For: smiles1777

[sne_mod2]

From: princess_emmi
Title: Don't Go
Rating: R
Summary: Sometimes it's hard to really start a life separate from everything you've grown up knowing, and everything that you've come to realize that you wanted-- which is why Naruto prefers not to.
Warnings:Emotionally stunted boys, frotting, mentions of sexual situations and foul language.
A/N: This fic was a lot of fun to write! I really hope that smiles1777 enjoys it and that I got as much of what they wanted into it as possible! ♥ I apologize if it reads a little rushed, I just wanted to make sure that I got it in on time and still gave you at least as much as you deserved!
Mod note: Reminder for the author/artist of this submission, please do not reply to comments signed in, if you want to reply anon commenting is enabled.



Sometimes it was hard to figure out why he'd decided to be an exchange student. It wasn't that his grades were particularly high (in fact, he'd had to have help to study for every single one of his tests to date) or that he really cared about traveling. It was probably more about the fact that he really wanted to know what it was like in other parts of the world. What life would be like away from the stresses of the city he'd always lived in. What it would be without all of those people who'd been around him when he'd been a real trouble maker.

College was supposed to be your chance to make a fresh start, right?

… Well, if you could count a city about two hours away from where you lived to be another part of the world. Or if that could really count you as an exchange student. Or if you could count making a new start as living with the person that you'd spent almost your entire childhood with.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't particularly care about anything like that. Mostly he cared about the fact that he felt pretty awesome all the way away from everything and completely on his own. Almost on his own. Sort of... not really on his own. He was still awesome, it didn't matter.

He was as much on your own as it was possible to be when you lived in a dorm with three other people. At least three other people, anyways. There were usually at least a half a dozen people in the small dorm that he shared with three other guys. If he were completely honest, he'd have admitted that he'd expected there would be more chicks. Didn't chicks love college? Not that it was something that he'd really needed to figure out anymore. Not now after... well, everything.

Unfortunately, though, the most he got to see any of the pretty girls he'd been looking forward to meeting at school was when he was in class or at the study groups he'd been dragged along to. The girls made it worth it. Not that he really got much studying done. He just liked to look and there wasn't any harm in that, right? Well, he could think that there was one person who would disagree with him. Silently, but who would definitely be giving him dirty looks all day long. Like he did through the study groups.

Over all, Naruto was pretty sure that college life suited him. He managed to keep his head above water (just barely) where it came to his grades, and he worked a pretty decent part time job just off campus. His life had been going to pretty well, too, if he did say so himself. It had been a bit of a roller coaster at first, but he'd managed.

That was even the way that he thought about life in general. That as long as you could manage through the hardest parts... there would always be something that would come to you that would be more than worth the frustration and pain of growing up. It was, in his slightly biased opinion, the best way to live your life. It sure had worked for him just fine.

He'd even managed something that he would have never imagined in any moment of his life, and that was that he'd grown especially close to someone. Through his entire life, he'd struggled to make as many friends as he could. Collect as many of them around him so that he could build a strong family of people that would love him.

Most of the time people said that you couldn't pick your family and that you were stuck with whoever you were stuck with, but it was going to be different for him, because he was different than most people. He was going to be able to choose his family, because that was what he wanted to do. When you weren't born with a family to take care of you, you just did what you could.

If he were completely honest with himself, he'd have said that he thought that he was luckier than a lot of people who were born into families, because he knew that there would always be someone there to love him and protect him and who he could count on when he really needed it. People who would let him into their lives to love and care for them with everything that he was.

There had been someone who was different from the other people, though. Someone who had always stood out and had been a driving force in nearly everything that he'd done through his life.

Sasuke Uchiha.

Genius extraordinaire. The bane of his existence and half of the time the person that made life work. For some reason he was the babe magnet between the two of them. Though Naruto thought that it was only because chicks seemed to dig the bad boy with family issues kind of guy, and Naruto was more of the “let's go out and have a great time/slice of life” kind of guy. He preferred himself that way, too.

He also preferred Sasuke the way that he was in private, too. The guy that actually knew how to smile (even if it was a little scary sometimes, since it usually meant something bad was about to happen to Naruto) and who could occasionally crack a joke. Even if it was usually a sarcastic joke and at Naruto's expense, none the less.

Really thinking about it, Naruto wasn't sure what had drawn his attention to Sasuke in the first place. He thought it might have boiled down to the first time they'd met back in grade school when Naruto had tried to copy off of Sasuke during one of their spelling tests and they'd been caught by the teacher and both of them had been punished. Their punishment had been to clean up the garbage around the school grounds and ironically, that was the first time Naruto had ever gotten into a fist fight.

Sasuke had pinned him to the ground too, that first time and Naruto remembered trying to spit in his eye to get him off of him. He'd refused to admit defeat, anyways, and they'd remained like that for as long as they could, until they'd heard Sasuke's mother calling for him.

It had only taken a second for Sasuke to scramble away from Naruto, too, and to run in the direction of his mother's voice with only one second halfway around the play ground where he'd turned back and shot Naruto a dirty look.

Who said that it was Naruto's fault that he'd assumed that the encounter made them friends and rivals? It seemed like the only logical explanation to him, anyways.

After that it seemed more like they were inseparable, Naruto spending more and more time with the Uchiha family than he had at his own house. Most of that time secret, since they'd found a way for him to sneak into Sasuke's room after dinner when his friend was supposed to have been doing his homework.

Sasuke had been the reason for so much in Naruto's life. The reason that he'd realized that he was able to find friends anywhere, the reason that he'd finally learned to succeed in class and the reason that he believed that it was possible to absolutely feel for anyone, regardless of gender.

The first time it had happened it had practically been an accident. In Naruto's opinion, anyways. They'd been arguing about something (that was the only thing Naruto couldn't remember anymore, the thing that had been so important that Sasuke's cheeks had tinted pink in anger and even the tips of his ears had gotten red) and Naruto had been so angry, so against Sasuke's side of the argument, that his fingers had itched with the want to hit his friend, regardless of the consequences. He was sure, one hundred percent sure that his intention had been to hit Sasuke when he'd lifted his hand. Even when it came up to fist in Sasuke's shirt, even when he'd shoved Sasuke against the wall.

It only occurred to him that his intentions had changed when his lips were already crushed against the other boy's, their bodies pressed together.

That had been the day they'd graduated from high school. The day that was supposed to have been one of the best in their whole lives, and instead it had become something else. Naruto had been angry because Sasuke was going off to some prestigious school, somewhere far, far away from where he'd been accepted, and he had been willing to find any excuse to argue with him.

The only thing that had surprised him more than his own behaviour on that day, had been the way Sasuke's lips had moved against his, the way that hands a little smaller than his own had tangled in his hair tight enough to force some of the strands away. It had hurt, had been awkward and uncomfortable, and they'd barely been concealed by some fortunate bush and the corner of the gymnasium wall, and the kiss had only lasted for a moment and Sasuke's lips had been chapped and hard and they'd pressed back with just as much pressure and there was none of the softness that he'd experienced with any of the girls kissed and he was pretty sure that Sasuke had bit his lip a little and--

But it had been the best thing that had happened to him since that one detention early in grade school that had brought them together. Never mind how heated and-- just totally strange and tight it had made him feel.

When they'd broken apart, Sasuke's cheeks had darkened considerably and he had, in fact, punched Naruto hard in the face.

He'd had a black eye for more than a week and the bastard hadn't even apologized.

Whether it was good for them or not never came into question. It became common practice that they'd find themselves tangled together in one or the others bedroom, random closets, empty rooms in the school buildings or the restroom of the movie theatre or restaurant that they were attending currently. It didn't seem to matter to them.

At the time the only thing that mattered to Naruto was the fact that Sasuke didn't look at anyone else the way that he looked at Naruto. With that hungry stare that made him know that he was wanted. Wanted in a way that he'd never been wanted before. The way Sasuke's lips felt slanted against his or the coolness of his fingers as they'd wrapped around his length the first time and the dozens of times that it had kept happening after that.

The biggest surprise, though, had come the first day Naruto had stepped foot into his college dorm room. He'd refused to attend the party that Sakura and Ino had planned for Sasuke. He hadn't wanted to go to any kind of going away party, and he'd turned off his phone so that he wouldn't have to answer any of Sakura's calls asking over and over again where he was and why he hadn't shown up to his best friend's going away party.

It was stupid, really. Each time that he thought about Sasuke leaving to go away for college he felt sick. He'd rather have sat in his own room and plotted out exactly what he was going to once he went away for his own college. Even if he'd spent most of his time staring at a group photo that had included Sasuke... well, that was just because he had a short attention span. Or something like that. It wasn't because he was feeling anything girly. Just... he was going to miss his friend and he wasn't willing to go and see him off. If Sasuke wanted to see him, well, he'd come to see him himself.

He wasn't going to be the bigger man. He didn't care about anything like that, not now, not when they had a good thing. If he was going to do anything... well, it would be to be angry at Sasuke. The stupid bastard had decided to go to some school even further away than the one that Naruto had chosen. He always had to prove that he was better than anyone, didn't he? Just had to prove that he could get into a school that Naruto couldn't even have applied to. Show that he was totally and perfectly capable of living without what they'd built up between the two of them through the summer-- not that Naruto really even knew what that was.

He didn't want to, either. Didn't want to know what they had between them or why it was driving him crazy that Sasuke didn't even have the decency to tell him what he was supposed to be feeling about them. Or what it was that they were. He preferred to think of the term best friends with benefits, but it seemed weird for two guys to be like that. He assumed that was why they didn't tell anyone, either.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of the whole thing. He wasn't ashamed of anything that he did-- it was just that he didn't know what this was. Or what it was going to be before Sasuke left. It didn't matter, either, because he was sure if anyone knew about it, they'd just find some kind of way to assume that he'd forced Sasuke into it (as if anyone could have) and that he'd ruined Sasuke for life. Or something.

Usually things had this way of becoming his fault. Naruto was used to it, really.

When it came time for him to head off to his own college, he'd packed up nearly his own room and had waved goodbye to the foster parents who'd taken care of him for the last three years of his life and had left without looking back. It really was time for him to make his own life. Get good-- well, maybe not good, but at least passing grades in all of his classes, snag a great paying job that required as little actual work as possible but that would make him instantly popular with everyone ever, and steal the best looking girl for himself.

He'd made his own family for real, then. Naruto was absolutely sure of it. Aside from letters or e-mails, he was sure that Sasuke wasn't going to be contacting him and that there weren't going to be any visits. It would have looked way too suspicious, and he doubted that Sasuke would have been willing to risk it.

Which was why when he stepped into his assigned dorm room and had seen a strangely familiar back to him folding clothes into the top drawer of the dresser, Naruto's heart had pretty much stopped. He'd stood there like an idiot for about three minutes before finally dropping his heavy duffel bag on the ground and stepping into the room.

“What are you doing here?”

That had been the best that he could manage. Even without turning around, he knew that was Sasuke. He recognized the ridiculousness of his hair and the way it stuck out regardless of what he did with it. He recognized the shape of his back and bottom, his fingers had slid against the skin often enough when it had been both bare and clothed.

The stir of emotion inside him frustrated him and he didn't know which emotion he was even supposed to be paying attention to, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He'd been miserable, absolutely, horribly miserable for the last week because he'd thought that Sasuke had completely left him. He'd hated everything about the asshole standing in front of him right now and here he was. Standing there and folding his laundry like he hadn't just tried to make Naruto's life empty and stupid.

What an asshole.

Without turning around, Naruto could still heard the smirk on his friend's face and anger sparked and overtook much of the emotion that he was feeling in that moment.

“Answer me!” This time his voice was louder and he knew there was no way that Sasuke hadn't heard him.

“I'm unpacking.” Completely nonchalant.

Stepping forward, Naruto scowled at the back of the other boy's head, shaking his head. Leave it to Sasuke to know exactly what to say to drive him absolutely crazy.

“What are you doing here?” he said, this time his voice shaking just slightly. He didn't know why, really, but he chalked it up to anger. Anything else was too messy and confusing and stupid.

Sasuke simply remained silent, his hands still working steadily as he organized his clothes perfectly and Naruto couldn't stand it another second. It was only three more steps before he could reach him and he grabbed Sasuke by the arm and forced him to turn, crushing their bodies together as he kissed him hard on the mouth anger and relief coursing through him as he kissed the other with enough force to bruise his lips.

It took a minute to realize that those lips were curved into a smirk against his even as Sasuke kissed him back and that now-familiar hand was sliding against his length through his pants and against his better judgement he pulled back and away from the kiss breathing hard and glancing towards the open door of their room.

“I go here,” came the cool voice as Naruto continued to catch his breath. “You'd know that if you'd bothered to attend my party, idiot.”

Shame washed over Naruto, but it wasn't enough to compete with the other conflicting emotions. He wiped his sweaty palms against his jeans and opened his mouth to speak when he heard a soft voice behind him and saw the almost teasing expression leave Sasuke's face as he focused on the person standing in the doorway.

“You Father is on the way up with your last bag and Itachi asked me to tell you that he'd meet you here to take you out for your celebratory dinner,” came Mikoto's voice and Naruto turned to face her, his ears warming in time with his cheeks as she smiled at him.

“It's nice to see you again, Naruto. I didn't know you were going here.”

Naruto's mouth opened and closed several times in an attempt to speak, but the older woman just continued to smile at him as she turned away and headed out the bedroom door, closing it behind her with a wave.

Silence fell between them before Sasuke finally spoke.

“She didn't see.”

Naruto just nodded and stepped back until his back was against the door and he was breathing deeply, trying to get himself under control. He didn't stop glaring at Sasuke, though, as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“You didn't think it might be nice to tell me that you were planning to come here all along?” he said with a scowl.

Sasuke simply shrugged and closed the drawer now full of his clothes with a smirk. “I guessed that you'd figure it out since most of my room wasn't packed up that much. I guess once again I over estimated your ability to use your head.”

The annoyed expression that Sasuke had probably expected to cross Naruto's face was fast in coming at the insult, and he shook his head. “It's not my fault if you think I'm some girl who's going to make sure I know exactly what you're taking to school with you, asswipe!”

That infuriating smirk remained on Sasuke's face as he stepped closer to Naruto. Shaking his head a little Naruto refused to back down, refused to step away from Sasuke. He wasn't going to let the other get the best of him just because he'd caught him off guard once. He was still pissed off, too. He wasn't okay with Sasuke trying to make a fool out of him. He wasn't stupid, he wasn't someone who deserved to be treated like he was stupid.

It was only a minute before Sasuke was pressed against him and Naruto could feel his own heartbeat all the way up to his head. It was almost dizzying how fast it was beating as Sasuke's breath puffed against his. He wasn't going to let him get the best of him. The only reason he was lowering his head was because he was determined to get the upper hand. To show that he was just as strong as Sasuke.

He was pretty sure that was why he shifted to force Sasuke against the door, too. The reason that he was pressing their bodies together impossibly tight. Why he was panting against his friend's lips as they moved together, soft pants and groans filling the room around them as though they'd been away from each other for too long.

This was always the best, when they moved together and nothing else in the world mattered. Not that they were still dressed, not that Naruto was going to dirty the only clean pair of jeans that he had with him. Nothing else but the feel of each other and the sound of Sasuke as his back slammed against the door as Naruto's movements grew more insistent. The taste of Sasuke's jaw and throat as Naruto's lips and tongue slid against it, tasting sweat and that one thing that was just the essence of Sasuke. It was intoxicating and he wanted more-- always more-- of it and he could hardly breathe, even as Sasuke's hands were clutching hard at his shirt, nails scraping against skin and pinching it lightly as he gripped the thin fabric that covered him. Naruto always made sure to be especially careful when he bit at Sasuke's throat and even when he felt Sasuke's hips shift up to press their groins together.

The jeans always made the friction between them all that much more intense. He could hardly breathe with how good and perfect and... good it felt, and Sasuke always knew exactly just that sound to make to throw Naruto over the edge. Probably from practice.

After that came the moment of absolute perfection when there was not a single sound of breathing in the room, just a tense silence as they came one after another. The moment of pure post-orgasmic bliss was something that Naruto enjoyed nearly as much as the sex or touching or-- or whatever they were doing itself. He loved that feel of having Sasuke breathing slow and heavy against him, arms resting lightly against him as he used the door for leverage to hold himself up.

It was almost funny how often they ended up in this same position, one or the other pressed against the door, jeans dirtied, hair mussed and faces red from the exertion.

Well, it was funny until the slight awkwardness settled between them and Naruto was pushed back and away from Sasuke and the silence between them was less than comfortable.

Today was going to be different, though. Naruto was going to tell Sasuke that he wanted it to be different. They were--- fuck, they were really going to be living in this little room together, weren't they? That gave Naruto a free pass to do whatever he wanted with Sasuke, didn't it? They'd never actually... slept together. He wondered if he'd like something like that. He'd watched Sasuke sleep before, of course, but never curled up beside him and Naruto thought that might be pretty nice.

Before his friend had the chance to push him away, Naruto inhaled the scent of him, enjoying how their scents mingled (Sasuke had long since become used to the fact that Naruto sniffed him, he was sure. He'd been doing it since they were children and it was nearly a subconscious thing now and it always reminded him that he was with people that he recognized), and pulled away, fingers fumbling with the fastening of his own pants, determined to spend as little time in the messy fabric as he had to. He tried to make it sexy, though, pushing down his jeans and moving to take a step towards his duffel bag. He was hoping that maybe Sasuke would actually say something. Maybe tell him how good he looked or comment on how buff he'd gotten over the summer. He knew he looked good, but it couldn't hurt to hear it from his friend, could it?

Unfortunately, he tripped over the pants in the process and nearly fell over pretty much effectively ruining his chances.

It didn't matter, though, he was pretty sure he'd saved himself by grinning widely at Sasuke who looked almost mildly amused by the whole thing. Another moment and he had changed into a clean pair of boxers and was standing in the middle of the room in just those and the socks he'd already been wearing.

“What do you want to do now?” He asked, still grinning widely. His mood was much improved now, probably due to the fact that he'd been able to have his first proper orgasm in weeks, and he wanted to continue to feel better.

Sasuke didn't say anything and it took a moment for a frown to take the spot of that smile on Naruto's face. He crossed his arms a little and lifted a brow at Sasuke expectantly. “Well? I asked a question, dickwad.”

Another minute passed before Sasuke finally spoke.

“I have to get ready for dinner with my brother,” came the cool response and Naruto thought that he could have screamed with the frustration of it. This was what always happened. Sasuke would always instigate... something, whatever they were doing, and he sure seemed to like it enough, but every time that Naruto tried to get him to actually participate in anything after ward... he just ran away from it and he didn't know why.

But he was sure going to find out. He was sick and tired of never knowing what was going on anymore. They were a team, weren't they? A coupl-- no, not a couple. He stopped that thought as soon as it cropped up on him and he could practically feel the flush on his face as he shook his head. He wasn't some girl who was going to get caught up in the moment. He liked whatever happened between Sasuke and him and sure he definitely liked Sasuke as more than just... whatever he felt for his other friends.

He didn't think that meant that he--

As Sasuke stepped past him and grabbed for his towel before turning on his heel and starting towards the bathroom, Naruto stood absolutely still and in place. That was it exactly, wasn't it? He had some kind of romantic, gooey gross feelings for his best friend, didn't he?

The first thing that he felt when that realization dawned on him was panic. He was a guy, after all, and he didn't want to have some kind of freaky feelings for Sasuke who, as far as Naruto knew, had the emotional range of a rock. He didn't want to have those kinds of feelings for any guy. He wasn't gay or whatever. He just... really liked pressing Sasuke against the wall and--

Okay, so maybe he was a tiny bit of something that wasn't totally heterosexual, but that didn't mean that he wanted or was ready for some kind of relationship with Sasuke. Or with anyone. He wanted to sow his wild oats, didn't he?

By the time that Sasuke had come out of the shower, his hair dried and styled and a towel wrapped around his waist, Naruto had made his way onto his bed and was sitting there with the same expression as the one that had been on his face when Sasuke had left for the shower, still dressed just in boxers, a t-shirt and socks. Just sitting there, he let his eyes follow Sasuke's movements as he dressed in something that was fancier than anything that Naruto owned (but that he was sure Sasuke would insist was barely above casual) and bit down on his own lip.

It was probably Sasuke's fault, really. Why else would he be feeling these things that weren't... his to feel? Why else would he be so confused?

-- okay, so maybe he spent more than a little bit of his life being confused, but still. That didn't mean anything. He didn't want to be confused right now.

“What's wrong with you, idiot? You have your mouth open like you're waiting for flies to land on it,” Sasuke commented as he turned his back to Naruto and reached for a pair of shoes.

That got Naruto's attention and he scowled at the other, crossing his arms again as he made a face at his friend's back.

“You're a douche,” he mumbled, shaking his head. “I'm waiting for you to leave so that I can invite all the chicks on the floor up to our room for a party.”

He was lying, of course. He'd just said the first thing that had popped into his head (and unfortunate habit of his, even on the best of days) and he didn't regret it. Not even when Sasuke stiffened and turned around to face Naruto, his expression hard to read. Instead he just continued with the lie. He didn't want Sasuke to know that he was lying. Had to make it convincing.

“I'd invite you, but you're going out for dinner, right? You'd probably make the party boring, anyways, so it would be a waste of time.”

There was a spark of satisfaction in Naruto at the expression on Sasuke's face, and he couldn't help but to wear the smirk that had slid off of his roommate's face. He was doing good. This was how he would make those feelings for Sasuke go away, right?

He was positive that he wanted those feelings gone. Well, he was pretty sure that he did. Or at least a little bit sure that he did.

All right, so he didn't know what he wanted, but he liked that he was getting a legitimate response out of Sasuke.

Until Sasuke relaxed a little and shrugged one shoulder in that way that usually made Naruto crazy at the arrogance of it. “Whatever you want, brainless,” came the response that Naruto hadn't been anticipating. “I'll be late, anyways. I've got a date planned after the dinner. She's a pretty girl and I wouldn't want to bring her back here after. I'm sure you'll have the room ruined by then anyways.”

Something hot and painful twisted in Naruto's gut as he fought to push it down. He felt suddenly sick and the feeling wasn't going away even when he tried to smile, knowing that it was his job to smack Sasuke on the back and tell him way to go and that he hoped that he got laid.

It didn't go away even as he stood from his bed and stepped towards the other boy. In fact it just got worse. Hotter and tighter and he was sure that if he wasn't careful, he was going to be sick all down the front of Sasuke's expensive shirt. It would have served him right, too, going out on a date with some girl.

“Oh? A date?”

His voice was small and distant even to his own ears and he tried his best to act nonchalant. It wasn't really working out. His hands were balled into fists at his side and he was shaking just slightly.

Who did Sasuke think he was? Why would he think that it was all right to go out with some chick when Naruto was sitting in this room waiting for him, better and hotter and way more sexy than any girl that he could have waiting for him wherever he was going to be meeting her.

Who went out for a date after dinner, anyways? It wasn't the normal way things worked, which meant that she was obviously some kind of deviant or a freak or something. He was one hundred percent sure of it.

Or ten percent sure. Either way, he already hated her and now Sasuke was saying something and he couldn't even hear him over the loud thumping of his own heart in his ears.

Who was this chick to just jump into their lives and take away the one person he'd saved just for himself? So what if he wasn't gay and didn't want to have gooey feelings for Sasuke that would make him feel jealous and angry and possessive? That didn't mean that he didn't feel those things anyways. Since when was Naruto capable of separating his emotions from his actions?

Even he would have said that it wasn't something that he'd ever been able to do.

Without realizing what he was doing, his fingers were closed around Sasuke's wrists and they were standing there in silence, Sasuke just staring at him, his face completely impassive. Naruto hated it when the other looked at him that way. He couldn't tell what he was thinking.

“What are you doing?” came the cold words Naruto was waiting for.

Without flinching, Naruto took one step closer to Sasuke, leaving only about a metre between them. “Don't.”

“Don't what?”

“Don't go.”

He wasn't begging. If anyone had asked him, he would have said that he was absolutely not begging Sasuke. He was just offering him a different option. Or something like that, anyways.

“I have an appointment to keep.”

An appointment? Well that sounded a whole lot better than a date, but it still wasn't something that Naruto wanted to leave as Sasuke's choice.

“Stay here. With me, I mean.”

“Why?”

This time the silence that stretched between them was longer and more awkward and Naruto didn't even notice it. He was too busy searching his brain for the right words to say. Sasuke didn't look impassive anymore. He could see something-- something different in his eyes, and he liked that. He liked that Sasuke was obviously feeling something, even if it was barely something. Even if it wasn't something good. Anything was better than nothing.

“I'm not a girl.”

That was about the best explanation that he could get out of himself and Sasuke raised a brow and looked at him as though he were clearly being ridiculous.

“I'm aware. I have a head on my shoulders, dumbass. Are you just realizing this right now? Because that's pretty sad, even for you.”

Brows drawing together, Naruto shook his head, not exactly sure why Sasuke wasn't understanding what he was saying. He'd been perfectly clear. He was pretty sure he'd been. Obviously Sasuke was the one being stupid here, if he couldn't understand what Naruto was trying to say.

Trying to think of a better way of saying it, Naruto raised his gaze until he caught Sasuke's glance completely. He didn't want the other to look away from him. Not when he was obviously being serious. Though if he were to look back on the whole thing, he would have probably wished that he'd been wearing something, anything, less ridiculous.

“I have gooey feelings.”

Sasuke just stared at him, his lip quirking up just a little. Like he thought that Naruto was being ridiculous or stupid or something, and the the thought of that annoyed Naruto.

“Oh?”

Yep, Naruto was definitely annoyed by this point.

“For you. I have gooey feelings for you, but I'm not a girl.”

This time Sasuke stepped towards him just a little, only a few centimetres between them now, and their breath mingled slightly.

“You have feelings for me?” came the incredulous response. Sasuke didn't look nearly as surprised as he sounded, but Naruto nodded anyways. “What about your party of girls?”

“Changed my mind,” he said instinctively. “I didn't want to have to put on any pants.”

Sasuke shook his head and Naruto could feel that gaze focused more intently on him. “Gooey feelings?”

“I don't want you to go,” Naruto said simply. “I want you to stay. With me. Until the gooey feelings go away.”

This time Sasuke did smirk and shake his head and Naruto took that as a good thing as he leaned in and covered his friend's lips with his own, kissing him hard on the mouth. When they pulled back, Sasuke still looked way too pleased with himself as he licked his lips but didn't step away from Naruto.

“Have I told you lately how stupid you are? You really have to work on your vocabulary.”

Naruto took slight offense to that, but just made a face at the other boy and shook his head. “I'm way smarter than you are,” he insisted.

Sasuke simply leaned into his touch again and shrugged. “Then you're delusional as well. Just in case, I should probably keep my distance from you and your gooey feelings. Wouldn't want to get infected by the sheer stupidity.”

Staring at the other, Naruto blinked a few times. He kind of thought that Sasuke was making a joke that wasn't entirely mean (well it was still kind of mean, but you couldn't really ask for anything else), but he wasn't sure. Instead he opted for just kissing him on the mouth. When all else failed and the world ceased to make sense... kissing him was a good way to make him stop talking.

It ended up turning out, too, that it was a good way to make him stop trying to leave.