8:33 PM
sinful serenity

---

Naruto is one of those weird teens you figure would have a sense of time similar to that of a dead woodchuck. He is, in fact, not, which is surprising, given the fact he's Naruto. Instead he has a shockingly accurate internal clock, which tells him his day should be going something like this:

---

It is ten thirty-six and one of those off-Tuesdays when Uzumaki Naruto wakes up and decides it is a prime time to visit his favorite ramen stand. Ten thirty-nine and the blonde kid is dressed and out the door, fell off somebody's fourth-story roof and gave the next door neighbor's ugly tree an early pruning.

Ten fifty-nine and he is on the road again, having successfully weaseled out of a lecture from the victimized tree's owner.

Naruto walks (or flops, really) into Ichiraku at eleven fifteen, and pronounces, loudly, "Oi, occhan! Raaaaamen!" Ichiraku's owner smiles at his best customer, and at eleven twenty-three a fresh bowl of steaming miso ramen finds itself plunked down on the counter. "Itadakimasu!" at eleven twenty-four (it takes one whole minute to appreciate the scent) and Naruto begins inhaling the First Ramen of the Day.

Naruto arrives at the bridge at twelve forty-eight, since he predicts Kakashi won't be there anyway, and runs up to greet his teammates with "Good mooorning, Sakura-chaaaan!" and a somewhat less enthusiastic "'Morning, Sasuke", where Sasuke quirks an eye at the lack of an added 'bastard' to his name, and Naruto does not say anything and instead grins indolently. Sakura smiles, says hello, and returns to ogling Sasuke, who finally grunts something that could barely pass for human speech.

Two eighteen and Kakashi makes his grand appearance, explaining that his lateness was all due to the fact he was nearly run over by a eighteen-wheeler this morning, despite the lack of motorized vehicles in Konoha. Naruto and Sakura dutifully shout "LIAR!", and Sasuke once again fails at communication. Kakashi presents them with his bemused, all-knowing look, and deems that today is a fine day for training and not-missions. Naruto complains loudly.

According to Kakashi's tally (he uses the back of the extra book order-form in his icha icha), at three twenty-nine Naruto has called Sasuke a bastard eight and a half times, the half being a "bast--" before he was ducked in the creek, a jerk twice, and an asshole six. The jounin reckons that Sasuke has smirked during their sparring match approximately seventeen times.

Thunk. "BASTARD! I'm gonna--"

Nine and a half, Kakashi duly notes, turns a page and spaces out.

Five forty-five and Kakashi pronounces that training is over, and that Sakura did well (though he expects her to work more and fangirl less), and that Naruto needs to stop losing it and focus on the enemy, and Sasuke...umm...should stop smirking so much. Or something. Sasuke smirks, and Naruto, predictably, gets riled up, so Kakashi grins and takes his leave.

Six o' clock (there was a fifteen-minute scuffle, in which Sasuke emerged victorious, as always) on the dot, Sakura turns hopeful eyes to her favorite black-haired genin and asks if he'd like to go have dinner with her, in which Naruto kicks back to life. Kyuubi boy attaches himself to Sasuke's arm in a leech-like fashion, and demands Sasuke treat him to ramen because he so kicked his ass today, and Sakura glares, and Naruto does his very best 'I-am-going-to-whine-incessantly-unless-you-bugger-off' impression. Sakura sighs mournfully and declares her evening suddenly preoccupied, manages to steal a quick hug from their raven-haired teammate (despite blonde parasite) and darts off. Sasuke scowls--eww was that human contact?--shrugs Naruto off and agrees. (Although he first points out that Naruto is far too much of a dobe to have beaten him in anything. Naruto does not approve.)

Seven o' clock and nineteen bowls of ramen later, Naruto deems himself full (for now), and Sasuke glares and mutters something about paying him back, because now his wallet is thoroughly empty. Naruto grins (without a care in the world) and leans back and babbles. Sasuke toys with a chopstick, twirls it, long wooden rod dipping and threading through his fingers like a fish through the sea, and Naruto watches contently, full enough not to project some jab or other at his partner.

...Although it is only ten minutes later that there is a pair of boys tearing a track through Konoha, because some how or other one of the two provoked the other into a race. (Sasuke wins, of course, though Naruto was almost there this time. Really.)

At seven twenty-seven Naruto lies on a roof top (not the one he fell off, the treacherous thing) with his arms locked behind his head, and watches the stars come out. Sasuke sits next to him, crossed arms propped up on his knees and chin resting on his arms, and Naruto realizes he wouldn't have it any other way. Seven thirty-eight, Naruto breaks the comfortable silence with a laugh and points out how that constellation over there looks exactly like Sasuke's big, over-inflated head. Big head in question snorts, and obsidian eyes flicker to him, and does not say how that cluster up there reminds him of bright blue eyes. Naruto gets it, anyway.

It is after more banter and a quick wrestling match that, at eight thirty-three, Sasuke leans over and suddenly decides that it is prudent to kiss Naruto. Naruto blinks for fifty-nine seconds in appropriate shock, before he yanks Sasuke back down to kiss him again. Two minutes later Naruto breaks off and his mind is foggishly acknowledging 'Damn, Sasuke', as he is rather distracted by the heavy weight of Sasuke's body pressed besides his, and they lie (just breathing) for another few minutes, and then it is Naruto who decides he's just kinda cold and Sasuke is really very warm, appearances aside.

---

When Naruto wakes up next morning and realizes that he and his bedmate are both quite far off schedule, Sasuke mutters something along the lines of "Screw Kaka-sensei," buries his face in his pillow, and tightens his grip on Naruto's waist, and Naruto finds he doesn't mind being late at all, really.