Matriculate This >.

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Naruto sighed as he pushed out the door of his literature classroom and headed to lunch. They walked quietly, Shika on one side of him, Hinata on the other. He'd been about to run down as soon as class was over and ask Sasuke what was wrong, and if it was something that he'd done. He felt like apologizing to the other boy, he hated the pained expression he'd seen on the boy's pale face when he'd overheard Naruto defending his brother. They seemed close, Naruto didn't quite understand why he would have a problem with that. He wanted to know what was wrong, so he could try and fix it. He couldn't help it really. He felt the images from his dream last night surfacing in his mind again, stirring something in his stomach, and slightly lower. He pushed them back with a frown. now was not the time for that.


He followed his two new friends outside, to the lawn where there were several stalls set up selling food. He watched Hinata as she scanned the front lawn, following her gaze to find Kiba and Neji sitting under a tree with a girl he hadn't seen before. He smiled, and waved to them, yelling a greeting that made Hinata blush, and Shika sigh beside him. All three of them headed over, plopping down on the edge of their blanket. The two boy's already seated had purchased bentos spread out in front of them, Naruto pulling an apple from his backpack and taking a bite. Kiba smiled at them.


"How was your first class at the institute, Naruto?" His voice was a little bit sarcastic, but the question was honest. Naruto sighed heavily.


"It was cool I guess, even though the teacher was a little mean. he bitched me out in front of the whole class." Shika snorted from where he had laid down against the tree, one arm over his eyes, head pillowed on his book bag.


"Thats because you were busy daydreaming and staring at the Uchiha's ass to pay attention." Both Hinata and Naruto blushed at that, and Naruto sputtered, throwing a slap at Shika's head, but missing slightly.


"I was not staring at his fucking ass, the bastard was just being emo. I was trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him, he seemed fine yesterday." Kiba and Shika locked gazes over Naruto's head and smirked. It was Neji who spoke though.


"I haven't seen the little Uchiha yet today, but I'd bet anything his brother was what happened to him. I saw Itachi yesterday evening, and he didn't look pleased. And Naruto, I hate to break it to you, but the Uchiha is always emo, it's his default setting." Kiba thought this was the funniest thing in the world, and proceeded to laugh quite loudly, earning him a glare from Shikamaru who had settled back down and was obviously trying to take a nap. Naruto frowned, a little confused by the way the conversation was going, but not wanting to bring up the fact that it was probably the boy's lover and not his brother that had him in a foul mood. That connection brought a little leap to his stomach, as he realized that if the reason for Sasuke's dour attitude was his lover then everything was obviously not well between the two. He felt a little smile climb onto his face, if the Uchiha was having problems with his boyfriend, whoever that may be, then there was a possibility that it might be falling apart. Maybe he did have a chance with the pale boy after all.


The conversation around him ebbed and flowed like the wind on water, and he let it float by him without really paying attention, munching absently on his apple until it was gone, pitching the core into the bushes nearby. The sound of his name pulled him back to reality.


"Naruto!" He turned to Kiba, who was yelling now, looking rather startled. "Geez, Naruto, you were off in la la land there. You better not have been thinking about the Uchiha's ass again." He joked. Naruto scowled, not wanting to admit that he had been, really.


"I wasn't either. WHy are you yelling at me anyways?" Kiba smirked, but seemed to jump seamlessly into the new subject.


"What class do you have after lunch? Because I've got Math with Sarutobi-sensei, and none of these other jokers are in the same period." Naruto scowled.


"We went over this this morning, yeah, I'm in your class this afternoon, and tomorrow and friday if i remember correctly." Kiba grinned evilly at him, but it was Neji who spoke.


"Sorry to cut into your fantasy time, but you didn't need to be so bitchy about it, Uzumaki." His voice was teasing, but Naruto still scowled. Neji held out his hand. "Let me see your schedule again, Naruto." the blond handed it over as soon as he'd dug it from the bottom of his pack.


"Hm, from what I've gathered, Shika's in your math class next period-" a muttered Oh Joy of all Joys was heard from the boy trying to sleep in the corner, earning him a slap from Kiba, "-Hm, You've got science tomorrow with Kiba, and isn't Sakura in that class to?-" there was a nod from Kiba, who was staring absently at the tree, listening. "-hm... I'm in your Japanese class tomorrow, and your history on friday, so's Kiba I think." He stared down at the paper before handing it back to Naruto, who tucked it back away in his pack. He let the conversation wash over him again, trying to memorize everyone's schedule, but failing. He listened intently until the annoying feeling of eyes boring into his back took over. He turned to see Sasuke standing in the doorway to the school. His pale cheeks flushed and he looked away before Naruto could smile and wave.


He was about to stand and go over, to ask the Uchiha what was wrong, the desire to get that depressed look off of that pale face still twisting in his gut, but another familiar figure came up behind him. Gaara. The red haired boy leaned in close to the pale ear, whispering something into it that made Sasuke shiver, laying one arm across the Uchiha's shoulders.


Sasuke looked decidedly uncomfortable with it, trying to shrug the contact off. The thought hit Naruto like a ton of bricks, and his stomach bottomed out. The two were standing awfully close to one another, what if Gaara was the one who had given Sasuke those marks. If there was animosity between Sasuke and his lover, that would explain the coldness in his demeanor today. Naruto pushed the little spike of joy out of his stomach when he saw Sasuke knock the arm off of his shoulders and scowl at the red haired boy, telling himself he hoped they made up when he really thought nothing of the sort.


He panicked a little, when Sasuke caught his gaze, and scowled deeper, taking off back inside. He looked over to Gaara, and the boy was heading towards them, eyes fixed on Naruto. he swallowed hard at the little wink his roommate threw him, turning back around with a blush. This caused Kiba to look over at him with an arched eyebrow. He shook his head, signaling the boy to drop it. He got hurriedly to his feet, just as Gaara was reaching the group. The red haired boy looked a little confused when he breezed past, mumbling something about the library.

X

Kiba went to look for the new boy when lunch was drawing to a close and he hadn't shown up outside again. He wanted to know what was wrong with the boy, thinking it might have had something to do with the sudden appearance of his roommate. Gaara could be creepy, but the two had gotten along well before this, so he wondered what could have changed. He checked the library, but didn't find him, so he went to their next class, hoping he'd found his way there by himself, he did have a campus map after all.


He breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the door and found Naruto on one of the back desks, staring forlornly at the blackboard in the front of the room, looking like he was about to start crying. Kiba frowned, walking to the back and dropping into the chair beside his new friend.


"Hey Naruto, why the long face? Did Gaara do something? I mean I know he's a prick, but..." Naruto shook his head, and Kiba went silent, hoping Naruto would elaborate. There was a long pause, and Kiba was about to open his mouth when the blond spoke.


"There's someone I like, someone I wish I could be with, but I can't, because they're with someone else. But they don't look happy together, or rather he doesn't look happy, and..." Naruto stopped, eyes widening, and slapped a hand across his mouth. Kiba grinned a little, but tried to keep a straight face.


"Who?" His voice was quiet, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was in the room. His face was serious then. Naruto swallowed hard, burying his face in his arms, folded on the desk in front of him.


"Isn't it obvious?" His voice was grim, deeated. The realization dawned on Kiba, and his mouth fell open a little bit. His grin came back and Naruto panicked at the look in his eyes. "Don't tell anyone, Kiba, I'm serious! Please, don't tell anyone, no one can know. I can't make things weird between us." Kiba shook his head.


"I promise, I won't tell anyone." Naruto slumped a little in relief.


"Well, it doesn't really matter, because S-I mean, that person, is already with someone, and ... I'm kinda close to them. I want to be with that person but I don't want to screw things up with Gaara..." His eyes widened again, and he looked around to make sure no one else was in the room. It wasn't until hi eyes fell across Kiba's face that he noticed the incredibly confused face he was wearing.

X

Sasuke slumped his way down the halls, still a bit unsettled from his little conversation with Gaara at lunch. He'd only gone outside in the first place to appologize to Naruto. He'd been kind of rude to the boy in class, his sorenes and grumpiness had taken over. He reallyw anted Naruto to like him though, Naruto was his only chance to have a friend here who wasn't tainted by Itachi. It seemed, however, that he might even be too late for that. His brother ruined everything in Sasuke's world, he closed every door the boy had, but one door, the door he wanted Sasuke to go through.


He stopped right as he was about to push open the door to his next class, it was math, with Sarutobi-sensei, at his brother's request. He heard voices inside, and he recognized one. It was the blond boy who had been racing through his thoughts for a very long time now. The tone was low, but he could barely make some of it out.


"There's someone I like, someone I wish I could be with ... he doesn't look happy, and..." A small fluttering hope rose in Sasuke's stomach. Naruto liked boys, this as good news. Maybe he'd actually have a shot at the boy after all. He listened hard, hearing another familiar voice, it was Kiba in there with him.


"Who?"


"Isn't it obvious?... Kiba, I'm serious! Please, don't tell anyone, ... I can't make things weird between us." He fought to make out the words coming out of Naruto's mouth. Who did he like? Sasuke thought he had a pretty good chance against most of the boys here, he could outshine almost anyone. He pressed his ear closer, he could hear Naruto starting again.


"Well, it doesn't really matter, because ... close to them ... screw things up with Gaara..." Sasuke felt his stomach clench up. Gaara, great just great, he was the only person here Sasuke was afraid of, outside of Itachi, Gaara was the only one he didn't think he could beat out. He felt cold.


He'd thought maybe he had a chance, but now the warm feeling n his stomach drained away and he felt sick. Gaara was right, and Gaara liked the blond back, he'd warned him to stay away during lunch. He'd been close enough then that he'd been nauseaous, much like he was now. Only now it was worse, becasue now Sasuke knew and that just made everything harder. He felt like crying. he did the only thing he could do, he turned on his heels and walked away.

X

"Wait ... what?" Kiba was lost, he faced Naruto with an uncomprehending look in is eye. Naruto looked back, all of a sudden uncertain of his own logic.


"Aren't they...?" Kiba burst into laughter.


"NO NO, DEAR GODS NO!" He looked back up at Naruto, laughter draining from his face when he saw the relieved look in in Naruto's face. It turned confued withn second though.


"Then who...?" Kiba opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when Shika pushed the door open and walked in. He took one glance, taking in Naruto and Kiba sitting in the back, one looked like he'd just cried a river, the other looked incredibly entertained. He did some mental calculations and came up with nothing. He looked up at the pair warily before going back to join them.


"I don't want to know, I just don't even want to know" He said, eyes darting from one to the other. Kiba smirked, and turned his head to the bag in front of him, hauling out a notebook.


"I'll tell you later then, Naruto." The blond smiled, and wiped his face on his sleeve. Shika sighed.


They sat in relative silence as the rest of the class filed in, seven students in all, including themselves. The voices of the others echoed around the room, their happy chatter magnified into a small roar by the acoustics of the lecture hall. They were silenced, however, when a rather large man with a well trimmed beard wondered in, pushing a small cart in front of him. He grabbed the chair from behind the desk and dragged it out to the middle of the floor in the front of the room, plopping down on it backwards, pulling a roll book and a pen off of the cart. He cleared his throat before speaking, his voice booming in the small space.


"Hello Class, my name is Sarutobi Asuma, but you can call me Asuma-sensei. I will be your math teacher, probably for the rest of the year. I'd like to start by taking roll to see whose here, then we're gonna have a little test, just to see where you are." A small chorus of groans filled the room and the man chuckled. "Don't worry guys, this won't count for anything, it's just a diagnostic tool, to see where you guys are all starting from, and where we can go from here. I understand you guys might all be at different levels with different things, so I need to decide what we can focus on and what we can skim over, okay?" He looked up to see small, unsur nods flowing through the classroom. He smiled, and started reading off the names.


Shika looked over at the fidgeting blond beside him and tried to work out what was making him so nervous. He'd seemed fine before, if a little distant, but he wanted to know why. His brain ticked through a thousand thoughts, a thousand options, ticking off the ones that seemed impossible or illogical. He was still puzzled. Although he was lazy, Shika was a strategic genius, and he couldn't just let a problem like this sit there without having sme idea of the source.


"Inuzuka, Kiba?" He saw Kiba raise his hand, when the boy's name was called. He was part of this too, he kenw what was bothering the blond, that must have been the conversation they were having when he'd walked in. After the scene outside he surmised it probbly had somethign to do with Gaara, after all the blond was his roommate so they had contact, and everyone knew Gaara was a real prick most of the time, but he was sure they hadn't had contact sicne this morning, and the boy had seemed mostly okay during literature class this morning, so he knew it wasn't anything big, or anythign that involved Gaara totally.


"Nara, Shikamura?" He raised a lazy hand when he ehard his own name called out, watching the sensei tick him off on the sheet in front of him. He sighed, trying to pick up where he had left off. Right, so it wasn't Gaara that was bothering the blond. He wondered who else it could be.


"Uchiha, Sasuke?" There was no response, except for Naruto stiffening and looking around for the boy. "Uchiha, Sasuke?" The Sarutobi repeated, his tone a little exasperated, and he muttered something as he scribbled in the margins of his book. Shika caught Naruto's face then and Suddenly everything slid into place. It was the Uchiha, maybe Naruto really did like him. And that would explain his behavior all day, and his despondancy now, because Sasuke belonged to Itachi, and Itachi didn't let go easily. The boy seemed to like the older Uchiha though, maybe that was Gaara's influence.


"and finally, Uzumaki, Naruto?" He studied the boy as his hand went up. he definitly looked a little green right now, a little confused, ut he looked calmer now than he did that moment that Shika had first walked in.


He shook the thoughts from his mind as Sarutobi-sensei came by and set a packet in front of each one of them. He began the test.

X

Sasuke was curled up in the corner of the library, trying not to cry, wondering why in the hell hearing Naruto confess his feelings to fucking dog breath was making him come apart like this. He should have expected this, he shouldn't have been so fucking surprised, Gaara might not have been perfect, but he was stronger than Sasuke, he was better. The boy blinked back his tears for the thousandth time, burying his head in his arms. It wasn't fair, Itachi never let him have anyone else, just when he'd thought he could get someone, a friend, anything as long as it was outside his brother's clutches, it was pulled away. And now he'd gone and probably ruined it, after all he'd been awful to the boy this morning. He sighed, but it came out sounding more like a sob. In retrospect he felt he should have gotten more sleep last night.


It was a testimony to how fucked up he felt that he didn't hear the footsteps coming until a familiar figure flopped down beside him. He swore under his breath when he felt the older boy's arm drape itself over his shoulders. He picked up his head and glared daggers at the blond, but Deidara just smirked.


"Are you feeling particularly baddass today Sasuke-kun? Your skipping class to cry alone in the library, its very unlike you."


"Fuck. Off. And. Die." He snapped. He winced at how broken his voice sounded. At least it shut Deidara up. The boy sat there a little more awkwardly now, not used to seeing Sasuke really on the edge of tears. He looked up at the red haired boy leaning against the shelf beside him. "Maybe we should call Itachi?" He winced when the boy beside him stiffened, Sasori shook his head.


"No Dei. I think we should maybe just bring him upstairs." He walked over to crouch down in front of Sasuke, petting the boy's hair gently. Sasuke looked up at him, trying to seem strong and cold, but his eyes didn't let him pull it off. Sasori smiled. "Come on, Sasuke, you can come hang out in our room fro awhile, Itachi won't look for you there. Dei has Calculus in an hour, but I don't have any class today, you can stay up there as long as you want."


Sasuke smiled weakly, and let the older boys help him up, leading him over towards the east wing dorms. He was quiet, as they walked through the empty halls, one of the taller boys on each side. He hated anyone seeing him like this, but out of all the people here he trusted Sasori the most in the end, and he trusted Deidara almost as much by association. They were almost always together, and while Dei would make fun of him until he wanted to punch the older boy's lights out, when it came time to be serious he was fully capable. Plus, while they were his brother's friends, they wouldn't go run and tell him everything like Kisame did. Sasuke hated that kid, and he had a feeling that it was mutual. He stayed out of Kisame's way as much as was humanly possible.


He let himself be herded into the elevator, pausing when he saw a familiar face outside. Neji was standing there, having just come out of the bathroom, and was glaring daggers at him. It made Sasuke shiver for some reason, but he resisted the urge to step back behind the older boys. So what if Neji saw his face, red and puffy from trying not to cry. He didn't give a fuck what Neji thought of him. Besides, the boy wasn't some gossipy girl, he didn't run back to his friends and blab about the things he saw in the halls or who had taken someone back to their room last night. He looked away as the doors slid closed though, letting his eyes fall to the floor. This was a fucked up day.

X

Naruto was concerned when Sasuke never showed up for class, his gut told him something was wrong. The coupled with Shika's glances darting to his face every once and awhile. He kicked himself for letting it show when he'd heard Sasuke's name when the sensei had called roll. As soon as the bell rang he was on his feet, heading towards the door. He swore internally when he felt a hand on his arm, schooling his face into a smile as he turned. He was sure ti wasn't convincing because both Kiba and Shika looked at him weird then. He sighed.


"What?" He let the mask drop, but tried to sound annoyed still. It was SHika who answered.


"Are you okay? Your acting weird. I mean, maybe you get like this sometimes, we haven't really know you that long, but it seems like you're worried." Kiba scrunched his face up a little, before he leaned close.


"Is it ... him, because he does this all the time. He probably blew off class to go hang out with his brother or something..." Shika arched his eyebrow. It wasn't hard to figure out who they were talking about really, since he had all the peices now. He could tell Kiba was lying, it was written around his eyes, but Naruto didn't seem to notice, so he didn't bring it up. The taller boy sighed, this was troublesome, but he knew he had to help if he could.


"Come on, I've got the car parked around the side, lets go get some dinner."


Kiba nodded, and Naruto managed a sigh.

X

Sasuke sat cross-legged on Deidara's bed, watching the sky outside go dark over the parking lot. It wasn't the best view in the world, but it was better than staring at the blank white ceiling. Deidara had left an hour ago, and Sasori was seated at his desk, clicking away on his computer, writing the final proposal for his senior work. Classes were letting out, and there were lots of people outside, some running out to their cars to get something, some sitting on the grass in the unseasonably warm air of dusk.


His heart lept to his throat as he caught sight of a familiar burst of blonde hair over tanned skin. Naruto had taken off his jacket, and the sleeves on his uniform shirt were rolled up above his elbows, his arms looked strong, his shoulders broad. Sasuke cast a jealous glance at the figures beside him, Kiba laughing, his head thrown back, Shika walking in front of them a couple steps, looking bored. If he could spend time with the blond boy like that, he'd never look bored, he yelled inside his head, letting the sides of his mouth twitch downwards in a frown.


All of a sudden he felt like crying again. He let his eyes follow the three boys, as they made their way to a sleek black car, windows tinted almost black in the low light. He watched as Kiba rushed forwards to stand by the passenger side door, sticking his tongue out at the blonde who was pointing and yelling something, before running forwards to tackle him to the ground, both of them laughing before they hit the pavement. His stomach turned a little more violently than before. They climbed to their feet, still laughing, as Naruto grudgingly agreed to take the back seat.


Sasuke wanted to climb into that car with them more than anything, sit in the back scrunched up next to Naruto, he could almost feel the contact where their thighs would be pushed together by the tightness of space if he closed his eyes. He sighed, staring down at them. He knew he couldn't be there, he could never be there, not now that he was so sure he'd fucked everything up.


His eyes widened and his stomach clenched painfully when he looked over to the other side and saw Shika staring right up at him, his lips turned down in a little scowl. He saw me, Shika saw me and now he knows, he's not stupid after all. He flung himself backwards, allowing himself to fall onto his back on the bed, clenching his eyes shut, shaking his head a little. Now he really was fucked, he knew he looked like shit right now, and Shika probably knew why, too. Gaara was a dick like that.


When he opened his eyes again he saw Sasori looking down at him, a little spark of concern in his eyes. He sighed again, turning over so he lay on his stomach, propping his head up in his hands, burying his face in upturned, sweaty palms.


"Who is it?" Sasori asked, his voice flat as usual. Sasuke flinched, he knew he could be horribly transparent to those who knew what to look for. He didn't answer. "Maybe if you talk about it, it will make it a little better. I wouldn't tell anyone, not even Dei, not if you don't want me to." Sasuke managed a weak smile, turning his face back up to look at the other boy before he dropped his head again.


"There's this new kid..." He started, feeling now like getting it out, telling someone who wasn't directly involved, would help to diffuse this crushing pressure somehow. "He's in my class, he's got this awesomely light blond hair, and blue eyes, tanned skin, all wiry muscles, very tight." He blushed a little at the description he'd given, was he turning into some dazed school girl, pining away? He sighed, Sasori just nodding at him to go on.


"He was so nice, we met in the café, friends with Neji and Kiba and them. We hung out a couple times, and it was just nice. He didn't really expect anything from me, didn't have any preconceptions that I had to live up to, I felt like I could relax, be myself." He paused again, staring at the floor this time. Sasori opened his mouth, thinking that was all he was going to get, but the Sasuke started again.


"I think I like him. I mean, I know I like him, but I have no idea how to go about liking him, and the Gaara set his sights on him, and he's the boy's roommate, there's no way I have any chance. I just..." He turned his head, burying his face in the covers, voice wavering a little. "I just want to - fuck, I don't even know what I want. It would be nice to have a friend who isn't in some way chained to my brother -no offense- but it seems like Itachi's sinking his hooks into him now to, there isn't anything I can do."


Sasori thought about crossing the space, laying his hand on the boy's back, shaking slightly now, in little silent sobs, he thought about wrapping his arms around the boy and rocking him slowly, he thought about raining little kisses across the boy's shoulders, his forehead. But he didn't, he stayed in his chair. Sasuke appreciated that.

X

Shikamaru clutched the wheel tightly, lost in thought as they drove over to the chinese restaurant Kiba had picked when they'd left campus. It was close, close enough to walk, but he didn't really feel like walking, not when he could drive there. It was easier. He let his mind drift as he pulled into the parking lot, remembering Sasuke's eyes when he'd caught the boy looking down at them from the window. He frowned. That corridor was all Senior apartments, and He knew Itachi didn't live on the 3rd floor, so he wondered whose room the Uchiha had been holed up in.


His eyes had looked so lost then, his face empty. Sasuke was an enigma on the best days. He didn't really have many friends in his own class, and none close enough for them to say they really knew him. Mostly the Uchiha hung around his brother's friends, who were very protective of him, though not quite as much as Itachi himself. he had a feeling those boys were charged with keeping an eye on his little brother though, and he wondered if that wasn't why he didn't really hang out with anyone else.


Shika threw the car into park, turning off the engine with a twist of the key and getting out of the car, locking it behind him. He watched as Kiba and Naruto walked ahead of him, Kiba joking around, pushing the blond lightly while Naruto remained unfocused, smiling and laughing, but there was a little hollow note to it. Shika sighed. The boy was busy pining away, and there really isn't much he could do about it. Troublesome.

X

Gaara sat perched on the edge of his bed, scowling and tapping his foot. He'd come right back to the room after class, hoping he'd run into Naruto, and maybe invite him to dinner or something. The boy hadn't shown up and now it was completly dark outside, the sun having only just finished setting. Where could the blond be? It was dinner time, so Gaara had checked the café on his way upstairs but there was no sign of the other boy anywhere.


He startled a little at the ringing as his phone went off. He picked it up and checked the little screen in front of him. It was Neji. With a sigh he picked it up.


"What?" He snapped, not really wanting to talk to the other boy very much. He heard Neji sigh into the phone.


"Really, Sabaku, is that any way to answer your phone? So rude..." Neji's voice skirted the edges of sarcasm, and Gaara gritted his teeth.


"What do you want, Neji? I don't have all day." The other boy sighed again, this time more heavily.


"Is Naruto with you?" Gaara felt his lips curl downwards. Naruto should be here, but he wasn't. He growled lowly into the phone. Neji hesitated.


"Any idea where he could be?" Gaara replied with a clipped "No" before He moved across the room, dropping heavily into the chair pulled up to Naruto's desk. He sighed.


"Well, Naruto's not around, and I need to talk to him. I saw Sasuke this afternoon, and he didn't look so good." Gaara smirked.


"Yeah, well I'm sure Itachi had his reasons. That boy doesn't understand the concept of keeping his naughty little hands to himself, not touching other people's things." Neji paused.


"Gaara, what do you mean by that?" Neji sounded a little worried, which only made the other boy's smirk darker.


"I meant what I said, that the fucking little Uchiha brat need a lesson in not touching things that don't belong to him. Itachi only gave him what deserved." Neji went quiet again, and Gaara's smirk slowly fell into a scowl. "Look, Neji. This isn't any of your buisness, this is only between them, they don't need your help, no matter how much of a pussy train wreck Sasuke has become. He pulled this down on his own head." He clicked the phone closed and thumbed the off switch.


Gaara got up, and walked to the door, leaving a note for Naruto on the little dry erase board tacked up on the back of it. He made sure he had his key card before stepping out, shutting the door behind him. He was going to go find Sasuke, and if Naruto was with him, they were going to have a little chat.

X

It had been late when Naruto had gotten back, both of the other boys finding ways to kill their time, for which he was grateful. He didn't want to see Sasuke right now. He was also a little relieved when he came back and found Gaara laying back on the bed. He smiled.


"Good Evening, Gaara. How was your day?" The red head grunted noncommittally, eyes roaming over the blond's body with obvious approval. Naruto still wore no jacket, his shirt sleeves rolled up above his elbows still, only now his top buttons were undone, and his hair was wild around his face. Gaara smirked, feeling his mouth go dry.


"Come here." It wasn't really an answer, more like a command. Naruto did what he was told, stepping close to the boy, blushing when Gaara's fingers caught in his belt loops, pulling him between outstretched legs. He shivered slightly, but all he could think of was Sasuke, Sasuke the way he'd been in Naruto's head, all soft pale skin and wanton warmth, and Sasuke the way he had been today, distant and cold, with a pain in hi eyes. The boy sighed, getting ready to push himself away from Gaara when another sharp tug brought him tumbling into his roommate's lap, one knee on each side of the boy's hips for balance, arms catching Gaara around his pale neck. The boy smirked, leaning in for the kill, sealing Naruto's lips with his own.


The blond let out a surprised noise at the contact, not really pushing away but not really relaxing in the other boy's arms. He had to admit, Gaara was hot, almost as hot as the Uchihas. He didn't really want to do this with the other boy right now though, not when he was concerned about the pale boy, disappearing like that. As much as he knew he couldn't really have Sasuke, that didn't stop him from caring about the boy, it didn't stop him from worrying now.


Naruto couldn't convince himself to pull back though, not with Gaara's fingers tangled in his hair like that. His senses did return to him when Gaara trailed those warm lips down from his mouth, across his jaw, and down his neck. He tried to pull away then, but Gaara's hand wouldn't let him go, holding him close while the boy fiddled with the buttons on the uniform shirt in front of him, popping each one from its hole using only his tongue, after each button, grazing the hot wet appendage down the newly revealed skin, smooth under his touch.


Naruto was once again reduced to moaning, hands falling to Gaara's shoulders. He felt those hands trailing down his bare sides once the line of buttons was finished, the boy's tongue dipping into his navel and bringing the most delicious feeling skittering up the blond's spine. When those fingers reached the catch on his pants he faltered again, and this time he did pull away, a look of horror on his face. Gaara looked pissed.


"Oh gods, I'm sorry Gaara. I can't, I just can't, not right now." He was on the verge of tears quite quickly, leaving Gaara blinking and confused, unsure of what had just happened. Shakily he moved forwards, wrapping one arm around the boy and making hushing noises, rocking him slightly.


"I'm sorry, there's just - there's a friend I'm worried about right now, a close friend, and I feel too much like this is betraying them." The words were almost sobs, and Gaara did not question them, he didn't even process their meanings, still stuck on the crying boy in his arms. He held Naruto until the boy cried himself to sleep before curling up in his own bed. This was going to be a little harder than it had seemed.

X

Sasori sighed, glancing over at the Uchiha boy asleep in Deidara's bed. The blonde had come in after class to find the boy passed out but couldn't bear to wake him up. He'd sat down by Sasori's feet then, smiling up at the red haired boy every once and awhile. The poor kid didn't have many friends, and almost none his own age. He needed anyone who would take him.


That was why they had decided, when they figured out who it was that Sasuke was pining after right now, they'd have a little talk with Gaara about leaving the poor boy alone. Sasuke had explained Gaara's conversation about this, the threat of harm, the violent Itachi he'd had sicced on him, everything. Sasori had sighed. Their friend could be a little harsh sometimes, especially with Sasuke, but he did love his brother, and he just wanted to keep Sasuke close.


For now though, they really couldn't do anything but sit back and watch him sleep. Eventually they moved to Sasori's bed, sleeping spooned tightly together, all wrapped up in one another. When they woke up the next day, Sasuke was already gone.


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A/N: okay, so i got this one up here, just wanted to say i always update my lj faster than these other sites, so if you wanna you can check it out at http://ursweetheartles.livejournal.com now

good? bad? ugly? read, review, and let me know ^.^