The Things That Don't Match

Chapter 7



Three days after Naruto called, Sasuke paid Shikamaru a visit. Shikamaru figured it was because Sasuke didn’t want to deal with everyone else too. Right after he had told everyone that Naruto called he had gotten a lot of visitors. He had been forced to recite almost verbatim what was said in their conversation repeatedly. Shikamaru could have told everyone that decided to stay overnight in hopes of another call that there wouldn’t be one that soon and he did but no one listened to him. He had kicked them out after two days when his patience ran out. Finding Sasuke at his doorway now was unpleasant but not really surprising. Shika sighed and let the man in.



“What do you want?” he asked, closing the door.



“I heard he called,” Sasuke said before sitting on the leather couch.



Shikamaru’s eye twitched in annoyance, Sasuke was sitting on his couch to rub in a subtle barb that he was being a bad host by not offering him a seat and refreshments, not that Shikamaru would have anyway- a guest would need to be welcome for him to do that.



Shikamaru settled into the one-seater diagonal to the couch before responding, “Yes he did, but you already knew that. What do you want?”



Sasuke shifted on the couch, “Do you think I’m stupid, do you think I’ve never seen you watching him?”



Shikamaru blinked, “Do I think you’re stupid? No, I think you’re a cruel, indecisive brat. Do you think I care if you’ve seen me watching him? He’s my best friend.”



Sasuke huffed out a breath of laughter and leaned toward him, “Best friend? You like lying to yourself, don’t you? I know you’re in love with him, I always have.”



“Then that would make one of us, wouldn’t it?” Shikamaru asked mildly, a half-smile playing at his lips.



Sasuke shot off the couch, a look of pure rage on his face, “I fucking loved him!”



Shikamaru laughed, “No you didn’t. You loved the idea of him. You loved having someone do everything you wanted, making sacrifices for you no matter what. What you didn’t do is love Naruto, you resented him. Who’s lying to themselves now?”



Sasuke charged towards him, face a snarl of anger and tried to punch him. Shikamaru sidestepped and backhanded him, “Naruto has everything you want so you started dating him to figure out why he had it and how to get it.”



Sasuke moved with the blow and sidekicked him, Shikamaru grunted and crouched before spinning on the ground and sweeping Sasuke’s legs out from under him.

“You wanted to know why he had such a supportive family, why he was so good at things, why he had friends when you found him so annoying. You wondered why your own family wasn’t like his, why you couldn’t be treated like he was.”



“That’s not true!” Sasuke screamed.



Sasuke got back up again and punched at him again, Shikamaru dodged the first and ran right into the second, he hissed as the fist hit his eye. Shikamaru felt annoyance surge through him and decided to finish this. He roundhouse kicked Sasuke into the wall and punched him in his solar plexus. Sasuke clutched his middle and gasped, dry heaving, before Shikamaru pushed him up the wall by the neck.



“Then when you started going out with him you found that you liked him, but you weren’t suppose to like him so you kept him at a distance. Whenever he got too close you broke up with him. You figured that because you didn’t love him he couldn’t hurt you and that you’d keep all the power in the relationship. Only problem with that was when you found out everything you wanted to know, when he told you his past, you couldn’t let him go. You couldn’t bring yourself to love him but you couldn’t set him free so he made that decision himself. You didn’t want to give him a chance but you didn’t want to let anyone else either.”



There was silence for a moment as they both caught their breaths before Shikamaru leaned close to Sasuke and whispered in his ear, “Am I wrong, Sasuke?”



Sasuke shook his head, eyes defiant, and Shikamaru stroked that glossy, black hair, “Hmm? Tell me, Sasuke.”



Sasuke didn’t say anything and Shikamaru let go and pushed away from the wall in disgust, “You can’t tell me no because I’m right.”



Sasuke slid down the wall and looked away.



Shikamaru nearly shook him again, “You don’t think he deserves that much? For you to acknowledge it?” This is why he didn’t like Sasuke, because Sasuke only thought about himself, it was never about the person he was hurting and yet he still managed to keep Naruto for so long easily. Still Naruto was gone because of him.



“Forgive me.”



Shikamaru shook his head, “That’s not for me to do but I will say one thing, your pain is nothing compared to his. Do you know how much you hurt him, how often you hurt him? You gouged a hole in his heart, that he left you or didn’t come back to you again says just how much you pushed him. We both know that. You thought you’d have him forever, that he’d always come back. And now he’s God knows where because of you. Get out of my apartment, Sasuke, just get out.”



“I loved him,” Sasuke whispered as he got up.



Shikamaru stared at him, “No you didn’t. You don’t treat the people you love like that. I actually feel sorry for you. You’re a sad, messed up kid.”



Shikamaru went to the kitchen and pulled out two ice packs before tossing one to Sasuke, “You don’t deserve it but here.”



Sasuke picked up the icepack and glared at him before slamming the door as he left.



A/N: Over 2000 hits. Yay! Sorry about the lateness, internet crapped out. You'll get the next chapter soon.