Sorry this is late. My Ghost Hunt fics took over my brain. Plus...these guys just wouldn't do what I wanted. O.o Well, this chapter clinches it: there is officially shounen-ai. Darn it. This was supposed to be general...sigh
For those of you who don't like shounen-ai, this is probably going to be the only chapter where there's anything that you couldn't imagine was friendship. So, yeah, the rest of the fic will be back to being 'I'm not sure if that's friendship' rather than overt shounen-ai. ;-; This was supposed to just be something silly...
Two blondes stared balefully at each other from opposite ends of an empty hallway. The older one, with bright clothing, messy hair and a casual stance, hummed under his breath. With his slicked-back hair, tight jaw, and perfect uniform, the younger man just radiated tension.
Silently and suddenly, the younger man moved, reaching into his pocket for his wand. But before he could even grasp it, the older man had disappeared and something sharp was tickling his throat. He could feel its coolness tapping against the heat of his pulse. Slowly, he moved his hand from his pocket.
"Hey, blondie, a little cranky are we?" Naruto couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice as he studied the side of Malfoy's face. The teenager had gone even paler than usual and his eyes were practically vibrating from side to side.
"I bet you're just jealous that I know how to use my weapon better, even if yours is bigger. All you can do is twitch it around." Naruto spoke softly into the young man's ear, watching his eyes get rounder and more panicked with every word.
"But I know how to lots of things, blondie, and you don't even want to know what some of my friends can do with weapons. So you'd better be a little more careful about where you point that thing."
Malfoy, who had turned an interesting shade of pale green, made a small sound in his throat. The ninja assumed that it was meant as assent and carefully let the wizard go. In a flash, Naruto was back to his original position, leaving Malfoy to wonder just how fast the older blonde was. Well, he would have been wondering that, if he hadn't already been wondering about the fastest route to his bed.
Naruto smiled cheerfully and bowed.
"Next time you point that thing at me, I'm shoving it exactly where it belongs, got it kid?"
Malfoy could only nod frantically before backing back down the hall. He wanted to run but couldn't bring himself to turn his back on the older man. So, he settled for scuttling back in a most undignified manner, grateful that his lackeys weren't there to see his disgrace. In a moment, he was gone.
"You enjoyed that a little too much." A sardonic voice came from the only window in the hall.
Naruto didn't look the least bit surprised to hear a voice from the window on the fifth floor. He and Sasuke were ninja, after all. They'd gotten practice with windows whenever the nurses at the hospital had blocked the doorways. For some reason, they never understood how Naruto and Sasuke kept escaping while supposedly gravely injured, and neither man wanted to tell them.
"Hermes told me a few things about that guy; evidently he's a rich snob with an old family and delusions of grandeur. I don't like him." Naruto smirked and began walking back to the large room he and Sasuke were sharing. The headmaster had offered a room to each of them, but neither ninja thought it a good idea, since the rooms he suggested were on opposite sides of the castle. As Naruto had answered when the matter was first brought up, they were in a country halfway around the world from their home with no other known allies nearby. No matter how safe their employers said it was, Naruto and Sasuke both agreed, tacitly, that it would be a stupid chance to take.
"Hermes, dobe?"
"Hermione is too long, and she hates 'Hermie.'" The blonde pouted as his friend fell into step with him. He couldn't help it if long names irritated him.
"Why is 'Hermes' so different from 'Hermie?' The dark-haired man smirked, honestly amused by his partner's childishness.
"Eh? Teme, you mean you don't know the story?"
Sasuke sighed. Why on earth Naruto seemed to have this impression that just because he knew something Sasuke knew it as well was beyond the Uchiha. He'd noticed it lately, that Naruto either assumed that Sasuke already knew things--such as the fact that Kakashi was going out with Iruka--or he felt the need to explain them to the stoic man. It was strange, they spent almost all of their time together, and the few hours a day they were apart Naruto seemed to feel that he had to describe. In detail. With gestures and sound effects.
"Fine, dobe, what's the story?"
"Ehehe, well, it's not actually just one story…I met some foreigners when I was traveling with Jiraiya, and they told me about this really old religion from their country." Naruto's eyes had a far-away look as he remembered his travels. Was it really only a few years ago…?
"Anyway, Hermes was the really clever messenger god. He was a prankster, but because he was so charming and friendly and cheerful, no one cared what he did."
"Hn, sounds like you."
Naruto leaned into his friend so that their arms were touching, batting his eyes. "Why, Sasuke! Did you just call me charming?"
Sasuke could feel his face heating for the second time in a week as he felt the blonde's breath on his face. He wasn't really sure how he should answer that question, especially considering how the whole 'speaking-without-thinking' thing was going. Why had his tongue been faster than his mind lately?
And why was Naruto still getting closer? Hadn't he teased Sasuke enough already? Suddenly Sasuke felt his back hit cool stone wall. When had he begun backing up? Why had be begun backing up? It was only Naruto, after all, someone he'd fought with for years, winning as often as not.
"Naruto, what are you doing?" Oh, good, at least he sounded calm. Was that a hand on his hip?!
"Can't you tell, Sasuke-teme?" The blonde's voice was husky, darn it, and it wasn't helping Sasuke's thought processing.
"Dobe…" The dark haired ninja barely finished his growl before his lips were captured in a heated kiss. Even if he'd seen it coming, Sasuke was still shocked. Sure, neither he nor Naruto had ever had a girlfriend, but neither had had any boyfriends either. Okay, so there were a few dreams, and a few heated looks, but that was--that was…what was that? If the idiot was doing something like this just for kicks, Sasuke'd kill his friend.
The blonde ninja growled at receiving no response from his partner. Sasuke was his most important person, and he knew that he was Sasuke's, too. They'd been inseparable for years, and attracted to each other for almost as long. Did Sasuke miss the memo that said 'hey, guess what, that's not what you call friendship,' or what? Even Tsunande had made more than one joke about their relationship, calling this mission their 'honeymoon,' and hiding a bottle of lube in Sasuke's bag with a note on how to use it. (It really was lucky that they weren't rooming with anyone else.)
Finally, Naruto got tired of Sasuke's surprised stillness and broke the kiss. "You know, it works better if two people are involved, moron."
Sasuke growled again, pushing Naruto off roughly, wondering again how he'd been pushed up against the wall. "What was that, loser?! Was that some sort of prank or something?"
Naruto growled, rolling his eyes. "Stupid teme…C'mere." And with that, the blonde ninja dragged his friend into their room to talk.
Hermione sighed, wishing that the two part-time teachers hadn't been stuck up in the farthest tower from the Gryffindor rooms. That, or that there was a better way to communicate with them, without forcing the teenage girl to walk up six flights of steps. As much fun as Naruto is, she thought grimly, next time he wants to talk he can come down!
It wasn't even like there were interesting portraits to talk to up here! With another grim sigh, Hermione finally came into sight of the door to her teachers' apartments. At the sight, though, she stopped. Something was…odd. With a startled blink, the girl realized what it was: the door was slightly ajar. This made her suspicious, since it was, after all, a pair of ninja she was visiting.
Quietly, she crept closer, barely breathing and stilling her body as the blond man had instructed. Sasuke had immediately snorted in derision at the thought of Naruto, of all people, teaching stealth. That had caused another one of their verbal sparring matches, which might have even ended up in a physical fight if they hadn't been in the main dining hall eating breakfast at the time. Hermione loved the fact that they ate with her, even if they still scared the other students.
At the door, she paused, closing her eyes and straining her ears. After a moment, her eyes popped open and her cheeks flared a bright red. Oh! Alright then…Hermione paused to think, wincing as the noises in the room became a little louder. Should she interrupt them and attempt to have her discussion with Naruto? He was the one to tell her the place and time, after all, though he'd obviously forgotten about her.
Another loud…noise decided her. I'll just whine at Naruto over breakfast tomorrow. He wouldn't be thinking properly anyway, I'm sure.
Turning to go, she suddenly remembered something and grinned. Then, she chuckled to herself, not caring that she sounded a bit mad. "Well, I guess I can tell Ron and Harry that I've won the bet, then. It's too bad Neville didn't join in…"