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He gave another cursory glance at his notebook before sighing – it won’t do, it absolutely won’t do, he thought. He flipped the numerous pages, filled with words and drawings, filled with an entire world that Sasuke had created. This fictitious universe revolved around two characters, and he just didn’t know what to do with them anymore. They existed in a magical world where they both transformed into wolves at will, and endlessly fought to ascertain their respective power. But the thing is, neither of them ever won – their strength was completely equal, and it frustrated them more than they could express.
Still, they kept fighting. And Sasuke started wondering what the point of his story was. Could they just keep fighting forever? Why did they even start fighting in the first place? Oh fuck – this was making him think too much.
He fell on his bed, gazing at the navy ceiling of his bedroom. He heaved a sigh, not willing to reflect on this topic any longer. Also, he had this exam tomorrow, and he couldn’t let him – he couldn’t fail, was the point. A good night's sleep was what Sasuke needed, and he swiftly turned off the lights.
“You got an A, Sas’ke?” He said in a smirk, leaning down on the Uchiha’s table. “I got an A+.”
And with that, he got up and left – Hinata and Kiba following him. Sasuke had completely forgotten about last week’s philosophy exam – what did he even care about this exam? Good for Naruto if he could philosophize! Sasuke had other preoccupations in mind, such as – nailing today’s history exam. Because it was important, to know about history and all, and to finally get a fucking A+ this time, so that – he sighed. When did that even started?
“Sas’, you’re coming to eat with us or?”
Sasuke turned towards the voice – Suigetsu’s. He nodded and followed his friend, walking towards the schoolyard. The weather was mild, and fading pink colors could still be glimpsed at on a few cherry trees. Sasuke took a seat on the grass, meeting with Juugo and Karin who were already eating lunch.
“So you don’t even wait for us, huh?” Suigetsu exclaimed.
“You always take so long – and I was so hungry…” Karin pouted.
Since these two were dating, their relationship had kind of evolved – and the atmosphere was finally peaceful within the group. Sasuke didn’t complain about it, nor did he regret Karin’s shallow infatuation with him. He took out his lunch from his backpack, and started eating while listening to his friends.
“Oh, you got a B on that exam?” Juugo asked Suigetsu. “Not too bad.”
It reminded Sasuke – he needed to nail that history exam. A slice of bread in his mouth, Sasuke hurriedly searched his bag – he found the notebook he was looking for, and quickly took it out. He started turning the pages frantically and reading it at once.
“Sasuke –” Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.
“That history exam you got later?” Karin guessed. “Haven’t you studied enough already?” She adjusted her glasses on her nose.
“No, not enough –” Sasuke replied briefly, a frown on his face and some food in his mouth.
Suigetsu heaved a sigh while Karin got nearer the Uchiha.
“You gotta stop that silly competition of yours.” She stated.
“I’m trying to study, Karin.” Sasuke turned a page.
“No, you’re trying to bond with N–” Suigetsu hurriedly put a hand on his girlfriend’s mouth, smiling sheepishly at Sasuke who had turned to stare at them.
“Please study, Sasuke.” Suigetsu said in a smile.
The latter gave him a brief glance and went back to his notebook.
“–which is a different thing; Suigetsu what’s wrong with you?!” Karin finally let out.
He frowned at her and shook his head – she could only sigh in reply.
You’re trying to bond with Naruto, was what Karin had tried to say. Sasuke was very much aware of it – so what? He didn’t know how to do it otherwise. And for now, he was feeling pretty satisfied – he was certain his historical essay would be the best among his classmates.
He was looking through the classroom window while everyone around still seemed to be writing. Except for one person, who was presently busy looking at Sasuke. The latter raised an eyebrow at him – I nailed it, could he read on the blonde’s lips. So did I, Sasuke replied.
Naruto smiled, a contented look on his face. It almost felt – friendly. Sasuke averted his eyes, glancing through the window again. His chin in his left hand, the Uchiha was thinking. He suddenly felt inspired. Silently, Sasuke searched his bag and took his notebook out.
The fight needs to change, he thought. This is their last one. He started writing frantically, drawing the attention of a certain blonde without noticing. Sasuke knew, now – it appeared to him clearly. Because, whether he wanted to admit it or not – he was thinking about it all the time.
The bell rang – too loudly for Sasuke who was completely absorbed in his writing. Suigetsu poked at his shoulder, already standing up next to him and eager to leave – it was finally Friday night.
“So, nailed that exam at last?” He said jestingly.
“Hn,” Sasuke replied while getting up quickly – slightly concerned Suigetsu might have seen what he had been working on.
Suigetsu was his friend, sure – but the Uchiha was very private when it came to his art. He wrote it merely for himself, and there was about no one he would have shown it to. It was a way to get things out, to put on paper what he contained inside – all the things he couldn’t quite understand.
Maybe he would have shown it to Itachi, maybe – but he was living abroad anyway, and their frequent calls were not exactly adapted to presenting Sasuke’s work.
He closed his backpack hurriedly, looking at Suigetsu and trying to ascertain if the latter was suspecting anything. Sasuke moved quickly, and without another glance towards his desk, he followed his friend, leaving for the weekend.
Naruto was the last one in class – having fallen asleep. Kiba had tried waking him up, but Naruto was apparently pretty tired, so he had given up. He knew how hard the blonde had studied for this exam, and consequently, how exhausted he would be now.
The blonde thus woke up to an empty classroom, and intuitively looked towards Sasuke’s desk – deserted, as the others. He heaved a sigh, unconsciously scratching at his neck, and started gathering his pens.
Standing up, he gazed towards the Uchiha’s desk again – and something caught his attention. There seemed to be a book on his chair. Cheating during the exam, huh? Naruto grinned at the idea. He got closer, and picked it up. It was not a book, but rather a notebook. The blonde looked puzzled at first, but as he turned the pages to discover Sasuke’s notes and drawings, he started feeling mesmerized.
He guessed the object must be important for the Uchiha, and so couldn’t leave it here. And well, he could perhaps have brought it back to its owner – but obviously, Sasuke was long gone. No, at this point, taking the notebook with him for the weekend was the only option left.
With a cunning smile, Naruto placed it carefully in his bag and swiftly left the classroom.
Sasuke was alarmed. No, there was no time for euphemisms – Sasuke was completely freaked out. He had accompanied Suigetsu to a café after leaving school, and walked back home after having said goodbye to his friend. Then he had taken a shower, and eaten some nuts. Only then, had he opened his backpack to realize that his notebook wasn’t in it.
It was already too late to go back to school – the only place where he could have left it. And Sasuke was horrified. His name was not written in it, but some people knew his handwriting. Some people also knew what his drawings were like.
He had left class hurriedly, and didn’t know how many students were still there at that point. That was much worse than Suigetsu finding out about it. Much worse. That was another scale.
What could he possibly do, now? He barely even knew his classmates. He thought about talking about it to Karin for a second – to share his worry and maybe feel somewhat relieved. But he quickly dismissed that idea as absurd.
Sasuke was not only concerned that a stranger would access an extremely private part of himself, though – he was also upset at the idea that he might not be able to find his notebook back. He had finally managed to complete his story – and had made no copy of it.
He heaved a long, painful sigh. He could only wait, and hope to find his notebook near his desk on Monday.
The light was starting to filter through the curtains, slowly reaching Sasuke’s bed. He looked at it, completely awake. He didn’t sleep. He couldn’t sleep. As cool about it as he wished to be, the Uchiha was worried. Who had it, where was it, how could he get it back?
It was still early morning – only early morning, and Sasuke wondered how he would bear to spend an entire day without getting any more clue about his notebook. Please bring Monday already, was all he could think.
Reluctantly, Sasuke left his bed to take a cold shower – maybe that would freeze his feelings and wild thoughts. Letting the icy water run down his body, he tried to stop thinking for a while. He didn’t feel much calmer though. He quickly dried himself and directly went back to his bedroom, to crash on his bed – and stay there for the entire day, probably.
A knock on his door startled him briefly, and he groaned in return.
“Can I enter, Sasuke?” A soft voice called. “There’s something for you.”
I didn’t order anything, Sasuke thought while walking towards the door. He opened it and glanced at his mother.
“Are you alright?” She asked on discovering his tired face. “Did you get any sleep, Sasuke?”
“Hn, well,” he rubbed his eyes, “what was that something?”
Mikoto looked somewhat worried, but smiled at her son while handing him the package. “I don’t know. It must be from a friend, there’s no stamp on it.” She shrugged.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical.
“Talk to me if there’s anything, Sasuke.” His mother glanced at him intently.
He nodded, “I just had trouble sleeping.”
She smiled at him before leaving and closing the door.
Sasuke sat on his bed, opening the package with a dubious look. A friend, she said – except Sasuke only had three friends and if one of them had something to give to Sasuke, they wouldn’t do it so secretly. It wasn’t from a friend. It was – Sasuke gaped when it finally appeared. It was his freaking notebook.
He opened it, looked at every page meticulously to make sure that it hadn’t been damaged – and sighed. There had been no alteration to it. But who?
Sasuke laid down on his bed and held his notebook high in the air. That’s when it fell – a small, white scrap of paper. He quickly took it and – “I loved it.”
What?
He turned to lie on his stomach, bringing the bit of paper closer to his face. He read it again and again, ascertaining that the words he read were real.
They were real. Someone had read Sasuke’s writing, and had loved it. That was a relief, if it was true. But who could that be?
A classmate, probably. A classmate who actually picked it up on Friday. And didn’t bring it back to Sasuke although they knew it was his. But seemed to care enough to come all the way to his house and give him back anonymously. After having read it, that is.
That didn’t feel like most people in his class. He didn’t really know them – that was a fact. But still. First, most people wouldn’t even pick it up. Second, even if they did, they probably wouldn’t read it all. And then, they would either wait for Monday to give it back to him – or make fun of him.
Picking it up, reading it entirely and not waiting for Monday was unexpected. And Sasuke only knew of one person with unpredictable tendencies. He only knew of one person who could relate to his story.
Entering the classroom, Sasuke was immediately welcomed by a warm “Hey!” and two hands landing on his shoulders.
“You didn’t reply to my messages Sas’! How asocial you can be seriously, I was almost worried.” Suigetsu shook his head, following Sasuke near his desk.
The Uchiha didn’t reply, his gaze suddenly fixed on the table.
“Oh, Sas’, I’m here,” Suigetsu said while gesturing at him.
“Ah yeah, I noticed.” He swiftly replied, running a hand through his hair.
Suigetsu raised an eyebrow at him. “Mh. You alright?”
“I am.” Sasuke said in a faint smile, finally looking at his friend.
He nodded and moved towards his own desk.
Sasuke took a seat and exhaled a long breath, slowly directing his gaze towards a specific spot. One blonde hair entered his field of vision – and it was enough for him to immediately shift his focus back to his own table, lowering his head.
Naruto didn’t seem to be looking at him. Feeling relieved, Sasuke sighed – maybe it wasn’t him after all. Maybe his vague focus on the blonde had subconsciously inclined him to imagine that it could only be the blonde. But why wouldn’t it be someone else?
The bell rang, and Suigetsu quickly stood up to meet Sasuke. The latter smiled back at his friend and followed him out of the class, going to meet with Karin and Juugo for lunch.
“Oh you’re alive Sasuke?” was Karin’s greeting.
The Uchiha frowned – he had probably ignored her messages too. He didn’t even remember.
“Did you have the results of that history exam already?” Juugo asked while handing a tomato to Sasuke.
The latter raised an eyebrow at him – “why are you giving me that?”
“No we didn’t have them yet,” Suigetsu replied.
“Don’t you love tomatoes, Sasuke?” Juugo kept staring at him.
“I mean –”
“I’d rather not have that essay back anytime soon – I don’t think Hatake will have found it astonishing or anything.” Suigetsu sighed.
“Take it.” Juugo finally put the tomato on Sasuke’s lap.
Karin chuckled at Suigetsu’s words, while Sasuke whispered a vague “thanks.”
“At least there’s no exam for a while now!” Suigetsu said, now lying on the grass.
Juugo nodded, and Sasuke ate his tomato while gazing at the landscape. Blonde hair suddenly appeared in the distance, and his eyes briefly met Naruto’s.
“It really wasn’t quite astonishing, but you made progress, Hozuki.” Kakashi stated while handing Suigetsu his essay.
Sasuke smiled softly, and saw the professor arrive next to him.
“Uchiha, I don’t have anything to say,” he sighed while leaving the essay on his desk. “Your rivalry with Uzumaki really brings the best out of you.”
Sasuke’s eyes widened and he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks – there was no way he was going to blush.
“Uzumaki, same goes for you.”
Naruto smiled at the teacher, not blushing in the slightest. Sasuke looked at him hurriedly, trying to read his face – but he couldn’t.
The bell rang shortly afterwards, signaling the end of classes for today.
Sasuke was bitter. He was bitter at his teacher who had just emphasized how their relationship paralleled the one he depicted in his story and – fuck. Suigetsu was standing in front of him.
“Are you staying here, Sas’?”
“No,” he sighed, “but you can leave first – Karin will be waiting for you.”
Suigetsu nodded, and left the classroom quickly. Sasuke took his head in his hands and exhaled a long breath. Everyone seemed to have left already. He was starting to be on edge at that point – he simply didn’t know what to think anymore.
He shook his head before lowering it, still slightly mad at his teacher for having pointed out –
“Hey.”
He slowly raised his gaze. Blue eyes were looking at him.
“Sasuke.” It left his mouth in a whisper.
The Uchiha gave him a puzzled look, to which Naruto replied by an outstretched hand.
“W-what?” Sasuke asked in a low voice.
Naruto pointed at his hand with his chin. Sasuke slowly shrugged, and Naruto’s smile widened. He got closer to him, and firmly took Sasuke’s hand in his.
“What are you doing?” The Uchiha looked at their entwined hands above his desk.
“We can’t keep fighting forever, can we?” Naruto asked in a cunning smile.
Sasuke’s lips parted but nothing came out. He had really wanted to believe that Naruto hadn’t read his notebook.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbled, averting his eyes.
The blonde laughed faintly, “I really loved it.”
Sasuke Uchiha didn’t blush. “It wasn’t meant to be read.”
Naruto nodded in understanding. “Still, I’m glad I did.”
The Uchiha groaned, “Good for you.” He released his hand from Naruto’s hold, and stood up hastily. “Anything to add?” He asked while facing the blonde.
He wanted to flee. Far, far away from here.
“Hm,” Naruto said meditatively. “You seem to be kinda embarrassed, aren’t you?”
Sasuke’s eyes widened for a second.
“Well that’s understandable, Sas’ke.” He nodded. “But you have nothing to be embarrassed about – your story’s great, and I didn’t talk about it to anyone.” Naruto smiled.
Sasuke’s lips parted – only to close again.
“I feel a bit bad about the whole thing,” Naruto said a bit sheepishly, a hand on his neck. “But I thought – I thought it could be a great opportunity to actually talk to you, for once.”
“Hn,” Sasuke averted his eyes. “Don’t we already talk?”
“Mh, no – we fight. When we talk, it always ends up in some kind of fight.”
The Uchiha took a long breath. “Well then maybe it’s meant to be,” he said in a low voice.
“Is it?” Naruto asked spontaneously. “Then why did you write that story, Sas’ke?”
Sasuke raised his eyes to meet Naruto’s, whose curious and captivating glance provoked too many feelings for him to handle.
“Can’t I write some fiction if I want to?” Sasuke asked slightly disdainfully, trying to calm his nerves.
“Sure,” Naruto shrugged. “But don’t tell me that story isn’t about us,” he said earnestly.
Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat.
“Well, sorry to disappoint but –” he raised an eyebrow at him, “that story’s about wolves in a magical world.”
Naruto folded his arms on his chest, heaving a long sigh – his gaze intently fixed on Sasuke.
“Just because they’re rivals doesn’t mean they’re us.” The Uchiha averted his eyes. “Don’t you know rivals are at the core of countless stories?”
“I do know that, Sasuke,” Naruto nodded – his unwavering gaze still on the pale face. “But these wolves are not simply rivals.”
Shit.
“Or are they?” The blonde asked ironically.
Sasuke looked back at him and sighed. “What are you trying to say, Naruto?”
“Don’t you know?”
They kept staring at each other in complete silence. Sasuke's heart was pounding noisily in his chest – but he didn’t show the least emotion.
“Why don’t you want to talk about it?” Naruto asked frankly. “You wrote a fucking story about us.”
Sasuke didn’t say anything.
“A great story.”
Naruto sighed and unfolded his arms, raising them behind his head.
“Seriously – your drawings are incredible. And the fights were really clever. And that ending –” He paused. “It didn’t need anything else.”
Naruto smiled – a genuine, candid smile. Sasuke felt his heart tighten in his chest.
“Kiba’s always blabbering about how obsessed I supposedly am with you, but I guess –” He laughed. “I’m seriously grateful I found your notebook. I’m sure you would never have let me see it, but reading it gave me the guts to come to you.”
Sasuke inhaled slowly. He couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable about Naruto having read and understood his deepest feelings.
“Like seriously, you’re the only thing I think about and it was starting to drive me a bit insane.” Naruto blurted out.
Sasuke gaped – and stared in wonder.
“I tried not to let it show too much because I didn’t wanna scare you away or anything, but Kiba told me it was obvious anyway and he –” Naruto laughed and stared at the Uchiha, smiling tenderly to his widened dark eyes. “He said it was ridiculous because you were just as obsessed.” He laughed harder. “He said – he said we were the most ridiculous thing he’s ever seen,” tears formed in his eyes, “because we’re so fixated on each other but we pretend like we’re rivals or something when we’re just craving to kiss each ot-” Naruto suddenly stopped – both talking and breathing.
Sasuke couldn’t repress a smile – and then a surreptitious laugh.
“I – I mean,” the blonde mumbled.
“My characters – they don’t kiss or anything in the end, though. They just hold hands.” The Uchiha smirked, looking at Naruto slyly.
The blonde looked at him, apparently at a loss for words. Sasuke’s smile widened, and he got closer to his rival.
“So you want to kiss me, usuratonkachi?” he said in hushed tones, daringly.
Naruto stared at him intently, his gaze conveying his repressed passion in a raw honesty that left Sasuke breathless.
“What if I do?”
The blonde slowly, hesitatingly reached for the Uchiha’s fingers with his left hand.
“That makes two of us,” the Uchiha whispered while gripping Naruto’s hand.
He lowered his eyes to Naruto’s full lips, and the latter seemed to stop breathing.
“Fuck Sasuke I –”
The Uchiha didn’t let him add anything – his hands swiftly caught the blonde’s neck while his face stopped right in front of his lips – softly brushing Naruto’s with his.
“I love you,” he whispered before gently caressing the blonde’s neck – struggling with the myriad of sensations he was experiencing at once.
Naruto’s lips melted into a warm, tender smile as he laid his hands on Sasuke’s back. He barely dared touching him so gently, and slowly tightened his grip on his rival’s body – trying hard to ascertain that this was real.
“I’ve loved you from the moment I met you –” He let out breezily.
Overwhelmed and elated, Sasuke closed the gap between their faces to finally give in to Naruto’s lips in a burning kiss.
He could feel Naruto smile against his lips – he smiled too, and released the vast amount of tension he had been containing the last few days – weeks – months – years, as Naruto intensified their longing, heartfelt embrace – reciprocating his every feeling.
Naruto and Sasuke had always been much more than rivals.