When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 15 -

Shikamaru Nara lay on the couch in his apartment with his head on the armrest, gazing vacantly at the softly glowing television before him. There wasn't anything good on at four in the morning, so he had resigned himself to watching the fifth straight Billy Mays infomercial of the hour. Sure, he probably had better things to do with his time – he had school in a few hours, and would need at least a few hours of sleep to make it through the day – but Shikamaru knew that, even if he tried to go to bed, he would just end up staring at the ceiling.

The reason for the Nara's insomnia was quite simple – he was expecting a call from Sasuke. Earlier that day, he'd been jerked out of his mid-afternoon nap by someone banging on his front door. He'd tried ignoring this unexpected guest, hoping that Choji would greet the pest, but he soon remembered that his roommate had left for the day. So, with a groan, Shikamaru had picked himself off the couch and ambled over to the door, where he was greeted by a smirking Kiba.

Yes, Kiba had looked quite smug, standing there with Akamaru cradled in his arms. He had been out on a walk, he said, when he decided to pay the Nara a visit, to give him a quick heads up. 'Just thought I'd tell you to expect a call from Sasuke later tonight – call it a hunch.'

With that, the Inuzuka had started back on his way, jogging alongside Akamaru down the path. Of course, this strange intrusion had presented a nice puzzle for Shikamaru, which soon absorbed his full attention. Now, having put all the pieces together, the Nara could only wait for that call to confirm his suspicions. However, as the clock continued to tick away, he began to rap his fingers on his leg anxiously.

Damn you, Kiba... you couldn't have left me alone, could you? That would've made things too easy. Dammit! Why are you so nervous about this, Shikamaru? Just, calm down – there's nothing to be so worked up about. Just because it's your best friend doesn't mean you have to freak out.

Think about it rationally, for a minute. Is there any other possibility? Let's go over it again: Kiba came over unexpectedly with information regarding Sasuke, meaning that something happened between him and Naruto. Given the fact that Kiba didn't call, I'd say that he must've left the apartment quickly, and only decided to talk to me as an afterthought. That means he probably saw something there, and given that stupid grin of his, it must've been something good. There's only one explanation: he walked in on the two of them kissing.

Shikamaru sighed and shut the television off, having heard enough about the wonders of Mighty Putty. It was incredibly frustrating, being left in the dark like this. Sasuke was his best friend, after all, and no amount of reasoning could possibly calm this anxiety. On the one hand, Shikamaru was almost positive that he was right – all the data pointed to a kiss – but what if he was wrong? What if something terrible had happened, and Kiba didn't even know it? Naruto might've been pushing Sasuke too far – it wasn't exactly hard to do – and Kiba could've misinterpreted it.

That lingering uncertainty was enough to drive the Nara crazy. He tried everything he could think of to shake those thoughts from his head – counting in doubles, playing a game of chess in his head – but it was useless. No matter how hard he tried, Shikamaru's thoughts always jumped to the worst possible conclusion, and soon his beloved logic was working against him.

Why else would he be waiting this long? I mean, I know Sasuke was opposed to this from the beginning, but if he willingly kissed Naruto, then that must mean he's accepted it, right? So why the hell hasn't he called? Naruto must've forced himself on Sasuke. It's the only explanation – Sasuke feels violated, ashamed – that's why he hasn't called yet. So help me, Naruto, if you hurt him I'll... I'll...

At that very moment in his thought process, Shikamaru heard the phone ring beside him, snapping him back to reality. He waited a moment, his hand hovering tentatively over the phone. Knowing that he would only raise suspicion if he answered immediately, the Nara waited several rings before picking the phone up with a feigned yawn.