Conversion

Chapter 4 - Wake Up Call

"The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool."
Stephen King


I wake up laying on a navy couch with a wet washcloth on my head. Blinking groggily, I look around. Where am I? I wonder.

"You're awake?" I hear a vaguely familiar voice ask. Who is that? Suddenly I feel the wet washcloth being removed from my forehead, only to be replaced with a colder one. Blinking again, I look up and see pitch black eyes set in a pale face, framed by blue-black hair. Sasuke, my mind provides, and I begin to remember the events of the day. Oh yeah... This is the guy that was such an asshole to me earlier! I sit up angrily, ready to shout at the guy, when my head protests. And damn does it protest! Groaning, I clutch my head, willing the horrible headache to go away.

"You should lay back down," Sasuke tells me, pushing me back down onto the couch gently. When I'm laying down again he removes my hand from my head and replaces the cold washcloth, which had fallen off when I sat up so suddenly. Why does my head hurt so much? I ask myself. And why the hell is this bastard being so nice all of a sudden? Sasuke must realize that I'm confused, because he says quietly, "You fainted. Are you okay?"

"I... I've never fainted before..." I manage to say, my voice sounding a little hoarse. "Why are you being so nice?"

He looks at me with a weird expression on his face. "Well... Considering the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm the reason you fainted, this is the least I can do, even if you are a moron."

Lost in thought, I don't really hear the last half of the sentence. He's the reason I fainted? "You...?" I ask. "Wha... What'd you do?" He looks at me with that weird expression again. He looks... almost worried, but it's gone in a flash.

"You mean you don't remember?" he asks unsurely, and my anger returns full force.

"Well, if I'm asking I must not remember, jerk!" I croak at him, wishing my voice weren't so screwed up. He stands up and walks away. As my eyes follow him angrily, I see that he's walking toward the kitchen. I hear the refrigerator door open and close, and Sasuke walks back to me with a bottle of water.

"Here, drink this," he says, handing me the bottle. At first I think he's avoiding my question, then he adds, "Why don't you tell me how much you remember, and I'll try my best to fill in the blanks." I take a long drink from the water bottle, then close my eyes and try to remember everything that happened today.

"Well... I remember everything up until you came into my room to ask why I was watching you sleep. After you leave, I've got nothing," I provide, looking over at Sasuke.

"Ah," he replies. "Well, while I was talking with you, I think that I accidentally let my cat into your room. I'd gotten back out into the living room when I heard you scream and then a loud crash. I went to see what was wrong, and I found you laying on the ground, unconscious..." Sasuke then disappeared from my line of vision, only to reappear a few seconds later holding a pure black house cat, who looked at me like it was plotting ways to end my life. "With this one sitting on your chest and hissing at you."

I look at the feline and doubt that I would faint just because a cat jumped on me. It does look pretty evil, though. The thing hisses at me, and I do indeed remember it jumping on me. Everything after that is still a blank. "Oh..." I say, still staring at the cat. "But... what kind of name is Venus?" Sasuke looks surprised, and almost... scared?

"H-how do you know her name is Venus?" he asks shakily. It's pretty funny to see him so shook up, but I'm not in the mood to laugh at the moment. My head still hurts something terrible.

"I don't really know," I reply. "There's just something... way back in my mind telling me that's her name."

"Ah," he says again, then changes the subject. "From the look of it, your head still hurts, so I'm going to go get you an aspirin. You haven't been unconscious for very long, but we still have to eat dinner and finish our homework before we go to sleep, and it's getting late." He mutters something to himself, but I can't hear it as he walks away.

"What time is it?" I call as he heads down the hallway, most likely toward the bathroom. He doesn't answer immediately, but soon reappears at the mouth of the hall with two small, white pills in his hand.

"It's about seven forty-five," he says, handing me the aspirin. I nod, then place the pills on my tongue and swallow them with a gulp from the water bottle. I watch Sasuke enter the kitchen once more, and I listen as he rummages through the fridge and cupboards. "Damn, we're going to need to go shopping soon," he says, more to himself than to me. "Is Macaroni and Cheese for dinner alright with you?" he asks, sticking his head through the archway that leads to the kitchen and holding up a box of Easy Mac for me to see.

"Sure," I call. For a moment I consider asking if he has ramen, but seeing as I just got here, that would be kind of rude. Besides, he said we need to go shopping - I can just get some ramen at the store.

I lay on the couch for another fifteen minutes or so, feeling my headache wither away. This couch is pretty comfortable... I think, and just as I feel myself seconds away from falling asleep, I feel a small weight on my stomach. Opening my eyes, I see a glass bowl filled to the brim with mac and cheese. Turning my head, I see Sasuke setting my backpack down on the floor and a few other textbooks on the small wood and glass coffee table.

"I wasn't sure what you needed for your homework, so I brought your whole backpack out here," he tells me.

"Uh, thanks," I reply, sitting up and setting my bowl on the coffee table. "But all I needed was my Algebra book." He looks at me in shock, then his expression turns disbelieving. "Well," I start to explain. "The other kids in my English class are reading a novel, and they're on the last two chapters out of thirty or something like that, so the teacher excused me from reading it, and my Chemistry class is having this big project where everyone's in groups, and they're presenting their projects the day after tomorrow, so everyone's pretty much finished and working out who's going to present what. The teacher said that it wouldn't be fair to the other students if I got stuck in a group and got the same grade as them even though I hadn't done any of the work." I shrug, then smile. "I guess I just have good timing."

"No, you have amazingly lucky timing," Sasuke corrects me. "The teachers here give insane amounts of homework. You should consider it a miracle that you only have work from one class, because I can assure you that's not going to happen again any time soon." He then goes back into the kitchen and returns with his own bowl filled with mac and cheese. I pull my Algebra book, notebook, and a pencil out of my backpack as Sasuke sets his bowl down on the coffee table next to mine and sits himself down next to me. He takes a thick textbook from the pile of books he set on the coffee table earlier, and I realize that those ones must be his.

We sit in a comfortable silence for about an hour, taking bites of our dinners while working on our homework. Since I only had work from one class and Sasuke had work from three, I finish my homework first. After closing my notebook and Algebra book and reloading my backpack I stand up and stretch. Looking down I see that both of our dinner bowls are empty, with a few splotches of cheese still clinging to the sides. Bending over I pick up my bowl, and then decide that I'll take Sasuke's as well. I mean, even if he is part of the reason I passed out I still need to repay him for being so nice. He doesn't look up when my arm passes in front of him, but as I pick up his bowl he mutters a quick, "Thanks."

Even though he still isn't looking I smile at him and say, "No problem." I carry our dishes into the kitchen, rinsing them off slightly before putting them into the empty dishwasher. Walking back into the living room area, I'm amazed to see Sasuke finished with his homework. "No way in hell are you done with all of that already," I tell him, and he smirks at me.

"Not all of us take as long to do our work as you do, moron."

Dammit! It's been pretty much calm ever since I woke up and now he's got me hating his guts again! "Bastard," I say simply. Smartass, genius bastard, but a bastard nonetheless.

"Do you have to go to the bathroom?" he asks out of nowhere, standing up and stretching.

"Huh?" I reply oh-so intelligently.

"I'm taking a shower," he clarifies. "Do you have to use the bathroom before I go in there?"

Oh. That explains it. "Nah, not really. Besides, we're both guys. I can just go in if I need to go." I shrug it off, but Sasuke's right eye twitches rather noticeably.

"I like my privacy," he tells me in a surprisingly cold voice.

"Alright, alright," I say, holding my hands up in mock surrender. "Sheesh, you don't need to get hostile. But no, I don't need to use the can, so you can take your shower in peace." He glares at me for a few more seconds, then gathers up his books and heads down the hall. Picking up my backpack, I follow. As I enter my bedroom, I set my bag down right by the door to make sure I'm able to find it in the morning. I walk over to my dresser and pull out a pair of pajamas, then quickly change and toss today's uniform in the corner. That'll be where I keep my dirty clothes until I can get a laundry basket.

I walk back over to the door and poke my head out, just in time to see Sasuke opening the bathroom door with a bundle of clean clothes in hand. "Hey, I'm going to sleep now," I tell him.

"Aren't you going to brush your teeth?" he asks, sounding mildly disgusted.

"Nah," I reply, shaking my head. "Toothbrush's buried somewhere, and I'm too lazy to dig it out. Besides, I never really understood the point of brushing your teeth before you go to sleep. Night!" Before he can reply I pull myself back into my room and shut the door. Switching off the light, I walk over to my bed and lay down on top of the covers. I start to replay the day in my head, and I suddenly remember that I never read the second text that Kiba sent me. I jump up and go over to where I threw my uniform into the corner. Picking up my pants, I pull my cell phone out of the pocket and flip it open, choosing "Read" when the new message screen comes up.


From: Kiba - Cell
Subj.: Re:Re: Hey
Message: Wouldn't that suck if the guy you met earlier was your roommate? Haha, what are the chances of that, right?


I laugh, and decide not to reply to that message. I stand up and set my phone on the dresser, then return to my bed and lay back down, this time pulling the covers over my body. This sure is going to be one hell of a school year. And to think, it's still only September.

***

Sasuke stepped out of the shower, grabbing his towel off of the rack and using it to wipe down his dripping body. Having a roommate already wasn't working for him. If he were to continue jerking off in the shower he couldn't use his vibrator anymore, or watch his porn. All he could do was, literally, jerk off. And that was not good for emotion control.

When his entire body was dry, Sasuke draped the towel over his head, preventing stray drops of water from his still-wet hair from dampening his body. Plucking his boxers off of the back of the toilet he pulled them on, the rest of his nighttime attire soon following. He pulled on his pajama shirt, deciding on leaving it unbuttoned for the time being, then used the towel to ruffle his hair a bit, drying it slightly more efficiently. When he was satisfied, Sasuke pulled the towel off of his head and hung it back on the rack to dry. Opening the bathroom door, Sasuke stepped out into the hallway. His head turned to the right, and he stared at Naruto's bedroom door. That room had always been empty before. It was so weird, the knowledge that someone he had only met a few hours ago was living with him. The raven shrugged and turned toward his own door. He could ponder his strange situation later.

As Sasuke laid himself down in his bed and pulled the sheets up to his neck, his thoughts turned to his new roommate. Sasuke hadn't exactly made a good impression, and then he had lied on top of it all! But honestly, after what had actually happened... Was he really expected to tell the truth in that situation? Sasuke didn't think so. In his mind, he had every right to lie to that boy.

That boy... Naruto... With hair the color of the sun and perfectly tanned skin to match... Bright blue eyes that clearly showed every emotion imaginable... And he had quite a nice ass, if Sasuke did say so himself. Noticing a stirring sensation in his pants, Sasuke lifted his head up off the pillow and slammed it back down. It didn't cause nearly as much damage as the Uchiha would have liked.

Damnit, Sasuke! he chided himself. You cannot get a stiffie thinking about your obviously very straight roommate! Sasuke sighed, knowing that living with such a little hottie wouldn't prove itself an easy task. What would Naruto do if he ever remembered what had really taken place between the two of them? What would he do if he ever realized that Sasuke had the hots for him? The Uchiha's secret could get out, and he would literally never live that down. He had to befriend the blond; get Naruto to trust him. And, eventually, tell Naruto that he was gay, then drop to his knees and ask that Naruto never tells a soul. He wouldn't beg, because Uchihas just didn't beg, but if Naruto showed signs of considering telling someone, he would come really damn close. And if Naruto chose to blackmail him, so be it. Anything was worth keeping his secret safe.

That reminds me, Sasuke thought suddenly. In all of today's... excitement... Naruto never told me whether or not he was accepting my guidance. Ah, I'll just ask him again in the morning. And with that, the Uchiha fell asleep.

-:-

A/N: Hey guys! I just want to throw this little update out there for those of you who don't watch me on deviantArt. I made a website! spiraling.ucoz.com There you can find a little more information about me, my stories all archived up to date, and some info on how to get in contact with me (if you ever need or want to, for any reason). ALSO, as a special treat for those of you who actually go to check it regularly, I'll be posting previews of stories I'm working on and/or thinking about posting. Right now I have the completely rewritten first chapter of my old story "Yes, Young Master?" posted under the Stories tab. I would absolutely love it if you guys would read that and give me your opinions on what I've done with it. ^^ For whatever reason, I've been working on and thinking about YYM more than my other stories lately, so I really hope you guys like the new version! If so, that'll be the next thing to be posted here on AFF. Otherwise, chapter four of Over-Under is next on my update list.

ALSO I got bored the other night and made a vector Sasuke. It's posted on deviantArt here: http://spiralmonster.deviantart.com/#/d48o4et
I know it's crappy but hey, check it out. ;D I may make a Naruto vector if I get enough comments on Sasuke~

See you guys next time!