Bruises & Bitemarks (SasuNaru)

12.

In the morning, Sasuke and I head for the cafeteria for breakfast together. Having the majority of the people in the room stare at us is extremely nerve-racking, especially considering the cafeteria is a really big room and this is about the time most people eat. I try to ignore all the eyes upon us and focus on my food, but it's not that easy. Sasuke across from me, on the other hand, looks completely comfortable, as though he were alone at home. I don't know how he does it.

"Sasuke," I mutter under my breath.

"Hm?"

"Everyone's staring."

"Mm."

"It doesn't bother you?"

"It does, but I'm so used to it that I can pretend it doesn't."

I sigh and stare at the remaining half of my sandwich. It doesn't really appeal to me anymore. I put it down, then push my tray back so I can cross my arms on the table and rest my chin on them.

"Does it bug you that much?" asks Sasuke, sounding concerned.

"It shouldn't," I say, half to myself. "I'm used to being stared at, and with worse intentions than this. But it's not really the same. All this attention... How can you stand it?"

My words remind me of when I realized how little Sasuke enjoyed being popular. Before I knew him, I thought he liked it and was just pretending he didn't care because the fangirls thought that was cool. But all the staring, all the whispering...

I expect him to bring up that conversation, but he doesn't. "To be honest," he says, "I don't really notice it anymore. I used to be able to feel eyes on me, but now if I don't see them staring then I won't know."

"I don't think I'll ever lose the ability." I sigh. "D'you wanna get out of here?"

"Sure."

Even as we leave the caf, heads turn and whispers rise around us. A few people follow us out. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I wonder if they're actually following us, not just going in our direction. They certainly seem to be talking about us. When they realize that we're heading back to our dorm, they veer off in another direction, but I see them heading back the way we came. I sigh again. Sasuke smiles at me and takes my hand. Despite the fact that this reminds me of the reason we're suddenly the centre of attention, it does make me feel better. I smile back.

As soon as I step inside our dorm building, I get a half-second of warning in the form of someone shouting "NARUTO!" before I'm almost bowled over by Kiba speeding down the hall. I manage to flatten myself against the wall just as he shoots past. Looking in the direction from which he came, I spot Neji, Sai, Gaara, and Shikamaru, who haven't bothered to run. (I'm not surprised – they hardly ever join in when Kiba and I are hyper.) Sasuke, who was smart enough not to go through the door when Kiba shouted, enters, and all heads snap towards him.

"Naruto!" Kiba repeats, quickly coming back to us. "What the fuck is going on? Why are you – how did – what—?"

"Calm down, Kiba," I say quickly. "Why are you so worked up?"

"Why am I – Naruto, the whole school is saying that you're gay for Uchiha Sasuke!"

My cheeks flush in defiance at his words. "You don't have to say it like that, bastard. And in case you haven't noticed, Sasuke's right next to you."

"I'll leave you to it, then," Sasuke says. Alarmed, I turn to look at him, but before I can say a word, he puts a hand on my shoulder and kisses me lightly on the cheek. "I'll catch you later, alright?" And he proceeds up the stairs to our dorm, totally ignoring the fact that he just turned my face the colour of a tomato in front of all my friends. Belatedly I think of shouting, "That's not what I meant!", but then I realize it's way too late for that.