Watching

Another long wait between updates… sorry, guys. I was moving back into my dorm, had roommate problems, and just… blah. Plus I’ve started my classes for this semester. So… my next update may be slow, as well. I’ve got a summary to write for English Comp., then a critical analysis, not to mention Spanish homework every night and a speech for Oral Com. So… yeah, I’m trying my best, but school has to come first.

Now, since I can understand that some peoples’ complaint with the review responses is that they make the chapter look longer than it actually is, I’ve decided to try putting the review responses at the beginning of the story. This way, if you don’t want to read them you can still skip over to the actual story, and when you get there, you’ll know exactly how long the chapter is. Now, before I start, I just have to say… fifty-one reviews for the last chapter. I adore you all. Sasuke and Naruto plushies with magnets in interesting places for everyone!

::Review responses will come later. I’m exhausted, and I’m just gonna post this now. Might get to the responses tomorrow. Love you all, goodnight!::

Disclaimer: Don’t own it. Never will. Not making money (off of this story or otherwise, dammit *needs a job*).

***

Okay, Itachi is freaking scary. I swear, when I looked up and saw him while Sasuke and I were… er… saying goodbye on his front step, I could swear the guy’s eyes were red and were giving me the I-want-to-stab-you-with-a-pointed-rusty-implement-of-death look. Yes, I got all that from his eyes. No, I’m not crazy. You should see the guy. He wants to eat me. And not in a good way.

And Sasuke goes completely frigid when his brother’s around. We’re talking worse than his usual Ice Princess attitude. I think, when they’re giving each other that evil glare that seems to run in the Uchiha blood, that Sasuke imagines he can shoot laser beams out of his eyes or something. I’m pretty sure he can’t, though, because I’d definitely be fried to a crisp by now if Sasuke had laser beam eyes.

…That would be really awesome, though. Laser beam eyes, not being fried to a crisp.

***

“You’re doing this on purpose!” Naruto whined, tossing the book he was holding to the floor. “I said you’d make me read to old people because of this stupid project, and that’s why you’re making me do it!”

“Think of it as a lesson in keeping your mouth shut, then,” Kakashi responded, leaning back in his chair and never taking his eyes off of his own bright orange book, which definitely wouldn’t be on the list of reading material for the senior citizens. “And, for future reference, it’s probably not best to refer to the elderly as ‘old people,’ especially not with said ‘old people’ within hearing distance.”

“They’re probably deaf, anyway…”

Sakura responded with a scandalized “Naruto!” while internally agreeing with the blonde. Though she had been raised to show the proper amount of respect for her elders, that didn’t mean she wasn’t just as miffed about this part of their community service as her classmate. After all, they were each reading to a separate senior citizen at the retirement home, and that meant she’d be separated from Sasuke.

Meanwhile, the dark-haired object of her thoughts merely snorted at Naruto’s antics, the book he’d brought for that day’s assignment hanging limply from his fingers as he waited for further instruction from Kakashi. The lobby of the retirement home was cold, though he wasn’t about to voice his discomfort, and he’d rather they get on with it so that he could go home. Or, better yet, so that he could drag Naruto off somewhere and… no. Not the sort of thoughts to be having right before going off to some geezer’s room to read to him.

“Can we just get this over with?” he demanded, interrupting the childish argument still going on between Naruto and their silver-haired instructor. How that man had ever managed to become a certified teacher, he’d never know. They’d give a degree to anyone these days, apparently. Surely reading glorified porn in public was frowned upon in most major universities…

Kakashi gave his stoic student a knowing smirk. “I’m glad to see you’re so eager to meet your new elderly friend, Sasuke. Just go up to the front desk and explain that you’re the volunteers for today, and they’ll give you the name and room number of your reading partner. After an hour, meet me back here in the lobby.”

“An HOUR?!”

“Save the enthusiasm for your reading, Naruto.”

***

“The guy fell asleep!” Naruto screeched for most likely the tenth time since he, Sasuke, and Sakura had arrived at Sasuke’s house. Their assignment was, after all, to get to know each other, so they’d taken to doing their homework together at a chosen location. Since Sasuke had not only the biggest house, but also the biggest room, it was generally decided that his house was the best place to use for their sessions. Sasuke never mentioned it, but he didn’t want Sakura in Naruto’s apartment, anyway. It was bad enough that he had to tolerate Shikamaru there. Sakura’s house was out of the question, too. He didn’t want to accidentally stumble over some hidden shrine she’d made to him. That would just be disturbing.

“We heard you the first time, Naruto,” Sakura said crossly, frowning as she lost her place in her history text again. “Besides, it’s not like you wanted to read to him anyway. If he fell asleep, you could have just spent the rest of the time doing whatever you wanted.”

“But it’s the principle of the thing! I drag my saintly ass up to that retirement home and the guy falls asleep while I’m reading to him?! Talk about inconsiderate…”

"Saintly?"

Sasuke steadfastly ignored the both of them, pretending to concentrate on his schoolwork while sliding his bare foot up Naruto’s leg under the table they were seated around.

After a few minutes of what Sasuke had come to recognize as almost friendly banter between the pink-haired girl and Naruto, all three of them jumped at the sound of a car honking outside. Sakura blushed and began gathering her things.

“Sorry, my parents must be in a hurry.” She smiled at them both. “I’ll see you two tomorrow?”

Sasuke nodded, sparing her a brief glance—more than he’d give most others—and Naruto waved enthusiastically. “Bye, Sakura!”

Once she was gone and the door was securely shut, Naruto laughed and reached under the table, pushing Sasuke’s foot away. “Jeez, pervert, you were about to give me a crotch massage with Sakura right there.”

“You were too distracted.”

Naruto grinned, knowing that was Sasuke’s way of saying, “You weren’t paying enough attention to me.” The grin seemed to annoy Sasuke, who frowned, and the blonde smirked at him before climbing onto the table and crawling across it toward the other boy. He watched Sasuke’s eyes widen for a brief moment before he schooled his expression back to its normal cold look.

“You’re going to break my table.”

“Are you calling me fat?”

“Pleasantly plump.” Sasuke emphasized his point by squeezing Naruto’s behind once he was close enough. The other boy smacked his hands away, a faint line appearing between his eyebrows.

“I am in no way plump. I can assure you that my body is a finely toned love machine.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Sasuke kissed him.

The blonde was grinning against his lips, and Sasuke pulled him off of the table and into his lap. Naruto straddled the other boy, proud of the fact that he was slowly becoming a very good kisser, and was learning to tune out the voice in his head still insisting that he wasn’t gay. He would have plenty of time later to reassert his manhood. Right now he was busy.

Two pale hands were on Naruto’s hips, pushing the edges of his shirt up to stroke the skin underneath in slow circles. Naruto responded with a pleased sigh between kisses, and tilted his head back ever so slightly as Sasuke’s lips descended to his jaw, then his neck. How did he know just what to do to make Naruto moan? How did his lips, his tongue, his teeth know every single spot, exactly where to stroke, to nip, to lick? He’d known from the very beginning, from the instant he’d pushed Naruto against that brick wall and first claimed his lips. Was this what it was like to belong to someone? To have someone belong to you? Was this what it was like to be in—

Naruto stopped himself before he could finish that thought. Only girls thought stupid crap like that.

As Naruto’s lust fogged mind was briefly focused on girls and the “stupid crap” they occasionally thought, he never would have imagined that one such girl was on her way back to Sasuke’s room. That she had just twisted the doorknob and stumbled upon the biggest surprise of her life.

Sakura backed out of the room and shut the door quickly, sure that neither boy would notice the soft noise. Shocked green eyes shined with tears, and she hurried back down the hall, away from the scene taking place in her crush’s room. She didn’t worry about leaving the purse that she’d accidentally forgotten before; she just had to get away.

***

“No covering my eyes this time?”

“We’re going to the movies.”

Naruto grinned. “You ruined the surprise, stupid.”

Sasuke had taken advantage of their last remaining day of the weekend, dragging Naruto out on another date. The blonde had reluctantly agreed. A movie felt more… date-ish to him, and he was still uncomfortable with being a “couple” in public. Still, friends went to the movies together. Friends that were too lame to get actual dates, yes, but it wasn’t uncommon.

Sasuke parked at the theater and the blonde bounced out of the car, his nervousness gone with the thought of the snack bar. He chattered nonstop about popcorn and candy, not even noticing as Sasuke payed for his ticket. They entered the theater and Naruto made a beeline for the snack counter, pulling out his wallet and wincing at its contents. Movie food was always expensive; it was some sort of unwritten rule. He didn’t even have enough for a drink.

“Order what you want,” Sasuke said calmly. “You can pay me back,” he added, not wanting Naruto to start his ‘I’m Not a Girl’ rant again.

“Are you sure?” Naruto obviously wanted to accept the offer, blue eyes sweeping over the menu and the candy on display.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t sure. Order before we miss the movie.”

As the blonde finally gave in and began reciting his lengthy order to the employee behind the counter, Sasuke’s attention moved to the group of teenagers that had just gotten in line behind them. He recognized the voices as students from the school he and Naruto attended, and winced inwardly as he caught snippets of their whispered conversation.

“That’s them…”

“…gay…”

“…out in public… sick…”

“…can’t believe… Uchiha with that freak…?”

How had they found out? Sasuke kept his gaze on Naruto, determined to give no sign that he’d heard them. He’d talk to them later, and make certain this didn’t get out. He wasn’t going to have Naruto frightened away after he’d finally managed to get him interested.

“Hey, Uchiha, you and your boyfriend hurry up! Other people are hungry, you know!”

Sasuke’s fists clenched, and he watched as Naruto froze, his shoulders tensing. The blonde slowly turned around, his blue eyes wide.

“Naruto—“

Sasuke didn’t get to finish his sentence.

“I want to go home, Sasuke.”

“…Okay.”

***

End Chapter Nine
Page 5
oOKeairaOo

Next chapter? A day at school when everyone knows their secret.