Watching

Okay, I’m really glad that I thought to ask all of you about the Uchihacest before actually doing it. Thank you all so much for giving your honest opinions, and for being willing to stick with my story, even if you aren’t a fan of ItaSasu! Anyway, since you were all such good sports about it, and since I really love you all and don’t want to scare anyone off, I’ve decided to tone down what I had originally intended for Itachi. I’m going to do my best so that the way he acts could easily be perceived as a slightly disturbed and overprotective big brother for those of you who don’t like Uchihacest, or as romantic jealousy for those of you who do. It won’t be obvious for either, so it’ll be up to the reader to perceive it as they will.

Thanks again for all of the reviews, you guys are great! Ohh, and as a side note, just because I’m so incredibly happy, I just got my second tattoo, which is Sasuke’s curse seal! I love it so much, and I’ve already gotten compliments on it from people who aren’t even into anime. *sigh*

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto, and am making no profit from this story.

***

I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. I have not been acting like a mushy, lovesick girl. You can stop that train of thought right now, because I’m very male, and I am not going to gush over my new “boyfriend,” or whatever the hell Sasuke is now. …Woah, that sounds weird. Boyfriend? Ew.

But anyway, the pizza thing… I had somethin’ in my eye, alright?

Shut up. You don’t know, you weren’t there. There was lots of… grass and stuff around. I have allergies. Leave me alone.

***

Apparently, being “with” Sasuke had no effect on Naruto’s “Must Impress Sakura” reflex. Much to the dark-haired boy’s annoyance, the object of his affections had spent most of the time since they’d settled down in Sasuke’s bedroom to work on their project using his usual antics in an attempt to capture the girl’s attention. It was grinding on Sasuke’s last nerve, which he made obvious as he slammed his notebook shut the instant Naruto began clinging to the pink-haired girl’s arm.

Both Sakura and Naruto looked up in only mild surprise (after all, such displays of general pissed off-ness weren’t exactly uncommon from the Uchiha), which only turned to real surprise when Sasuke grabbed the blonde by the arm and dragged him to his feet, mumbling something about the restroom before pulling the shocked boy out of the room with him. If Sakura thought it strange that her idol apparently needed Naruto’s help to relieve himself, she didn’t mention it.

Naruto, for his part, only started struggling, his blue eyes widening in panic, when Sasuke did in fact drag him into the bathroom.

“Man, that’s gross! You can pee by yourself, leave me out of it!”

Sasuke made sure to shut and lock the door, then pushed Naruto against the wall with one hand on his chest. The blonde paused in his struggling, blinking owlishly at his rival, trying to decide whether to keep struggling, ask Sasuke what the hell was wrong with him, or just do both.

Sasuke didn’t give him time to make up his mind. He moved close, invading Naruto’s space and forcing him to look at him. He took his chin in his thumb and forefinger and looked him in the eye, murmuring lowly, “It’s me you should be fawning over, not that… girl.”

Naruto grinned cheekily. “You say “girl” like it’s a curse word. Jeez, Sasuke. You’re so gay.”

Sasuke paused at the blonde’s grin, releasing Naruto’s chin and pulling back a little to look at him. “Were you trying to make me jealous?” The very thought both infuriated and aroused him, which he vaguely knew should probably disturb him, as well.

“It’s just so easy…” Naruto smirked and Sasuke kissed him. Probably what the idiot wanted in the first place.

Naruto blinked in surprise before closing his eyes and kissing back, a soft brush of lips that sent shivers down both their spines. Sasuke broke the contact first and Naruto pressed his forehead to the other boy’s shoulder. The simple gesture melted yet another shard of ice in Sasuke’s chest, and he wondered how many more would meet the same fate under Naruto’s attentions. The boy had already changed him more than he knew, even if Sasuke didn’t show the changes in his attitude.

“We should get back,” Naruto murmured, an amused smile lifting the corners of his lips. “Sakura will want to join in on the bathroom party soon.” He lifted his head a little from Sasuke’s shoulder, blue eyes surprisingly happy, and looked up at his rival.

Swallowing to remove the lump in his throat at Naruto’s unintentionally attractive display, Sasuke nodded. “Wouldn’t want to catch girl cooties.”

Naruto laughed. “Only boy ones?”

Sasuke stopped himself before he could say, “Only Naruto ones,” and simply nodded. That comment would have been far too… sweet. Or something else very un-Sasuke. He moved back from Naruto, giving the other boy room to straighten and push himself off of the wall. After straightening Naruto’s hair (not that it had looked much different from its usual chaotic mess of blonde), Sasuke unlocked and opened the door, leaving the bathroom with Naruto close on his heels.

Once back in his room, Sasuke resumed his place sitting on his bed, crossing his legs and pulling his notebook into his lap. Sakura looked decidedly confused, but didn’t ask any questions, so Sasuke didn’t bother answering the questions written all over her face.

Naruto flopped back onto the bed with a sigh and grabbed his notebook and pen, chewing on the end of the pen absently, Sasuke watching in vague interest to see if it would explode all over his face. Meanwhile, Sakura cleared her throat and hesitantly began reiterating what they’d been doing before the strange interruption, and the rest of the afternoon passed in relative normalcy. They went over the questions they’d prepared the night before, each answering in their own way, and wrote the first few paragraphs of the rough drafts for their final reports.

Sakura’s parents arrived to pick her up at promptly six o’clock, and Sasuke’s brother poked his head into the room, making his very first real appearance, to tell them so.

Naruto had to admit that the older Uchiha was attractive, in a feminine sort of way, and he was wondering if they’d have to get Sakura a bucket for all the drool. The man was taller than Sasuke but just as slim, with long, sleek black hair pulled into a ponytail at the back of his neck. He wore a simple black t-shirt and slacks, but they managed to look elegant on his lean frame.

Sasuke nodded to the news of Sakura’s parents’ arrival, and the older boy left the room, but not before giving Naruto a long, calculating look. The door closed with a soft click shortly after, and Naruto was left with a shuddering feeling that he quickly brushed off.

After regaining her wits, Sakura began quickly gathering up her things and putting them in her bag, mumbling a quick ‘thank you’ to Sasuke for the ride over. Sasuke nodded politely and stood as well, offering to walk her out. She declined, but with a hopeful look that clearly said she’d like him to, anyway. Sasuke took her at her word, though, and sat back down next to Naruto on the bed, murmuring a quiet, “See you tomorrow.”

Sakura looked crestfallen, but managed to pull herself together enough for a small wave as she walked to the door, opening it quietly.

“Goodbye, Sakura!” Naruto called, waving enthusiastically. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow!”

A short nod was his only response, and then the door was closed and Naruto realized with a fluttering feeling in his stomach (and not a little bit of surprised horror) that he was alone in Sasuke’s room… with Sasuke. Normally this would have brought to mind thoughts of bloody death, or possible sacrifice for the sake of some demon god, but now the blonde mostly feared for his virginity. Sasuke was eyeing him in a way that told him his fears were not completely unfounded, and he laughed nervously.

“Well… should we keep working, or should I head home?”

Sasuke continued to give him the “I might just eat you” look.

Naruto’s laughter was getting slightly higher in pitch. “Sasuke? You’re kinda starting to freak me out… stop looking at me like--- UWAH!”

The freak had practically tackled him! What the hell?! This wasn’t bedroom football! Was there such a game as bedroom football? If there was, would the football be soft and squishy? And most importantly, why was Sasuke sucking his neck?!

The Uchiha was currently straddling his captive, both hands holding his shoulders down and mouth engaged in leaving a noticeable hickey on the boy’s neck. That was his goal, at least, but Naruto’s thrashing was making it rather difficult.

“Be still.”

“No, you psycho! What are you doing?! You can’t just… oh… mmm… no, wait! Stop it!”

Sasuke had no problem ignoring Naruto for the moment, but a low voice from his now open doorway caused him to pause. “I think it’s time for you to take your friend home, little brother.”

Naruto’s already flushed cheeks deepened to an unnatural shade of red as he glanced over at the doorway. Caught in the act. Well, at least he had been protesting, no matter how ineffective said protests had been.

“Yes, Itachi.” Sasuke obediently climbed off of the blonde, but didn’t look happy about it. He shot his brother the Glare of Death before helping Naruto off of the bed.

“Good. Drive him home. I’ll expect you back for dinner in thirty minutes.”

***

Sasuke pulled up to Naruto’s apartment complex and turned off his car. They sat in silence for a few moments before either of them spoke.

“Can I come inside?” Sasuke finally asked, eyes trained on the building in front of them.

“Don’t you have to be back home for dinner? Your brother said you only had thirty minutes…”

Sasuke chuckled. “I don’t care. I’d like to see where you live.”

The blonde blinked several times, looking over at his companion in surprise. “You would?”

The other boy shrugged, and Naruto grinned. “Sure, then! Come on!” He hopped out of the car and slammed the door shut, then began digging through his pocket for his keys. He pulled them out triumphantly and bounded up the stairs to his second floor apartment, Sasuke following, silent amusement in his eyes.

Naruto was excited about getting to show someone besides Shikamaru around his place until the moment he got his door open and realized just how pathetic his shabby apartment was compared to the mansion in which Sasuke lived. He hastily shut the door again before Sasuke could get a good look inside and turned around to face the other boy, grinning sheepishly.

“Actually, you know, it’s really messy, so you probably wouldn’t want to…”

“Don’t be stupid. Let’s go, I’m thirsty, anyway,” Sasuke insisted, one eyebrow lifting curiously at Naruto’s hesitation.

“But…”

“Naruto.”

“…Fine.” Unable to think of another excuse, Naruto turned back to the door and opened it again, walking inside slowly and hanging his keys on the hook on the wall. Sasuke followed behind him, glancing around as he wiped his feet on the rug.

Naruto kept his eyes down. “Um… do you want me to show you around, or…?”

“Sure.”

With barely concealed reluctance, Naruto led his rival through the entryway and into the small, one room apartment. They entered the living room, which held only a shabby couch and a television on a rickety wooden table. The room was separated from the kitchen by a half-wall, and one could see into the kitchen from where they were standing.

“This is the living room… um… the kitchen’s that way, I’ll get you a drink in a minute…” Naruto took a few more steps, walking past the living room and into the small hallway, which held only two doors, one leading into the bathroom, and the other into his bedroom. “That’s the bathroom,” Naruto said quietly, indicating the door on the left, not bothering to open it. “And this is my room,” he added as he turned the knob on the door to the right.

Naruto’s room was small, but messy in a lived-in sort of way. Naruto was embarrassed by it, but Sasuke found it comforting in a way that none of the places he’d lived had ever been. There was a single bed against one wall, with a window above it. A table by the bed held only an alarm clock and a comic book, and dirty clothes littered the floor.

Naruto kicked the toe of his shoe against the floor. “I would have cleaned if I’d known you were coming…”

“I like it,” Sasuke responded calmly, in a sharp, yet comforting way that left no room for questions. He then turned and walked out of the room, expecting Naruto to follow. “Do you have anything to drink?”

“Oh, right!” Naruto responded after getting over his initial shock. He followed Sasuke out of the room, not bothering to shut the door again behind them, and bounded past the other boy into the kitchen. His nervousness gone, he stood on tiptoes to open a cabinet, pulling out two glasses and setting them on the counter. “What do you want?” he asked as he opened the refrigerator and searched through it. “I’ve got milk… wait, no, expired. I’ve got… water. But it’s cold, and not out of the faucet.”

“Water is fine.”

Naruto nodded and cheerfully poured Sasuke and himself a glass of water, then returned the pitcher to the refrigerator. Sasuke picked up his glass and sauntered into the living room, and Naruto quickly snatched his own glass off of the counter and followed, the liquid spilling over the edge onto his fingers.

Sasuke sat on the couch and looked up at Naruto, obviously expecting him to take a seat beside him. The blonde, not quite wanting to follow Sasuke’s every “order”-- even if said order had been silent-- sat down, but with some distance between the two of them, wiping the stray moisture off of his fingers and onto his jeans. The dark haired boy took a sip from his glass before setting it down on the floor. “Turn on the television?”

“But don’t you have to get home?”

Sasuke shrugged. “I’ve stayed this long, a bit longer couldn’t hurt.”

Naruto shrugged and dug the remote control out from where it had fallen between two couch cushions, then turned on the TV. The flickering light lit up the previously dim room, and Sasuke felt a strange sense of security come over him. He glanced over at his blonde companion, who had been instantly captivated by whatever was on screen, then settled further into the couch, wrapping an arm around the other boy.

Naruto seemed surprised for a moment, his attention briefly flickering away from the television, then he relaxed, leaning against the other boy. Soon his eyes were back on the screen, a small smile on his face.

Sasuke decided that he really did like Naruto’s apartment.

***

End Chapter Seven
Page 7
oOKeairaOo

A/N: I tried to make that one a bit longer for those of you complaining about short chapters. Sorry, but I DO tend to write shorter chapters. ^^; I know that it’s a fault of mine, but I end things where they feel right. I’m worried that this chapter might have sounded forced because I was trying to extend it.

Next chapter you can expect a SasuNaru date (Sasuke shall demand it), more annoyed Itachi, and more Naruto stubbornly attempting to cling to his manliness.

Anyway, review responses:

ky0kichi: Well, I’m making Naruto worried about what others think because he’s been dealing with people’s hatred all his life, so he’s naturally self conscious about it. Not to mention that “coming out of the closet” is a VERY taxing experience for most people, and Naruto’s just not ready to go through it yet. And I’m glad you like my Shikamaru! ^^ I work so hard on him, because I adore him.

Anon: I’m planning to give Naruto’s dad an appearance in this story, but that is WAY into future chapters that I’ve barely sketched out, so who knows? Things could change between now and then, but yes, as of now, I’m hoping to bring him into the story.

yianne_21: Twenteen! That’s great! I can stay a teenager forever! *laughs* Thanks!

Seto’s Darkness: *laughs* Yes, because Naruto didn’t kiss Sasuke, he’s got to go out on a date with him. That will all be next chapter, though. *munches on cookies* Thanks for the great review!

Amanda: Your review was actually one of the ones that helped me decide not to include any REAL Uchihacest. You were very nice about your opinion even though you really don’t like ItaSasu, so I have to thank you for that! Also… you have a butt fetish, too? So do I, it’s incredibly embarrassing to admit, though. I’m sure it will come out in my writing when I eventually do the lemon, though ^^;

houseki: I’d love to talk to you on YIM sometime, but I’m painfully shy ^^; Honestly, I am. Basically, the only way to talk to me outside of reviews is to poke me yourself. But I’d love to hear from you!

dyinstar-elipsis: Hm… maybe homosexual relationships do work like that sometimes. I have limited experiences with male ones (since I’m… well… female), but my girlfriend and I really don’t have a “dominant” between us. And the gay men that I’ve known may have had a more dominant partner in sex, but what really bothers me is one character basically being turned into a woman, which happens in fanfiction a lot. That’s what I really object to, is warping the character to make the relationship basically heterosexual. But yeah… ^^; sorry for the rant, thanks for your review! Hope you enjoyed the chapter ^^

fyredevyl: Eh, it wasn’t that I was upset by the reviews, just that I have a lot going on right now, and I was mostly writing this story as a sort of stress relief, just for fun. I don’t mind getting criticism on my writing; in fact, I welcome it. I’ve actually gotten criticism from several reviewers, and I’m fairly sure that I’ve thanked every one of them personally, and taken what they said into consideration. Criticism helps me improve my writing. ^^; Complaints on my review responses don’t. My whole thing was that getting those complaints even when I’d asked them to stop made writing this cease to be a fun way to relieve stress and become just one big headache. I wouldn’t stop a story over criticism. I would, however, stop a story because I stopped enjoying writing it. My writing won’t be good if I don’t enjoy what I’m doing, which was the only reason I considered stopping.

ANYWAY, now that I got that out of the way, I just have to tell you that I was so excited to get a review from you! You write two stories that I absolutely adore, and to know you’re reading something that I wrote really made my day. Thanks so much for reviewing!

Trekiael: Hm… I’m not quite so sure what’s wrong with a “moaning, flushing, arching Sasuke.” Most people tend to be moaning and flushed during sex, “dominant” or not. And yeah, “Spiral Falling” is a good example of an equal relationship between Sasuke and Naruto. You can probably expect their relationship dynamics to be similar to that in my story. Thanks for your review! ^^

Carrot: Hehe, yes, I am a girl. Aren’t male yaoi writers awesome, though? I’m still searching for a male, heterosexual yaoi fan. That would be amusing. *laughs* I’m glad you like the story so much, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Shiin: Wow… such an amazing review, I don’t even know what to say. As for the car thing… huh, well, mine is a ’95 Saturn (don’t laugh at me), so it might just be that it’s an older model, who knows? Hm… let’s just say that since Naruto didn’t try to open the doors, it doesn’t matter if they were actually locked or not. XD Yep, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. You’re probably right about the Itachi calling thing, so I won’t even get to that. XD I know when to back down.

You really seem to be getting a lot of what I’m trying to get across with their feelings and relationship, which makes me so happy. It’s nice to get such detailed feedback from a reviewer. There are just so many things I could say about all of the feedback you left, but I’m trying to keep this as short as possible, so I’ll just humbly request to have your babies and leave it at that.

And you’re right, ItaSasu is VERY hard to get right. That’s part of the reason I love it so much, I think. It’s plausible, but it’s very… delicate. It can’t just be like any pairing that you can throw together, it has to be well thought out, and if you’re using a canon plot and keeping the characters IN character, it just CAN’T end happily. It’s basically impossible. (^^; I’m such an angst whore.)

GS*: I have to thank you, because you pointed out an error to me. Yes, Sasuke HAD driven Naruto home before, and after I post this chapter and grab some food, I’ll be fixing that mistake. Thanks a lot for pointing it out!

Lady Riana: Yes, Sasuke and Naruto are sort of together at this point. Naruto has accepted the fact that he’s attracted to Sasuke, and isn’t objecting so much to Sasuke’s affections. As for whether or not they’re dating, they sort of discussed that while they ate lunch. That was the point of that whole conversation, to give their relationship a bit of definition. Thanks for the review, I hope this cleared things up!

JustaJester: Heh… I must say your review made me giggle. I’ve had reviews propose to ME before, but never to my brain. My brain is very flattered, but refuses to give an answer until it has a ring on its finger. *winks* Thanks for your review!

QuestofDreams: You have no idea how excited I was to get a review from you. Finally seeing your review is what made me get off my ass and finish this chapter up. You are an AMAZING writer, and I’m constantly checking for an update on Convictions! Just knowing that you’re reading this gives me tons of inspiration. Thanks so much for the compliments on my writing, and I’ll try to keep it up to par. Thanks again! *HUGS*