Author's Note: For the sweet and ever wonderful Laura (currently sascrooge on tumblr, usually sasukethesoysauce), whose birthday was almost two months ago. Please forgive me. (I'm going to flat-out state this since I know people won't get it, in this AU, Sasuke is not angsty like his canon counterpart is.)

...

In all expectations, Uchiha Sasuke never thought his day would have gone like this.

Enjoying his routine morning jog was up there – the burn of his muscles sore was too addictive, even if his doctor ordered him to take it easy. You break your leg one time and all of a sudden you're a poor baby who can't take a simple run around the city park. But anyway, that jog, yeah, part of his expectations of the day. Its difference was finding that horrid frog wallet. Not just a wallet with a frog on it, but a frog-shaped wallet. Only a child or complete moron would have one. When Sasuke found its named to be "Gama-chan" on the contact information, he prayed it was a child's.

"Eh?! Did I really forget Gama-chan?"

But what he got was the moron.

Sasuke was sure the man was yelling something on the other end that sounded like, "I really did!", he was certain of it, but his ears were ringing too loudly to comprehend.

"—over by Sixth and North?"

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"Can you meet me at the coffee place at Sixth and North?"

"Java Lava?"

"Yeah! Can you meet me in like—" There was some rustling of paper before a long bang. "—Fuck, I'm late. How about noon?"

"Uh, sure. Are you, uh, OK?" Just as he asked, another loud banging sound came through Sasuke's phone.

"Yeah… yeah! Just runnin' late. So, Java Lava at noon? Yeah? OK, bye!"

Two beeps and then silence.

Sasuke wondered what he was getting himself into. This guy – Uzumaki Naruto, as the "If found, please return to" label stated – didn't sound all there. He shrugged it off, and tried to place the wallet in his pocket, but the frog was too fat to go in. No wonder that guy lost it, there was no way it could fit into someone's pant pocket without falling out. If only Sasuke had worn his sweatshirt during today's run (he just had to try something new and attempt to brace the December winter). Instead, he was forced to hold "Gama-chan" for the remainder of his jog. With the arms and legs flopping around with each of his movements, Sasuke was relieved he didn't have much longer to go. Especially since every child he passed would make a point of wanting their parents to "look at the man with the froggie!" Sasuke was overcome with joy when he caught sight of his apartment building.

He didn't care for the other occupants in his flat when he slammed the door shut; it was time for them to be waking, anyway.

"How was your run," Jūgo asked. "It's pretty cold out." Sasuke knew he had been up before him, but it was only when he would return Jūgo would exit his room to have his coffee. This had been a daily ritual for about… six years now? Yeah, it was. They'd started living together when Sasuke was barely sixteen.

"All good." He responded. He took the mug Jūgo handed him. The warmth that ran through Sasuke gave him a pleasant shiver down his back. "Found some idiot's wallet, but not the idiot. I'm meeting up with him at lunch to return it."

"Sounds exciting." It was an offhand comment, as Jūgo was preoccupied with his animal-nature show, but how fast he turned his head would have made you believe someone slapped him. "Do you need me to come along? Just in case he's a creep? I can stay in the background and stare at him so he's uncomfortable."

Due to Sasuke somehow reminding Jūgo of the only friend he had during the time he spent in a psychiatric hospital, he was quite protective of Sasuke.

"Nah. My dad didn't pay for me to take all those material art classes for nothing." With the wave of Sasuke's hand, Jūgo's tensions lifted. He went back to watching his show again, waiting until the next commercial break to speak again.

"I called in sick for Shark Boy. I know he's going to have a hangover from that party. Probably not going to be up until three, again."

"And Lava Girl?"

"Done with all you twats." Karin threw her wet towel over Sasuke's face. "I would put in cream but you lot never seem to know how to go grocery shoppin'." She made a point of rebellion by snatching Sasuke's mug and chugging down the coffee in one go. "Lil' me havin' to push a shitload filled buggie all the time is fuckin' annoyin'."

Her British upbringing always showed when she was angry.

"I'm not allowed out of the apartment unless I'm with Sasuke; he's busy with school and work, and Suigetsu will spend all the money on gambling. You're the only one who has time."

Sasuke could hear her mentally cursing herself for hiding all the knives in their flat.

"Ya make it sound like I don't do anythin'!"

"Well—"

"Don't even go there, Red."

The sensitive subject was Karin's dancing career. She hasn't been getting along with her group and has been given less important roles as a result.

"Oi! Where ya goin'? I'm not done yet!"

Ignoring her, Sasuke continued his walk to his room. He could briefly hear Jūgo explain to their discussion from before as he went to the shower.

If someone were to stumble into the city without any knowledge of there they were, the possibility they would believe themselves to be in New York City, or even Tokyo, was high. Konoha City (named after the historic village from hundreds of years ago) was just as bustling as any major city in the world. Some would lie and say using the bus system was the way to get around, but in actuality, it was by foot. For every two blocks of apartments, there were three shopping/restaurant avenues. The only drawback was during the winter months like these, extremely cold with dry winds. As Sasuke pulled his scarf up to his nose, he was thankful he replaced his contacts with glasses. He needed to go to the library after returning Gama-chan and he didn't need to spend most of his time pouring eye drops in instead of studying for his exams. Speaking of Gama-chan, he was given a spacious ride in Sasuke's book bag.

Java Lava came into Sasuke's view and he quickened his pace to escape into the warmth of the building. One would think growing up in a mountain region would have made Sasuke used to these chilly winters, but he always loved to surprise people.

Glancing around the area, a problem arose. Sasuke had no idea who this Naruto guy look liked, and he to him.

His look around the room showed no one else gazing around, so it was safe for him to assume Naruto wasn't here yet. In the mean time, Sasuke debated if he was going to get coffee. The effects from his one earlier was almost gone, but he knew he wouldn't finish another one by the time he got to the library (that old hag was extremely strict on the 'No Food No Drink' policy). Maybe if he got a small—

OK, who's the dipshit that bumped in—

"Oh, sorry 'bout that!"

—to his bed. Wait, shit, no. Yeah, sure, the guy was kind of attractive with his tanned skin and how really brought out how blue his eyes were, and maybe his blond hair made Sasuke want to run his fingers through it. And maybe, just maybe, his biceps looked good when he flexed them to put his coat on. But none of that meant Sasuke thought this stranger was some Adonis. No, uh-huh. Not a single thought…

…It's been too long since he last jerked-off.

"Hey! You OK?"

The hand waving around Sasuke's face startled him enough to jump.

"I—I'm fine. Perfectly fine." He was probably blinking more than necessary. A caught off Sasuke was… well… Sasuke didn't like to be caught off guard, alright?

While Adonis chuckled – dimples – for whatever reason, a creeping feeling told Sasuke they've met before.

"Naruto, can you not hurt the customers?"

Adonis stuck his tongue out to the worker (Kiba, according to his name tag) and said something about how he wasn't on duty, so they couldn't get sued.

And then he walked away.

.

.

.

Shit.

On any other day, Sasuke would have held the door open for that old woman, but due to recent events, Sasuke had to race past her if he wanted to catch up to Adon—Naruto.

Naruto.

Of course with Sasuke's luck, the moron he talked to was actually good-looking.

"Hey, Naruto! Wait up!"

The blond stopped and turned around, and Sasuke swore he looked amused.

"Did I actually hurt you?" he asked. There was no genuine concern, the bastard laughed.

Sasuke had tried to catch his breath (jerk managed to get a far distance in such a little time) to care. "No, uh," Sasuke reached into his bag, "I'm the guy that has Gama-chan."

There was no way his smile made everything brighter.

Naruto snatched his wallet and had it pressed against his face before Sasuke could even blink.

"Oh, Gama-chan! I missed you so much!"

There was no denying he was good-looking, but that's all he had going on.

"You didn't even know it was gone until I called." Sasuke stated.

The glare Naruto shot at him was weak and, if he knew what family Sasuke came from, should be ashamed. (Over time, the Uchihas had not only been known for their dominance in the police force, but also their ability to conjure one nasty glare on command. It helped make criminals confess and keeping unwanted people away. Reportedly, the only ones who could rival them were the Hyuugas. Unfortunately, Sasuke had never met a Hyuuga before, so there would be no way he could test that claim.)

Naruto began to walk off, snickering as he said, "I've been busy."

It should have ended there. They go their separate ways, Sasuke to the library and Naruto to wherever he needed to be. But Naruto was heading in the direction of the library. Of course Naruto noticed and of course he had to say something. It's not like he could just raised his eyebrow and gone on with his day.

"Are you gonna try to mug me?"

Sasuke snorted. "I just returned your wallet. If I wanted money, I would have taken some." It's not like Naruto actually believed Sasuke would; he was holding his wallet so loosely. "You know, you didn't even check to see if I did take money."

"Don't need to."

"Why not?"

"You called to return Gama-chan in the first place. I trust you." Naruto shrugged. "So, why are you following me?"

"I'm going to the library," he explained.

Sasuke almost ran into someone when Gama-chan was thrown up against his face.

"I am too! Can you keep Gama-chan in your bag on the way there?"

Dumb and simple-minded. How on Earth did Sasuke even think this guy was attractive?

"You've got a bag to carry him in." Sasuke snorted.

"Yeah, but I've got my work clothes in it." He opened his bag and tried to stuff the frog inside. "See? No good. Besides, it's not like having him is any inconvenience to you."

The puppy-dog look really did suit him, and it was completely affective. Shit.

Nothing was said as Sasuke shoved Gama-chan into his bag.

They spent a good hour in complete silence. Yes, they. Naruto thought Sasuke would get lonely and took it upon himself to join him. Considering how loud Naruto was earlier, Sasuke was surprised on how long he managed. It was a blessing, though, since he would usually study in his noisy apartment. If Karin and Suigetsu weren't fighting, they were blasting music. (Karin would need to practice the little parts she received, and Suigetsu to annoy Karin even more.) Jūgo would usually stay off of his nerves, but when he was about to relapse, he would need to be at Sasuke's side. And while Sasuke understood why it needed to be that way, it was hard to concentrate on his studies when his friend was muttering on about how he was going to kill the next person to enter the room. (A deep part within Sasuke wondered where his priorities was.)

But it wasn't only the silence Sasuke liked. Naruto had a very warm… aura radiating from him. It was warm and secure, and Sasuke had to stop himself from falling asleep a few times. Sometimes, Sasuke would glance up from his readings (only because he heard Naruto huffing) and catch him biting his lips, or licking them. Normally he would ignore another's habits, but he could've sworn they got slower each time he looked up, especially after Naruto caught him in mid-lick.

By saying there was an hour of silence did mean it had been broken.

"What's your study?"

Sasuke tore his eyes off of his text-book and saw Naruto trying to balance two pens by curling his upper lip and scrunching his nose. Just how old was this guy?

"You gonna answer?"

Lifting up his book, Sasuke used his forefingers to point at the CRIMINAL JUSTICE on the cover.

Naruto clicked his tongue – still trying to balance the pens – and gave a nod of approval. "Hero complex?"

"Family tradition."

He nodded some more. "That's pretty cool. For how long?" Naruto leaned in, pens now lay at his side, resting his head on his hands.

This wasn't story time. Sasuke had exams to study for, not give some stranger his family's history, even if said stranger seemed genuinely interested. When it became clear that Sasuke wouldn't talk, Naruto shrugged his shoulders and reached for his phone. Sasuke cringed when he heard the theme music and squawks from Angry Birds. Suigetsu used to play the horrid game all the time on full volume.

"So, what's your favorite band?" He hadn't even looked up, just sitting there with his goofy grin as one of his dumb birds knocked something over.

"Oh, no," Sasuke huffed. "We're not doing the 'My-music-is-holier-than-yours' shit."

Naruto's laugh was loud enough for some table occupants nearby to stare at them. Before Sasuke could kick him in the shin, Naruto moved his leg, but their limbs twisted into an unintentional game of footsie.

"Aw, c'mon! I need some new music."

Naruto was taking advantage of their feet still being in close proximity, nudging Sasuke's – which was making Sasuke blush because goddamn he was playing footsie – and gave a satisfactory smirk once Sasuke closed his textbook.

The shove Sasuke's foot gave Naruto had enough force to physically move the man, which Naruto laughed more too as he straightened himself.

"How about you go first?"

"OK." Naruto said. "I've been a big fan of Fall Out Boy for, like, ever."

"Seriously? What the fuck is this, 2006?"

The nudging of the feet began once more. "What happened to not doing the 'My-music-is-holier-than-yours' shit?" He used air quotations to emphasize his point.

"Hn." Sasuke narrowed his eyes and sank into his chair, pulling his scarf up – thank god he hadn't taken it off – to hide the blush creeping across his face. "I didn't realize I was talking to a 14-year-old girl," he snapped.

Naruto took no offence; he just kept his stupid grin on. "You're probably into that MCR shit, aren't ya?"

Sasuke snorted. "No." An attempt was made to study again, but Naruto's thumb twiddling was agitating. He could see it from the corner of his eye, and once he would look up, Naruto would make clicking noises with his tongue.

He wouldn't shut up.

Fine, Sasuke would play his game.

"What about you," he questioned. "What's your major?"

"I'm studying to be a children's physical therapist." Didn't even bat an eye.

"Why?"

There it was.

Naruto's thumbs continued to twiddle; the only movement that came from his mouth was a twisted scowl.

"Most people ask if I like kids."

Sasuke shrugged. "I like to surprise people."

That scowl was gone. In its wake there was a smile, yes, but it was brittle.

"My friend got in a car accident and died. His cousins were in it too, so when the youngest had to go to therapy for her legs, I went for support. I saw how happy she was to be walking again… It pushed—actually shoved me into this field."

Even with his calm tone, Sasuke was filled with regret for asking. Truthfully, it was a dick move.

"I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be like that." He motioned his hand around like it was shooing Sasuke. "It's depressing remembering it, but I know Neji – my friend – wouldn't want me to be moping around because of it." Sasuke knew the nods Naruto gave were more for his own reassurance.

A switch was flipped and Naruto's bright personality was back.

"But, yeah. Children's physical therapist. It's a lot more fun than you would think. I even got an internship at the hospital downtown!"

Naruto winced at the loud shushing he received from the girl behind him. Even after he apologized, she still looked ready to kill. Sasuke was actually surprised no one had quieted them until now.

While Naruto apologized more, Sasuke picked up his book.

"I'm going to a study room."

"They have those at a public library?" Seriously, how did his neck not snap at his speed?

He pointed over to the corner, a door was open with no light coming out. Vacant and away from everyone else.

It wasn't a surprise that Naruto followed, but Sasuke was surprised he was happy the blond did. He was annoying, right? Annoying and stupid, and talks too much. All that meant Sasuke didn't want him hanging around anymore.

Right?

"Y'know, you're the first person I've told that too. Well, expect for one of Neji's cousins, but still."

Sasuke had to hold myself back. Even if Sasuke made his "Hn" sound half-hearted, he was stunned Naruto was saying that. It took a massive amount of trust to reveal such personal information, something that couldn't be gained in only a couple of hours. (Yes, it happened with Jūgo, but he was a different case.)

"Why'd you do that?" It took everything Sasuke had to make it sound as bored as possible.

"Dunno." He shrugged. "I feel like we've met before… Maybe we knew each other in a past life. Like—like pirates or something."

Sasuke blinked. "Pirates?"

"Yeah!" Naruto squeezed an eye shut and scrunched an index finger in a hook shape, "Argh"-ing at Sasuke.

Even if the whole idea was idiotic, Sasuke gave a small chuckle.

"What kind of pirates would we be?" Not only was Sasuke humoring him, but if there's anything he loved more than the MegaStar series, it was pirates. (One Piece was most definitely his guilty pleasure.)

There wasn't a response from him at first; Naruto was taking his time to figure it out.

"Hm, probably the good kind. We take from those who steal and give it to poor people."

"So the sea version of Robin Hood?"

"Yeah! I was the captain and you were my first mate!"

Sasuke took personal offense to that. First mate? He gets to be the captain while Sasuke was stuck at measly first mate? "Why do you get to be the captain?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, but I'm pretty sure the crew would like me over you." Naruto winked, laughing at Sasuke's pout.

Pfft. Sasuke was a likeable person! His friends liked him – he had friends. They weren't the type of people others would want to be with, but still, friends. And even if he wasn't interested in them, Sasuke had girls who seemed to like him very much. And—and he's had past relationships. While they did fail because he wasn't all into it, the other person had to for the relationship to begin in the first place. To say Sasuke was unlikable was rude.

"You mad?"

Sasuke crossed his arms, slumping down his chair. "A little."

"Don't be!" There was no time to swat Naruto's hand away as he reached over and took one of Sasuke's. "I just—you seem like the type who does what they want over what others say! That's not necessarily bad, but that wouldn't go well for something that involves teamwork."

He didn't know where to look. Naruto was apologetic, but staring into his eyes made some warm feeling happen in Sasuke's stomach. The same could be said for his hand. Naruto had it a little too close to his mouth, letting Sasuke feel his breaths.

"You said you have an internship, right?" Sasuke asked. Not that he didn't care, but Sasuke needed a way out of this, uh…predicament.

If the smile Naruto had when Sasuke returned Gama-chan was enough to brighten everything around him, the one now could light up the whole world. He didn't responds at first – actually, he couldn't properly speak at first. Naruto had so much he wanted to say ("Yes—I—there's this one!"), but all he could manage was to open then close his mouth. Sasuke thought it was adorable how his hands would mimic it. Naruto was too busy trying to form full sentence to noticed Sasuke's laughter.

It took a while, but he finally got his thoughts together. Naruto told Sasuke how he knew the head director of the hospital, and how she gave him a special internship. The hospital he was at was very strict on what goes on, so he had to sign a contract (Naruto's words) to release any information regarding the patients to the public (wasn't that already a thing?) and had to be under his supervisor's eye at all times. And while he couldn't say who, Naruto talked about some of his favorite kids. One boy who had a very nasty fall down a mountain during a camping trip had broken his arm to almost paralysis. Instead of going with strength regimens, Naruto would play games with the kid that did the same work. Apparently, he can now play a Bop-It at a good pace. Or the little girl who's been fighting some disease that causes her leg muscles to grow weak, who's trying her best to keep up the strength to walk.

He was so happy.

This profession wasn't something he chose out of duty, it was something he wants\ed to do. Sasuke knew even after the year of internship (the blond told him), Naruto was still excited to work at the hospital. He also said once he gets enough money, he'll go around the world to help kids in need for free.

He was so enthusiastic about he does.

Somehow, the discussion moved one to personal life, and while Sasuke didn't reveal too much, mostly about his situation with his flat mates (like the time Suigetsu found a dead rat in the toilet), Naruto wanted to talk about everything. Like how during his first year of junior high, his science project – those stupid volcanoes – managed to blow up, and how even on his last day in the school, they were still trying to get stains off of the roof. Or back in grade eleven when he had to pull three all-nighters in a row just to make sure he passed the exams. (He had more dedication that Sasuke ever would.) He was quite a delinquent in high school. Hardly a day would go by where he wasn't in a fight.

"But," he said, "Instead of claiming territory, I'd ask the fellows to watch over everyone else. To be the protectors of their districts, not the terrorizers."

During all of this, Sasuke dropped his "cool attitude", as his mother would say, and just be him. Textbook discarded to the floor, showing interest by hunched over the table, wanting to hear more (that might have to do with how pleasant Naruto's voice was to his ears).

Even if Naruto seemed dumb, he was smart and nice. He doesn't seem to have a bad bone in him. Sasuke bet if someone ever did Naruto wrong, he wouldn't hate them, just try to understand why, and even then become friends with them.

While he wouldn't outright admit it, Sasuke could see himself falling for someone like Naruto.

"Are you blushing?"

If Naruto's voice wasn't enough to startle Sasuke, it was the fact he was leaning in very closely to him. Quickly, Sasuke adverted his gaze through the window, focusing on an empty table. He absent-mindedly pulled his scarf higher.

"I bet it makes you look cuter."

There was no witty comeback, as Sasuke was choking. The consent coughing was the cause of his face furthering to red. Of course, Naruto sat there chuckling, not even bothering to ask if he was alright.

Cute. He thought Sasuke look cute looking like an idiot. No, wait. He thought Sasuke looked cuter. That means he already found Sasuke to look cute.

Cute.

Under no circumstances was Uchiha Sasuke ever cute after the age of seven. Not even on his thirteenth birthday when his older brother bought him the complete collect of the MegaStar Galaxies: Director's Cut, and spent the rest of the day grinning like a mad man and thanking him every five minutes.

"I'm not cute." Sasuke muttered, gritting his teeth. The scarf hid the fact he was also pouting.

"Would handsome appeal to you more?"

Oh, yes.

"What would appeal to me is for you to not flirt." He thought nothing bad would happen if he glanced at him.

Wrong.

It was one of the most dangerous things Sasuke had ever done. Naruto was—was—holy hell that lip lick thing was so much hotter when he had that grin.

Challenging.

"But you like it."

"You're flirting with someone you don't know."

"We've spent the last three hours talking about our lives."

Shut up. That meant nothing. It's not like he told him about—no wait, shit. He did talk about when he was six and got a stomach virus and how he threw-up on his friend. That was the most embarrassing event ever in his life and he told it to a man who he only knew for three hours. Damn.

"Besides, I know you're into me." An eyebrow was shot when glares were fired. "I heard you calling me Adonis."

He purred. He fucking purred the name in that sing-song-y way when you know you have more power than someone else and that's 'cause he did.

Sasuke fucked up. He fucked up in the highest degree. Naruto knew from the very beginning Sasuke was attracted to him and played along just so he could tease him.

"I like you, too."

Shut uppppp, he whined. He was too flustered to respond, to do anything, really. His brain rattled for something, but the only thing Sasuke could think of was reprimanding himself. OK, so a guy he finds attractive likes him back. Shouldn't be that big of a deal, it's happened before. There's no reason of the knees weak, blushing like a fever attitude going on. Christ, his whole fucking head must be red from all of this. He was n—

"Hello?"

Sasuke thought Naruto was talking to him, but for reason, he held his hand up to his ear.

"Really? But you said—Yes, I understand. OK… OK… I will. Bye."

Oh. That was his phone.

Naruto stood. "I gotta go, got called in to the hospital early."

He's leaving? No… No he can't leave. Sasuke wanted to talk more. Pull yourself together, man.

Sasuke quickly stood up, luckily he was near the door.

Neither one of them said anything, which made Sasuke mentally kick himself. He wanted to say something, anything, but nothing would come.

"I guess this is goodbye."

Why was Naruto blushing—?

Maybe three seconds is enough for Sasuke's heart to quit. He stood there like the idiot he was, and when Naruto finally pulled back, he felt his cheek blazing in some weird mix of embarrassment and pleasure. Christ, he shouldn't be acting like a love struck little girl. All Naruto did was give him a peck on the cheek.

"Ah, crap," Naruto's voice cut in. "I shouldn't have done that. I was going with the mood… Sorry."

"N-no. It's fine—perfectly fine."

Even with millions thoughts racking his mind, they all became silent when Naruto smiled.

"So, uh, I gotta go. Tsunade will have my ass if I'm late."

Sasuke nodded, seeming to be the permission he needed to leave.

Naruto began to walk out, but abruptly stopped. "Um, what's your name?" he asked, grinning sheepishly.

Oh. That's right. He'd been hanging out with this man all this time and it never once occurred to Sasuke to give his name. No matter how many times Naruto has already seen him blush, the instinct for Sasuke to bury his nose in his scarf was too strong. This was all so embarrassing. And Naruto's laughing – it seemed so much more warm and inviting – made matters worse.

"U-Uchiha." Sasuke coughed. Seriously, how more uncool could he get? "Uchiha Sasuke is my name."

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured. He nodded, acting as if he liked how it sounds rolling of his tongue. Sasuke decided he did too.

"Well," Naruto said, lifting up his cell phone for the other to see. "I'll see you later, Sasuke."

And as he made his way, Sasuke swore Naruto had a happier skip to his step. Nah, his mind was making it up.

All Sasuke could think about was Naruto on his walk home. His smile and how comparing it to an infectious disease was probably the worst simile he could think, but that's how it was. And the way his lip curled when he smiled and—and the way he licked them (odds were Sasuke was remembering them a bit more seductively than actuality). Speaking of his lips, that way he kissed. Sasuke had been in too much shock to first realize it…wow. Out of his Top 8 kisses, Naruto's came in fourth. So what if it was a peek on the cheek? It was soft and light and it felt warm. Plus, Naruto already promised to meet him again, which meant odds were they would kiss, maybe even on the lips. Yes, on the lips, please.

The group of school girls made him retract his hand from his lips – when did he even reach up to touch them? – and continued his walk back to his apartment.

He gave Karin a curt nod when she was leaving the building as he entered. She also told him something about how Suigetsu "is a complete arse." When Sasuke opened the door, said 'arse' was seated on the couch grumbling about how he hated Karin. Jūgo said nothing as Sasuke went to his room. He laid on his bed, replaying the events of today over and over.

Until he realized one event that didn't happen.

Sasuke first opened his bag to confirm his suspicious (he would not embarrass himself in front of Naruto anymore), then reached for his phone.

You forgot Gama-chan.

There wasn't an instant response. No, Sasuke had to wait seven whole minutes before he received his reply.

damit! i got hosptail duties the rst of the night and tmrrw im busy w/ school! im not free until firday :(

Friday. What was he doing then? He did have a test in Sociology, but that was it. Sasuke had an empty schedule before then, but Friday… Friday was good.

I can drop him off then, but do you even have money?

Yyp! lerned alwys keep some spare $$$ around. but id like him back ;P

That winking face must be a typo. There were tons of them in the other texts, but that in no way stopped Sasuke from smiling.

Want to meet up at Java Lava again? Same time?

yeah!

So, it's a date. See you then.

Four minutes. It took Naruto four minutes to finally respond, and Sasuke was more than sure he was holding his breath the entire him. He was in the middle of regretting calling it a date. What if he scared Naruto? Was it considered taking things too quickly? Sure, Naruto kissed him, but what if Sasuke came off as too eager? What if—?

;) cant wait!

In all expectations, Uchiha Sasuke never thought his day would have gone like this.

It was better than anything he could have ever imagined.