When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 10 -

Naruto stood outside his apartment, fumbling for his keys as the rain poured down on him and his raven-haired partner. He was actually quite grateful for this sudden storm, since he knew their conversation hadn't been going so well. Why had he decided to ask Sasuke about love? He hadn't meant to be that blunt, but it just sort of came out. Luckily, it looked like Sasuke was willing to overlook that uncomfortable moment, and as he pushed the door open, Naruto felt ready to take another stab at this icebreaking.

"All right, come on in," the blond said, giving an elaborate bow as he ushered the Uchiha inside.

Sasuke made no response, but simply stepped in and kicked off his shoes, sloshing the new-formed puddles. No sooner had Naruto sealed the door shut, though, than he heard a distinct growling from behind, causing his blood to run cold.

"Shoo, you mutt," the Uchiha scowled, waving his hand dismissively at a rather angry Akamaru.

"Wait, Sasuke! Don't – "

Alas, Naruto's plea came too late, as the young dog leaped forward and clamped down on the raven-haired boy's hand until he drew blood. Sasuke shook his hand violently, gritting his teeth in pain while the blond tried pulling on Akamaru's dangling hind legs. It only took a few minutes to get the dog off of Sasuke, but it felt like an eternity to Naruto, who hurriedly put Akamaru back in Kiba's room.

Dammit, Kiba. I thought I told him not to leave Akamaru out all the time...

Upon returning to the entryway with some band-aids, Naruto quickly tried to assist the bleeding Uchiha, but was met with much resistance.

"I can do it myself," Sasuke snapped, snatching a few of the bandages from Naruto's hands. "Damn dog..."

"I'm so sorry," Naruto said, eyeing his partner's bleeding hand. "I'll make sure to yell at Kiba later about that."

"No, it's fine," the Uchiha said after a moment, having adequately covered his wounds. "Let's move on."

Is he serious?

"Umm... okay," Naruto replied, not knowing quite what to say until he saw Sasuke's drenched outfit. "Oh, let me grab you some dry clothes."

The raven-haired boy gave a quick nod, and together they started for Naruto's room just down the hall. The blond hesitated just outside his door, trying to remember if he had left a complete mess that morning, or if was at least somewhat presentable. Reflecting on it, he knew that he had left his bed a mess – he rarely made it, unless Iruka was coming to visit – and he was rather certain he had left his clothes from the previous day strewn about the floor, but it wasn't anything obscene. He could deal with this.

Here we go...

With a deep breath, Naruto pushed open his bedroom door and stepped inside, briefly surveying the area for anything he might want to hide quickly. Much to his delight, aside from a pair of boxers draped over the side of his bed, there was little to be embarrassed about, so he decided to act naturally. It was just his room, after all. What was there to be afraid of? Sure, he was taking the boy he secretly loved inside his room, but that wasn't important. They were just working on a project, nothing more.

"Well, this is it," the blond announced, scratching the back of his head. "Umm, I'll pick out some clothes for myself, and then you can find something that works for you, okay?"

"Fine," Sasuke replied, glancing nonchalantly about the room.

Okay, he doesn't seem to care either. That's a good thing... right?

Deciding not to press the issue any further, Naruto dug into his drawers and grabbed a fresh, black t-shirt and some khaki shorts, which he brought over to his bed. As the blond began to change, Sasuke took his place at the dresser and rummaged for something that might possibly fit. He was, after all, a few inches taller than Naruto, and wanted to find something at least remotely comfortable. Soon, he shut the drawers, a few articles in hand, and Naruto sighed with relief. At the very least things seemed to be turning around after the Akamaru incident.