Chapter Text
I walked along the forest path, dragging my feet one after the other. I was barely making it, seriously. Not only did I have to carry my backpack, which didn't hold much, but some genius had devised the idea of carrying Sasuke's three bags. Okay, that genius was me. But that's because the bastard has a curved spine and is a bit crippled because the poor guy can't carry anything. And of course, who, like the bravest man in this whole bunch of idiots, can help poor Sasuke? Of course, me! But now, I kind of regret it.
"How long? My legs are falling off."
"Just a little longer, you can do it, Naruto,"- replied Sakura, who didn't really care about my terrible fate. She hadn't just been carrying twenty kilos on her back for four hours without a single break!
"Easy for you! You're not the one carrying five bags Sasuke! What did you put in there?!"
"Just the bare necessities. Besides, you volunteered to carry those bags, so don't complain."- He said nonchalantly. Well, he'd always been like that. Like, without an ounce of gratitude. He'd always been such a miser. But I think that's what I liked most about him. I stepped closer to him and looked at his pale, smooth skin. Without a single pimple or mole. That so... perfect.
"Are you okay?" he asked me after I'd been staring at him like a brick for what seemed like a long time. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but I couldn't get anything out.
"I wanted to say something funny."- I murmured
"You can do it, use those three brain cells of yours."- He snorted with laughter, and I turned away, offended. Pfft, I had at least four or five! He underestimated me. But he was always like that. Nothing, but just mocking me! That's how good best friend he was. When the rest of the group started stopped walking, I stopped too and looked at the clearing in front of us. It was some kind of empty circle. Quite large, by the way. Perfect for pitching tents!
"Is this going to be okay?"- The pink-haired girl asked, and Shikamaru stared at the piece of land for a moment, then began to walk around it.
"Oh my god, what's all this fuss over some stupid clearing? It's literally the perfect place to set up camp!"
I started to shift my weight irritably. How much longer this hell will last?.. Oh yeah, I think I forgot to mention. All ten of us had gone on a trip of a lifetime to set up camp and spend three days communing with nature! After all, this was our last vacation together. Afterward, we'd be going off to different universities, and thats all with us. But I had a feeling I wouldn't lose contact with some people so quickly. Certainly not with Sasuke. I'd been friends with him since the beginning of high school, and while it wasn't exactly a staggering number of years spent together, we were bonded by blood and bone. I couldn't imagine life without Sasuke by my side. After all, who would remind me every day about my second breakfast? Or to remember to set my alarm for the morning?
"This place will be great. You can put all your things here. I'll look around, see if there's a good spot to build a fire." - Shikamaru walked off into the bushes, and I was finally able to let go of those three-hundred-kilo bags. My back finally felt relief, and I had to lie down on the ground. Sweat dripped down my forehead, and I spread my limbs far apart and took deep breaths. The sun's rays hurt a little, but my friend's silhouette quickly covered them.
"Can't you handle it anymore? This is just the beginning," - he said, laughing, and I sighed. Oh well.
Really.
Very.
Funny.
He's laughing now, but that bastard didn't even realize how much my back was hurting at that moment! If he were in my shoes, he wouldn't be laughing so hard!
"Humorous?" - I asked, returning his teasing smile. He knelt down beside me, still fixing those pitch-black eyes of his on me. Sometimes his eyes were downright terrifying, seriously! But sometimes they looked like the most beautiful eyes in the world. I didn't even know why, but I somehow liked that piercing gaze of his. It was so.. mysterious. And I wanted to know what was hidden behind it.
"Just so you know. Get up, you look like an idiot. You're the only one lying on the ground looking like you're about to make a snow angel."
"What? You don't like me like this?" - I said, grinning from ear to ear, and propped myself up on my elbows. I looked at Sasuke gallantly, and he at me. He was staring at me with his usual impassive, unreadable face. Damn it! Why did he always have to be so... so... so...
"There's a gazebo not far from here with a spot for a fire! We can set up here and then we'll build a fire," - said Nara, who had just returned from his expedition. Everyone started unpacking their gear, so I couldn't have been worse.
Oh, you're probably wondering who "everyone" is? This is my group of friends
from middle school. They include:
Sakura, Ino, Neji, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Gaara
And me with Sasuke. Ten people in total! A lot, right? I was trying to dig into my backpack, tearing through the mountain of bags and backpacks belonging to my dearest friend, who, of course, couldn't live without all this. Finally, I found my small, frog-shaped backpack. I quickly opened it and grabbed some water, which I immediately opened and greedily drank. I drank until I'd almost finished the entire one-liter bottle. But I didn't finish it all, because Neji, holding a navy blue backpack, approached to us.
"The tent is for you. Inside are the instructions and all the necessary supplies. If you need anything, just let me know," he said, handing us the tent and walking away. So what? Let's start playing Bob the Builder! I immediately grabbed the backpack, looking at it excitedly.
"I'll put it together. You go see if the rest of us need two left hands to help with anything." Sasuke snatched the backpack from my hands and opened it. He pulled out a few sheets of paper and began to read them carefully.
"Well, are you joking?! This is our shared tent, so we'll put it together!" I said politely, snatching the backpack from him and pouring its contents onto the ground. I grabbed a few rods and looked at my friend questioningly.
"You hammer them into the ground with nails. Then you have to tie ropes to them and—"
"Wait, wait! Slowly!" I took the ziplock bag containing a few nails and looked first at them, then at the rods.
"How?"
"Here, I'll do it. You tell me what to do next." Annoyed, Sasuke took my tools and handed me a sheet of paper. I looked at it, and then my eyes nearly popped out of my head. It looked like some kind of manual on how to defuse a bomb, not instructions on how to assemble a tent! I immediately handed him the piece of paper and took the piece of metal from him along with the bag of nails. Sasuke sighed in resignation and started explaining step-by-step what to do, and I obediently followed his orders. Sometimes he'd shout things like:
"No! To the right!" - Or,
"What did you do?! That doesn't look like in instruction! Give it to me!" -
And stuff like that. But I guess that's his love language. Because he wasn't yelling at me in a devilish tone, he was just paying attention. Which irritated me anyway. Because what kind of idiot uses instructions anyway? It's obvious they're a shortcut! Real assembly is about doing it your own way! But explain it to him now. He'd probably break all my bones and assemble the tent himself faster than give me free hand. But in the end, we made it! Finally! After this incredibly difficult journey, through defeats and victories! Through all the evil in the world! It's a bit like taming some wild monster in a cave! This journey cost us many sacrifices, but fortunately, we achieved our goal!
"We finished it quickly. In less than half an hour," - Sasuke said, looking at the instructions, then at the tent.
HALF AN HOUR?! I felt like I'd circled the globe at least three times! And with a load. A ten-kilogram one. Oh, and in winter clothes, too. I sat down, or rather fell, because I could barely stand. I looked at the tent in admiration, and my eyes lit up. This was it! Our new home! And it was even a pretty one. It was dark, which meant it was more to Sasuke's taste, but it wasn't the worst! Because it wasn't the dark, dark one the bastard wore—a giant dark black, like for Grandma's funeral. It was more of a dark navy blue. Maybe a bit like his hair?
"Are you just going to sit there like a stick, or are you finally going to get in and unpack?" - the bastard from the tent said. Wait, when did he get in?! Okay, never mind. I hurriedly entered the dark piece of fabric and looked around. It was dark, but cozy. And cramped. Way too cramped. I didn't know how the two of us would fit in there. I put my Frog backpack on my side of the tent and took out only a few essentials. Like my phone, a couple of shirts, and my sleeping bag. After that, I collapsed like a pancake and lay on my stomach. Sasuke bent his legs to avoid touching me and threw his sleeping bag at me.
"Are you, going to sleep?"
"Yeah... I wish..." - I replied, exhausted. Even though it was maybe 5 p.m., I'd had enough of this day. Well, how should I put it, the road to this place hadn't been a bed of roses. My back felt it the most.
"It's hard in here..."- I muttered. I wanted to sink into the soft mattress of my bed and never leave it again. Cover myself with the covers and fly away to dreamland. Oh yes, that was exactly what I needed right now.
"Too hard?" - Sasuke asked after a moment of my whining.
"Too hard for what?" - I looked at him questioningly, and he snorted with laughter. What did he mean?
Wait.
Wait.
Wait!
WAIT WAIT!
-For se-
-For sleep." He finished.
-Ah. No." - I muttered and pushed myself up on my hands. I stood up to a half-sitting position, giving more pressure.
Sasuke's gaze flicked to me and I looked around again.
"Are we going for sausages?" - I finally asked, and my friend nodded in agreement. I quickly changed into fresh clothes and we both left the tent. Meeting Ino on the way, the three of us headed towards the gazebo Shikamaru had mentioned. The gazebo didn't look so bad. On the right was an old, small cottage, and on the left, Kiba, Shino, Neji, and Hinata were preparing kindling to light a fire. Ino told us that the others were still working on something in the tents, so the two of us, having nothing better to do, decided to help fill the gaps in the food supply. We went back and forth a few times, bringing back various sausages and other meats I didn't even know the names of. But it was clear that our Chouji knew his stuff. Later, we walked around with six-packs of beer and some other trinkets. Finally, when it was time to eat, I settled myself more comfortably on a small bench made of wood around the fire and began eating my sausage. The grease from it spilled onto the paper tray and some onto my shirt.
"You could have at least used forks," - Sasuke sighed and continued eating his sausage with a fork and knife, as if in some five-star restaurant.
It was around 8 p.m. when I opened what was probably my fourth beer and took a sip. I laughed at some stupid joke of Kiba's, and felt my head spin. The company was starting to loosen up, as almost everyone was already a little drunk. Most were laughing at some silly thing, and no one was missing a smile on faces. Well, almost no one.
"I think I'll be heading back," - said the Uchiha, who hadn't had a single beer since the beginning. No wonder he was bored.
"Wait! Stay a while longer!" - I pleaded with my friend as he was getting up. He looked down at me and sighed. Unfortunately, it wasn't a sigh of "Okay, I'll stay." but more a sigh of "No way."
"I'm tired. If you want, go to the tent too." - He lightly brushed my hand off and headed for the exit, first bypassing his drunk friends and the already extinguished fire. I sat for a moment longer, watching my only companion leave. Now I'll have to stay alone in this circus full of monkeys.
"Come on, Naruto! Go to the tents with your boyfriend!" - Kiba shouted, sitting down next to me with a beer in his hand, nudging me lightly. Remember when I said something about monkeys in the circus? Here's one.
"I'm running." - I replied sarcastically, taking a sip of my beer. The brunette stared at me for a moment, and when he was sure the dark-haired man was out of sight, he blurted out:
"So, Naruto, now that Sasuke's gone, you can finally tell us, right?"
"Tell us? What do you mean?" - I asked, confused.
"That you're into Sasuke!" - Ino said from across the desk. I almost spat out the contents of my can when I heard that statement. My eyes widened and I looked at my friends, hoping it was some kind of joke. But they, quite seriously, stared at me expectantly. For a moment, I didn't know what to say. I wanted to deny everything and tell them they were crazy! But when I think about it... Sasuke was even... Not sexy, but hot. Very hoy! He was the hottest guy in our school! That was obvious! But did I was into him? It depends on how you interpret that word. Because when it came to his looks, he was nothing short of amazing. I could even say he was the most good-looking boy I'd ever met! Because he was... simply... so handsome! That hair of his, which I wanted to stroke every time I looked at it. And those divine eyes, which I could stare into for days. His pale skin made him look a bit like a vampire. But that was probably the best part. He looked like a vampire I'd beg on my knees to suck every last drop of blood from me. But did that mean I was into him?
"I think if I were a woman, I'd be into him," I finally blurted out with a smile. Silence reigned for a moment, and I began to regret the words.
"And because you're not into him now?" Ino asked mockingly, and I felt a sudden wave of heat, probably coming from the direction of the fire. Yes, it must have been the wind that blew in my direction and fanned the flames. Why else would I get hot at the thought? I wasn't even into him!
I guess.
I guess I defnitely wasn't!
But still, I guess.
Maybe, just a little? But is that a bad thing? You don't have to be gay to say someone is handsome! And that someone was Sasuke!
"I'll be off now. I think I drank too much." I quickly thought of an excuse to get away from the crowd and ran towards our campsite. Luckily, no one tried to stop me, so when I got away from the crowd, I stopped, took a deep breath, and smiled under nose.
Was I really into him? Damn, I never thought of it that way. I thought more along the lines of, "Well, Sasuke is god damn handsome!" But that's all. But, on the other hand, I didn't mind the idea that, by some unproven, magical miracle, I could see his beauty every day. Because honestly, sometimes I missed him and that pretty face of his. For example, on those two, endlessly long days called weekends. When Sasuke usually did nothing, and I, being a hyperactive guy, texted him every minute, saying something like I'd lost my socks or just bumped my leg into the edge of the table. Sasuke usually replied sarcastically, and I'd grin at my phone like an idiot.
When I got to the tent, I took off my shoes and set them down. I grabbed the zipper at the top of the tent and pulled it down. Inside, I saw my aforementioned beauty, lying on her stomach, covered in a sleeping bag, reading a book. When he turned to me, our eyes met, and a smile spread across his face.
"Already at your limits?" He laughed, his hypnotizingly divine smile. Did I mention that Sasuke was handsome? Yes? Well, I'll mention it again. Because sometimes I couldn't fathom being on the same planet as such a divine being! I felt my stomach do a somersault, and for a moment I froze. An orchestra must have been playing in my chest, because I could hear every rapid beat of my heart.
"Are you okay? Are you going to throw up?" Sasuke asked in a worried voice, setting down the book he'd been reading. He sat up and a moment later shuffled over to me. He looked at me as if I were some kind of freak, then placed his hand on my shoulder.
"No... I..." - I tried to say something, but nothing. Zero. My mind went blank. I felt the alcohol rush to my head, and the tent started to heat up. I guess the fire was blowing more towards me again.
Hey.
Wait.
There's no fire here.
"It's alright already," - I said after recovering a bit. I looked at Sasuke, who had let go of me and was staring at me with that piercing gaze of his. His eyes looked a bit like two coals someone had just thrown into the blazing flames. FUCK! DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!
"Are you sure you're not going to throw up? I don't want you puking all over our tent." His eyes returned to normal, and I gritted my teeth.
"I WON'T!" I burst out in embarrassment and shuffled back to my sleeping spot. I collapsed and lay there sprawled for a moment. But soon, Sasuke also returned to his spot and pushed me to the other side of the tent.
But wait, because that sounded like the tent was big. By "other half," I meant more like two inches away from the bastard. Because if you thought this tent was small, you were wrong.
IT WAS ULTRA SMALL! TOO SMALL FOR THE TWO OF US! WHO'S IDEA WAS THAT TWO GROWN MEN SHOULD SLEEP IN A SINGLE-PERSON TENT?!
Oh wait.
I guess it was me again.
You know, it wasn't until about halfway there that we realized Neji had bought one tent too few. So we rushed to buy one at a local shop, but no one realized it was a tiny single. So when everyone started arguing over who would get the worst one, I stepped in. Like a knight on a white horse, I offered to take the single with Sasuke. Without his knowledge, of course, because he'd gone out to buy drinks. And when he found out, he almost murdered me! He yelled at me for not even asking him, and that the girls should have the smallest one, because they wouldn't have to squeeze into it. Such a gentleman he was. See, ladies?! That's how he treats women! That Uchiha guy who every other girl falls for, that's exactly how he treats beautiful ladies! You better think twice next time you try to get him! And remember, I'll even be tempted to buy you some chocolates or flowers!
"Well done, genius, thanks to you we'll have to squeeze into this little tent."- Sasuke said irritably, adjusting his pillow and lying on his side, turning his back to me.
"Going to sleep already?"
"You better go too. You're drunk."
"Pfft, so what?" - I snorted, but he didn't answer. After a moment, I decided it wasn't a bad idea. After all, I wouldn't have anything to do anyway, and the alcohol had already worn me down. I turned off the flashlight that served as light and laid my head on our shared pillow, covering myself with my sleeping bag. I lay there for a moment, shifting a bit to get comfortable. And when I finally settled down comfortably, with the picture on Sasuke's back, something started bothering me. That bastard had taken almost the entire pillow for himself! I tried to pull it out from under his head a little and move it from his half.
"What are you doing?!" Sasuke said irritably, holding the pillow tightly with one hand, refusing to give in to my tugging.
"You're lying on about three-quarters of it! Give me some!"
"Remember, it's my pillow!"
"So?! That's unfair!"
I tried to continue tugging at the pillow, but my efforts failed. He was holding it too tightly! After a moment of struggling, I collapsed exhausted on my tiny half, which looked a bit like some scraps that the gracious Sasuke had decided to bestow upon me.
Fuck you!
I had to think of something. I didn't know what yet, but something for sure. I turned around, resigned, looking at Sasuke's head. If he's playing me like this, we'll see who has the last laugh! Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into my head, and I almost laughed out loud. That bastard will regret messing with me!
I silently began to inch my way toward him, trying not to laugh. I slowly crawled like a worm until I finally found myself right next to the bastard. He had his head bowed, perfectly emphasizing his neck. I smiled evilly and inhaled a little air through nose, then gently exhaled it through mt mouth, blowing on his delicate skin. Sasuke jumped up and backed away from me as if scalded, straightening up like a soldier. He landed at the very edge of the tent, covering his neck with hand.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" - He shouted at me and turned to me. I couldn't see his face in the darkness, but I was sure his eyes nearly popped out!
"Just a joke!" - I laughed, hiding my smile with my hand. I almost burst out laughing at his reaction! I was just teasing him, it wasn't such a big deal!
WAIT! A PILLOW!
Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed the pillow and squeezed it in my hands. Then, I moved it as far towards me as I could and settled comfortably, sloshing around in that soft, fluffy foam. Ha! And who was the winner now?
In a moment, I felt myself sinking into dreamland, pleasant darkness visiting my head. My breathing stabilized, and my thoughts began to drift away. I was slowly drifting off to sleep when I realized something. My heart beat faster, and my eyes, which had been glued together before, widened.
Wait!
Where's Sasuke?
It's been a while, a long time! Why haven't I heard him yet?! Sasuke should have kicked me in ass or yelled at me or something by now! But he was silent! I had a bad feeling about this. I was about to turn around when I felt a gentle touch against my ear, and a moment later, my blonde locks were behind him, swirling around my ear. I felt a slight puff of breath on my delicate skin, sending shivers down my spine. I almost had a heart attack. I tried to jump away, but he pinned me with his arms around my stomach and wrapped his arms around me.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! LEAVE ME!" I screamed and desperately tried to free myself from his grip, but Sasuke clamped his hand over my mouth. This caused me to freeze for a moment.
"Don't scream like that" - he said, his voice slightly nervousnes, but still not letting go. My heart started racing, and a wave of warmth washed over me. It was hot under the sleeping bag. I felt myself turning red from the heat, clearly caused by the thick blanket, and I grab Sasuke's hands over my mouth. I tried to pull them off, struggling, but it was obvious my pathetic attempts would be futile. He was far stronger than me.
"Promise you won't scream?" he asked stoicly, and I immediately nodded in agreement.
FUCK! HE WAS INSANE!
He finally removed his hands from my mouth, and I began to ventilate rapidly. I breathed deeply, quickly drawing fresh air into my lungs. I even broke a little sweat, still feeling like a redhead.
"Fine! You've already gotten your revenge on me! Now let go!" - I replied, my voice trembling slightly, as I felt like I could melt in his touch. His fingers gently slipped under my shirt, touching my sides.
But fuck... His touch was so...
"And you think you'll get away so easily once you start? Besides, I'm comfortable." - His fingers only tightened on my bare stomach, and I felt something twist in my stomach. I buried my face in my hands and, embarrassed, tried to relax. My whole body tensed under his cold touch, which gradually refreshed my fevered core. Second by second, my breathing began to stabilize and my body relaxed. Slowly, I felt every muscle in my body begin to relax, one by one, and my heart slowed a little. When my chest finally began to rise at a normal pace, I sighed with relief, but I still didn't remove my hand from my face. However, just as I began to calm down, I felt his nose melt into my hair.
"Is it that bad?" - he said in an amused tone. At first, I didn't respond, trying not to have heart palpitations. However, my body quickly adjusted to the new touch, and I began to adjust. After a moment, my breathing slowed, and my body relaxed again. Why did his touch have such a strange effect on me?
"Goodnight," - Sasuke murmured and began to breathe deeply. How had he just fallen asleep like that? But eventually, I had no choice. I had to fall asleep in his arms, whether I liked it or not. After all, I'd gotten used to his touch, which, over time, even became pleasant. And lying so close, we weren't crammed into each other's tent anymore. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all? I tried to get a little more comfortable, finally removing my hands from my face. After a moment of lying in a more comfortable position, I felt my thoughts begin to drift away, and I fell asleep.