Life's Little Changes

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Hope everyone likes this chapter as well... feedback makes me update faster!!..^^;;
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Naruto walked casually to school with Shikamaru since Sasuke had been adamant about him setting his alarm. They had spent majority of the evening working on an essay for his first period class, an essay that Naruto had to write four times before it was deemed acceptable.

“So how did tutoring go last night? He feed you again?”

“Yeah, he did but I had to spend hours writing one paper!”

“Don’t complain, good grades and your being fed.”

Naruto’s eyes brightened suddenly.

“Oh! He even has a heated pool with a water fall!”

“You planning on moving in with him or something?”

“Ewww! No! Live with the Ice Prince, are you crazy?”

“Just wondering, I mean, first you hate him but after two days of going to his house you seem to know your way around it pretty well.”

“I do not! And for the record I still hate him.”

“Whatever, arguing with you is too much work.”

“Everything is too much work to you.”

The rest of their walk to school was in silence and his first period teacher smiled at him, actually smiled when he turned in his report.

“I see Kakashi was correct, Uchiha has been a good influence on you.”

His jaw dropped. He turned in work and Sasuke gets all the credit?! Alright, so maybe the only reason it was done was because Mr. Perfect made him, but still, it was his hard work!

That set his mood for the entire day and first break did not help.

“I’m starving! Shikamaru, please tell me you brought a huge lunch today.”

“Sorry, dude, my mom was up and packed it today, barely enough for me.”

“Nooooooo.”

Shikamaru didn’t even bother to reply to Naruto, turning instead to the dark haired boy who walked up behind him.

“Uchiha.”

Said boy didn’t even bother to look at him, much less acknowledge the greeting and turned to the blonde instead.

“Hurry up after school today.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I have errands to run, idiot, and I won’t wait around.”

Sasuke walked off, leaving a fuming Naruto to glare razor sharp daggers into his back.

“I hate that guy!”

“Whatever.”

Shikamaru was already walking off, bored of the conversation before it even started.

Lunch time started out horrid as Naruto sat outside with Shikamaru, no one else he knew was willing to share either and his stomach was getting rather loud in it’s complaint.

“Why don’t you ever pack a lunch?”

“Because they won’t let me cook instant ramen at school.”

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a shadow falling over Naruto right before a bag of fast food was dropped into his lap. Looking up, blue eyes met black in confusion.

“Idiot.”

And Sasuke turned and walked off, heading towards a table under some trees where his friends called happily for him, another bag of fast food in his other hand.

“What was that about?”

“I… don’t know.”

Had the Ice Prince actually done something nice? And how did he know that Naruto didn’t have a lunch?

“Well, open the bag and see what he got you.”

“Bet it’s his trash, that would be like him.”

Instead Naruto ended up pulling out two double cheeseburgers and a large fry.

“He obviously knows how you eat.”

“Yeah, hehe.” Naruto scratched the back of his head. “He was kind of shocked with how much pizza I put down last night.”

“And this is your rival? Odd.”

“What is?”

The food was already disappearing at an alarming rate.

“Well, last week he didn’t know you were alive, now after two days he buys you lunch without asking anything in return and according to the rumor mill, you are the ONLY one to ever ride in his car.”

Shikamaru looked thoughtful.

“Well I don’t have much choice, it would take forever to get to his house otherwise.”

“Interesting…”

“The guy is a complete ass! Always bossing me around and acting superior! Probably going to tell me what I owe him for this later.”

Shikamaru tilted his head back, watching the clouds move through the gaps in the tree branches, ignoring his blonde friend’s rambling about how evil Uchiha is. It just wasn’t worth expending the energy to listen.

Kakashi’s smug grin as Naruto was able to actually answer a question correctly only served to grate on his nerves. He knew the teacher was just rubbing it in that the blonde was finally learning and coming prepared for school.

Though his spirits rose dramatically when the only book he was putting in his bag that night was math, homework was going to be over quickly and there was one thought dancing in his mind.

Pool!

Yes, he was grinning ear to ear as he happily made his way out of the building and towards Sasuke’s car, nothing could ruin his good mood, not even the fact that his team had, as usual, been trampled in gym.

Sasuke stood beside his car, his glare colder than usual and it didn’t take much to see why.

Gaara was standing right beside him, half leaning on his motorbike.

“Hey Sasuke, I didn’t take toooo long, now did I?”

It was accompanied by his usual grin, only that wasn’t a good thing since it earned him the chilling attention of the red-head.

“Your boyfriend, Uchiha?”

“No.”

“What? Boyfriend? What are you talking about, we’re both guys! Sasuke is just tutoring me cause of Kakashi.”

The glint in Gaara’s eyes showed how much he didn’t believe him before his eyes turned back to Sasuke.

“How long did it take you to train him to say that?”

Sasuke growled, his glare promising pain, though Naruto was a lot more vocal.

“He didn’t train me! You sicko! There is nothing between us! I wouldn’t touch the Ice Prince with a ten foot pole!”

The car started and Naruto did have the sense to climb in, only to meet dark eyes looking as though they were plotting his death.

“Don’t forget what we talked about, Uchiha.”

Sasuke’s glare turned back to Gaara.

“Whatever.”

That said, he slammed his door with finality, throwing the car in reverse and leaving the parking lot in a much faster speed than normal, causing the blonde to scramble for his seat belt.

“So where are we going?”

“Errand.”

“Alright, what is the errand?”

“Are you always this nosy?”

“Yep!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes while Naruto grinned.

“Picking up my prescription.”

“Oh… what’s it for?”

“Shut up.”

“What?”

“Just shut up, I’m not in the mood to play twenty questions, especially not with you.”

It wasn’t until they were walking into the house that Naruto remembered to tell Sasuke his good news.

“Guess what! I only have math homework so we can go swimming!”

“Work first.”

“But it’s not that much.”

“Good, then it won’t take that long and I can get rid of you.”

A grumbling blonde headed toward the dining room table, pulling out his homework as Sasuke brought over a couple sodas.

Much to Naruto’s delight and Sasuke’s horror, the math didn’t take more than forty five minutes, which meant he now had a bouncing blonde in his kitchen.

“YEAH! Swimming!.”

“What makes you think I want you in my pool?”

Instantly Naruto was still, his eyes getting huge as he looked at Sasuke.

“B-but Sasuke-kun! You said after homework!”

Dark eyes turned to slits.

“Don’t call me that.”

“What? Sasuke-kun?” He was answered with a growl and couldn’t help himself as he began to chant the name, trying for his best female voice.

“STOP! Fine! Go take a shower and change into a pair of trunks! We’ll go swimming but only if you swear to NEVER do that again!”

All grins once again, Naruto nodded happily while following Sasuke to the downstairs shower and bathroom that let out to the back yard.

“Wow, you even have a shower just for the pool! Cool!”

“The trunks are in that cabinet along with towels, there should be at least one pair that fits you and you better wash that mop of hair before you get in. I don’t want anything gross in my pool.”

A grumbling Naruto followed directions as Sasuke left the room to get changed as well, he wasn’t letting Naruto swim alone, knowing him he would drown.

“Idiot.”

By the time Sasuke came back down Naruto was already in the water, jumping around and whooping it up.

“This is great! Come on Mr. Perfect and get in!”

With a glare, he walked to the edge, tossing his towel in a nearby chair before sitting on the side and dangling his legs in the water.

This only got more of Naruto’s attention.

“Hey, aren’t you getting in?”

“I am in.”

“No, your feet are in.”

“I’m in enough.”

Blue eyes danced with mischief, you could almost swear to seeing cat ears pop up as he made his way closer to the other.

Before Sasuke even realized what was happening, Naruto had grabbed one of his wrists, braced both feet on the edge and pulled the brooding young man completely into the water.

As soon as Sasuke resurfaced, spitting out water, he was greeted with the sight of the blonde laughing his ass off only feet away.

“That’s it!”

Naruto didn’t stand a chance as the tables were turned and he was dunked under the surface.

Within minutes both boys were engaged in a very loud dunking war, practically drowning each other in their fun.

It took a good half hour, maybe more and they were laying on the edge, panting and laughing.

“I think I swallowed half your pool.”

“Serves you right.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

Dark eyes were taking in the shocked look on the other’s face.

“You’re… smiling.”

“What?” It seemed to suddenly dawn on Sasuke, his face instantly falling into it’s guarded scowl. “I was not.”

“Yes you were! You were smiling! I saw it.”

“Shut up, idiot.” Within seconds Sasuke lifted himself from the pool, picking up his towel and drying off. “Get out, it’s time to get some dinner.”

Naruto blinked at the pale back as he walked away, his words finally sinking in past the shock of actually having seen that smile. There had been rumors that Sasuke didn’t even have the ability to smile and Naruto was one of the main ones who swore it to be true.

“Hey! Wait up!”

He could see the dark haired boy moving about in the kitchen and was not about to be left out of deciding what they would eat.

“What are we eating?”

“Lasagna, garlic bread and salad.”

“Why salad?”

It came out as a whine that earned the blonde a condescending look.

“If I have to explain the food pyramid to you then I’m recommending you retake health.”

It was with a grumble that Naruto turned away, digging through the cabinets as he set the table.

This was already a pattern they had fallen into, Sasuke would cook or order dinner and Naruto would set the table and get drinks. Neither boy wanted to admit how well they worked together when they weren’t intent on fighting.

“You put onions in this!”

Blue eyes were studying the salad in front of him.

“They’re good for you.”

Naruto was so intent on picking out every slice of onion and toss them into Sasuke’s bowl that he completely missed the way the other’s eye began to twitch.

“What. Are. You. Doing?”

“Giving you my onions since you like them.”

“With a fork that has already been in your mouth.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, I only have one fork, why, you have some disease or germs or something?”

“No.”

“Well neither do I so there isn’t a problem.”

This time he did notice the eye twitch.

“You have one of those plobia things!”

“I do NOT have a phobia.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

The dark haired boy was so intently staring at his salad, as if trying to see the germs, that he didn’t realize Naruto had moved until said boy was standing right beside him.

“What are you doing, idiot?”

“I’m helping you get over your phobia.”

That said, and before Sasuke had time to react, he suddenly had a lap full of Naruto. The dark haired boy hadn’t had time to scoot his seat back so now he and the blonde were trapped very closely together between the back of the chair and the table.

“Get off me.”

“Not until we have you past this.” He grinned as he picked up the other’s salad, taking a bite without onion before stabbing another and holding it to the horror struck face before him. “Open up.”

“No.”

“Awww, come on, Sasuke, open up.”

“No.”

“Look, either you open and take this bite or I’ll hold your nose and force you to.”

Dark eyes looked warily up, meeting determined blue.

“Get off me.”

“Not until you eat.”

“Fine!”

It was with great hesitation and a look of impending doom that Sasuke finally took the bite, chewing as if he expected it to fight back.

“See! Next bite.”

Dark eyes widened and met laughing blue as another bite was suddenly in front of his face.

“I hate you.”

“I know.”

Slowly the Uchiha gave in, alternating bites with Naruto, though he almost completely froze when the other took a drink before handing the same glass to him.

“How long are you going to continue this?”

“I don’t know. So who do you live with?”

Sasuke was caught off guard, no one changed topics as quickly as Naruto.

“No one.”

“You live all by yourself?”

“That is typically what ‘no one’ would mean.”

“And the courts allow it?”

“I’m emancipated. Don’t your parents ever wonder where you are?”

“No, they died a long time ago.” Shock and doubt warred, most likely this was just some trick, after all, the blonde only recently learned that his parents had died. “They were in a car wreck when I was really little, so I barely remember them but I do have a picture of them holding me.”

He tried to ignore the grin, how could someone smile over having a picture of their parents instead of the real thing.

“So who do you live with?”

“Technically I live with some great uncle, I did the whole foster care thing until they located him, but after about a year he said he wasn’t going to keep spending money on something so worthless. Well a buddy of his owns that building, so as long as they don’t need it, I get one of the apartments and he gives me $40 a month for food.”

Another bite was shoved into the shocked Uchiha’s mouth.

“The courts allow this?”

“They don’t know, but it’s better than being shipped around in foster care.”

That was when Naruto noticed they had finished both plates and salads, so with a slight blush he awkwardly climbed from Sasuke’s lap.

“See, it didn’t kill you.”

“Whatever, let’s get you home. Idiot.”