Disclaimer – Implacably not mine.
A/N – Written for Christa Winters as part of a drabble giveaway on my Livejournal. Somewhat longer than a drabble, though.
Every Time a Lunch Bell Rings…
© Scribbler, October 2007.
Everybody made lunch for Sasuke. Or at least, that's how it seemed. All the girls, at least, which was all that counted as far as Naruto was concerned. Every day he watched with naked jealousy as first Sakura, then Ino, then every other girl in class bowed before the bastard with arms outstretched, as if presenting a food offering to a god.
Naruto pretended he didn't care. He scrunched up in his chair, or a tree branch, and ate whatever he'd made. It never looked as good as what Sakura made, or as exotic as Ino's. Sasuke's lunches were colourful, gaudy affairs, while Naruto's were white or pale grey. Or green, but he just cut that part off.
Then one day, not long after they got back from their first big mission, Naruto perched in his tree like usual. He was stiff and sore from shuriken training and in a foul mood because, as usual, he'd missed as many as Sasuke hit.
"Hey, idiot."
Speak of the devil… "Get lost."
Sasuke sighed and threw something pink at him. Naruto caught it out of instinct, and was about to hurl it back when he felt the hard edges of a plastic container. Unwrapping the hankie, he found a carefully prepared bento. There was even a set of chopsticks taped to the lid. He recognised Sakura's handiwork in an instant.
Naruto looked up, but Sasuke was already halfway down the path, hands in his pockets as usual.
"You ungrateful bastard!"
He didn't even shrug.
Naruto spent a few seconds thinking about it, and then settled down to eat. But only because Sakura made it.
Of course.
Fin.