Stellar

5. Piercings

Sasuke set down his bag, taking out his notebook and pencil and placing it on his desk. Quietly, he sat down and glanced at the empty seat beside him.

Kiba must be ditching again today.

He only thought it was kind of weird, since ever since they became friends Kiba would always give Sasuke a heads up before he decided to ditch. He'd at least walk Sasuke to school.

Sasuke shook his head and started toying with his pencil, twirling it around his fingers in a bored manner. Finally he gave up and slumped forward in his seat, sighing. It was always so quiet and boring without Kiba around.

Kiba Inuzuka. Sasuke silently mused to himself, thinking about his only friend. The way the light caught on his messy brown hair, or his eyes lit up when he got excited. Or how he never walked eggshells around Sasuke. He gave him a sense of normalcy.

Sasuke suddenly broke out of his thoughts from a rush of whispers. He didn't move his gaze from the window, but his back straightened when he heard a familiar voice and sheepish chuckle.

"Heh, sorry Iruka-sensei. I didn't mean to be late, but I got held up."

There came an exasperated sigh, from Iruka-sensei no doubt. "Just sit down and let me start my lesson, Kiba."

Light footsteps neared Sasuke, and he heard the scraping of a chair and more whispers.

"Psst. Hey Sasuke."

Sasuke turned, and his jaw went slack, his eyes wide.

Kiba grinned. "Does it look that bad?"

Sasuke couldn't find the strength to muster any words, he closed his mouth, opened them again, then stuffed his face in his hands and stooped so low his forehead touched the desk. What was wrong with him?! He felt his face heat up as the warmth crept up his neck to the tips of his ears. "No." He managed. "It looks good."

Sasuke cleared his throat and raised his head, forcing his face to recede to its usual color. "I'm fine. Sorry."

Kiba chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "So you said it looks good?"

Sasuke nodded. "The stars were a..good choice." He swallowed. Why was he acting this way?! He had to calm down. Drink water. Not stare at Kiba.

"Thanks! The lady said there were other options, so some of them I bought. But apparently I have to keep these ones in for a month for the holes to stay permanent."

Sasuke inhaled, then exhaled. "You really skipped part of class to get your ears pierced?"

Kiba pouted, absentmindedly playing with the star earrings. "Hey! You said they look good. And not just that. I got you something, and I had to stop and get a snack for Akamaru!"

Sasuke raised one eyebrow quizzically. "You got me something? You do realize my birthday is in a week, not today. I thought you were counting down."

"You really doubt me enough to think I don't know your birthday?! Psh, nah this is something else. Just a random gift. I'll still get you something for your birthday. And no, you can't see it now, you have to wait until lunch." Kiba wagged a finger warningly, as if to emphasize his point.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes Mother."

Kiba straightened his back and his shoulders went rigid. "Glad we are on the same page son." He said sternly, before breaking out into a fit of snickers and giggles.

Sasuke chuckled, before covering his mouth with his hand. He cleared his throat, grabbing his pencil and poking Kiba's arm with it, who was still snickering.