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The New Mission

As the sunrise peaked over the mountains surrounding Konaha, trails of light trickled into Naruto's apartment. It was morning. Sasuke, feeling the warmth of the new day, slowly opened his eyes, adjusting them back to reality. Even though the night before was stressful, to say the least, he felt fully rested. More importantly, he didn't feel chilly or overheated, which meant...

No fever.

Perhaps it was caused by the nightmare, just a fluke, or a bodily reaction to him reliving his trauma's so vividly. As the rest of his body woke up, he attempts to lean forward, but feels his right hand touching something... His eyes wander to his hand, tucked nicely underneath Naruto's head. His eyes widen as he remembers touching the blonde's locks as he fell asleep... Naruto had leaned into his hand more though. Sasuke's palm was nearly cupping his friends' cheek. And while Sasuke was happy to have been that close to Naruto throughout the night, he was afraid what the blonde would think when he woke up. Yet, if he moved his hand, that would definitely wake him... Should he just wait it out? So they can laugh it off later? He went through his options.

Sasuke studied the top profile of Naruto. He knew he should move his hand, but he truthfully didn't want to. He felt so sure that this was his "home," since he'd never wanted to be touching another person for an extended period of time like he was now. He sighed. He knew he needed a sliver of affirmation from Naruto that the feeling was mutual, otherwise his wants would never be fulfilled. Naruto seemed so peaceful, fitting perfectly in Sasuke's palm. He could feel his heart flutter the more he gazed, like a child looking at their crush...

What's that?

Sasuke's eyes swiftly darted to door, where he could feel the vibrations of footsteps making their way towards Naruto's apartment. The sun had only just dawned. Who was coming to the door this early? And what would they think if they saw this? He had to wake Naruto up... The footsteps were getting closer, forcing Sasuke to do the one thing he didn't want to. Eyes closed, he aggressively yanked his hand out from underneath Naruto, in order to guarantee a wake up call. His head went forward and...

Like a slap in the face, Naruto practically flew up.

"Huh? What?" He was wobbling around, half asleep still, searching for the reason he woke up so alarmed. As he turned around, he saw Sasuke sitting in his bed and, in an instant, his body language completely softened. Instead of being on guard, he relaxed, opening himself up to Sasuke. He seemed almost relieved to see him still in his bed.

"What happened?" Naruto, even slower in the morning, was still piecing everything together, but he was pulled out of that quick enough. It clicked. Naruto rushed over to the bedside, placing a hand on Sasuke's forehead. "Your fever, y'know!" Sasuke swatted Naruto's hand off of him and just looked at the door. "Huh? Sasuke...?" Naruto whispered, confused, kind of hurt by Sasuke's rude morning greeting. But there was no time for pleasantries.

Two loud knocks echo through Naruto's apartment, stopping time. Naruto stands straight up and follows Sasuke's eyes to the locked door.

The raven haired boy slides out from underneath the covers and sits on the edge of the bed, noticing how Naruto has yet to move. Sasuke's eyes trail up Naruto's body, studying him. Why's he nervous? He could feel an uneasiness extending from Naruto aura.

Sasuke looked down. He must know...

Hinata...

Naruto quickly fixes his hair and then shoots Sasuke a plastered smile before heading to the door. He swings it open, which is when Sasuke confirms his suspicion with one glance... Yes, it was Hinata... Sasuke was careful not to move, so as to attract her attention. He could tell Naruto wasn't letting Hinata inside, probably because he didn't want her to know that Sasuke'd slept in his bed, or even just stayed the night in general. Sasuke swallowed the pain...