing a fit over his injury-- both that he'd been hurt and that he had been in a fight.

He sat there comfortably against a tree, silently listening to his friends talk. Or, well, friend since Lee barely let anyone else get a word in during his speeches.

Looking around him slightly nervously, Sasuke was outside school during lunch for once, trying not to be found by anyone. Grimacing a little, he cursed whoever came up with this kind of day, sneaking around the school-grounds during lunch had never been, nor would ever be, his favourite thing to do during lunch. Spotting the group where the "normal" outcasts were sitting, the one with the bowl-cut talking energetically about something, he sighed. He might as well go sit with them; it was a fairly secluded part of the grounds, and who would think of looking for him among them? Stupid valentines day...

"Oi," he said, walking over to them, feeling a little embarrassed over what he was doing; still, it was better than being hunted. "Can I sit with you today?"

Lee stopped mid-word and swiveled around to look at the Uchiha with wide eyes. He always felt nervous around that boy and his friends, ever since he'd tried to become friends with the Hyuuga and they had just humiliated him.

Chouji looked over, also wary of the group. After all, he and Shikamaru had been friends with Ino until they hit high school and she left them behind without remorse; or at least that how he saw it.

The third boy barely even acknowledged him, just tilting his head up a little and looking at him out from behind his sunglasses.

Shikamaru opened an eye, scowling lightly, having hardly forgotten the fight a few days ago that he'd been pulled into. "Tch, whatever," he mumbled when no one else spoke. "Just don't expect us to entertain you."

"Hn" Sasuke sat down, leaning against the trunk of a tree, closing his eyes. "Thanks I guess," he gave them a bored look. As if he expected them to do anything for him, just the thought was laughable. Only reason to sit with them was to escape the horde of fangirls and that icky chocolate they insisted on throwing at him. He didn't even like sweets; if he had, the day might have been a tad better, though he doubted it. Oh well, until the bell rang and it was safe to go inside again, he'd have to endure this gang of weirdoes.

Shikamaru just shrugged, closing his eye again, not caring if he stayed there as long as he didn't do anything bothersome.

Lee continued to stare at Sasuke for a while longer before turning back around and slowly starting back up the conversation, though notably subdued compared to earlier.

Inwardly smirking, Sasuke had the urge to roll his eyes at the one with the bowl-cut; he was hopeless. Wait, hadn't he tried befriending Neji at some point? Right, he supposed him and his friends hadn't been very nice to him; mildly put. Just then...

"Sasuke-kuuuuun!!!" Came choir of girlish voices, just as a stampede seemed to be closing in on him.

"Shit" Sitting up straight, the youngest Uchiha didn't even have a chance to get up and run before he was surrounded with squealing girls.

"Sasuke-kuuuuuun"

"Sasuke-kun, go out with me?"

"No go out with me, onegai!!!"

"Here, please accept my chocolate!"

"Sasuke-kuun~ your chocolate! Please go out with me~?"

"Ah..." groaning, Sasuke looked around, there was no where to run, how to get out of this now without having to accept a single chocolate? If only he had had a girlfriend or a boyfriend or something, then he'd have an excuse.... That's it! He just had to pretend he already had some!

"Can't do, sorry!" He forced a smile at them, having learned that freaking out or anything but smiling would not work. "I've already got a..a.. boyfriend!" He said, changing it from girlfriend at the last minute, figuring a boyfriend would be even more effective in making them forget about him if they thought he was gay.