Everyone Else is Doing IT -ch6

Everyone Else is Doing IT
(part 6)
SasuNaru

Naruto and Sasuke bond unconventionally over XXX Yaoi fanfiction. Neji turns out to have an interesting talent or two. Gaara is Gaara. Psychotic and unpredictable, with a penchant for black.

______

Naruto settled down into his computer chair, overjoyed to be home at last. Now he could finally get back to what he’d been wanting to do for days.

Read fanfiction.

So what if one of the authors was stalking him? Who cares. He’d probably never meet them face to face, and he had more important things to worry about.

Despite all this, he still signed in as Bob.

He stretched as he waited for his login to be processed. On the brink of exciting new scenarios and smuttery, life felt pretty damn good.

He was still mad at Sasuke for locking him out, and not bothering to see him at Neji’s place. I mean, wasn’t it a bit asshole-ish to just leave his stuff there outside the gate where anyone could’ve picked it up?

So, he avoided all the SasuNaru and went for NejiNaru. Now that he was almost positive that Neji wasn’t the one writing these things, it took a lot of the pressure off.  

He opened fateHASu’s author page, to see what they’d been up to. Oooo. Several new stories, one of which was posted yesterday. See? It couldn’t be Neji. I was there the whole time, and Neji didn’t so much as look at a computer.

‘I can’t take it anymore,’ the Hyuuga said angrily. ‘He always comes between us.’

‘Is that what this is about?’ Naruto replied. ‘You know I haven’t even seen him in years.’

‘Liar!’ the dark haired boy shouted, rounding on the blonde. “I saw him with you last night.’

‘We’re just friends, Hyuuga,’ the blonde said coldly. ‘who are you to dictate what I do?’

‘Just friends…’ the words hurt, stabbing as if they were being engraved upon his heart. The Hyuuga floundered as the cruel words opened a well of despair, and seething anger.

Naruto blinked. “Wow, I’m being an asshole. Poor Neji.”

‘Goodbye,’ Naruto said, with one more glance from his deeply blue eyes.

Neji grabbed Naruto by the arm. ‘I won’t let you go back to him. I won’t let you slip away from me.’

‘Let go.’

‘No.’

‘Neji – ‘

But Neji wasn’t listening, He pulled the blonde to him, their lips crashing together as Neji steered the backwards to the bed.

Naruto struggled against him.

Neji deepened the kiss, wringing a moan from the other boy. They fell onto the mattress, Naruto struggling weakly as his mouth was plundered. Neji  pinned the blonde’s hands over his head in one hand. Naruto strained against the bonds, and met Neji’s eyes.

‘Neji, we can’t.’

Neji’s free hand slid down the tightness of Naruto’s stomach. ‘We can, and we will.’ Neji’s hand slipped low.

Naruto gasped as the roving hand encircled him, sliding easily under the barrier of cloth. ‘Uhhhhn Neji’  he moaned, shaking his head and writhing. ‘Pleeease s- stop’

‘Aren’t we more than just friends, when I know the feel of you in my hands? When I know the taste of you, the sight of you naked beneath me?’

Naruto shuddered at the words, each one stoking a fire within him. ‘No, I –’

‘He won’t be good enough. He won’t understand like I do, how you crave submission.’

Naruto shook his head, secretly reveling in the pressure on his hands, the forcefulness of the Hyuuga’s voice and hands.

Wow. Neji sure had a kink here, didn’t he? Oh wait – Neji didn’t write it… So I guess that means I have a kink, Naruto thought to himself. Both he and the written version of himself seemed unhealthily reactive to bondage/submission.

*chime*

<fateHASu>: Hello Bob.

Well, well, well, look who it is.

<Ramenluvr>: hello stalker
<fateHASu>: Enjoying the latest?
<Ramenluvr>: yeah
<fateHASu>: … Still reading?
<Ramenluvr>: mmmhmm. right in the middle. who knew bondage could be so much fun?

Whoops. Being friendly with the stalker was one thing. Giving the stalker ideas was not the smartest.

<fateHASu>: Hahaha. I admit, this one is a bit twisted.
<Ramenluvr>: so i see. who is the mystery pain in the ass neji mentioned?
<fateHASu>: I can’t tell you that.
<Ramenluvr>: huh. maybe i’ll figure it out on my own then
<Ramenluvr>: back to reading…

‘Ah! Neji!’ Naruto cried out. He buried his face in the sheets as the dark haired boy nipped a trail up his back and over his neck. Neji’s fingers were wrapped around his hips, digging in, as he pulled Naruto back against him.

Naruto’s body was tingling all over, and there was a tugging ache building low in his belly. He could feel the Hyuuga moving within him, sparking off the sensations that were rapidly overwhelming him.

‘Why do you want him?’ Neji growled at the back of Naruto’s neck, making him shudder. ‘He’s nothing but an asshole to you.’

‘H-Habit?’ Naruto gasped out. ‘He was my first… it’s j-just…hard to… forget-Ah!’

‘I’m not letting him have you. You’re  MINE.’

Naruto felt the possessive voice thrum through his entire being. His body tensed up, holding tightly onto Neji from within as Neji stroked him from without. A sharp bite on his ear sent him over the edge. He cried out loudly, Neji echoing him soon after.

Naruto read the last of the fic in a haze, feeling flushed. That was the most… complete fic he’d read by the author so far. A blush blazed across his cheeks as he remembered Neji’s accidental kiss.

<Ramenluvr>: uh wow. i think i’ve been rendered speechless
<fateHASu>: In a good way?
<Ramenluvr>: yes
<fateHASu>:
<Ramenluvr>: you seem to be getting more x-rated than before. it’s really good
<fateHASu>: I had some recent inspiration.
<Ramenluvr>: 0_0  such as?
<fateHASu>: Hahaha. Oh, Naruto, that would be *telling*.
<Ramenluvr>: dude. it still bothers me when you whip my name outta nowhere
<fateHASu>: Why?
<Ramenluvr>: because!
<Ramenluvr>: it makes me remember you are writing about ME doing all that stuff
<fateHASu>: That’s the point though, isn’t it? Wanting to see you do all those things…
<Ramenluvr>: >__< stop being creepy
<fateHASu>: How is that creepy? Who wouldn’t want to see you like that? Drowning in pleasure…
<Ramenluvr>: plenty of people. in fact, i daresay MOST
<fateHASu>: You underestimate your appeal.
<Ramenluvr>: …
<fateHASu>: I’d eat you up in a heartbeat.
<Ramenluvr>: ((way creepy))
<fateHASu>: *chuckle* Maybe I should just come over and tie you up. I’d love to see you in nothing but bondage.
<Ramenluvr>:  D:<
<fateHASu>: Would you cry out my name, if you knew it?
<Ramenluvr>: no
<fateHASu>: You would for Neji, why not me?
<Ramenluvr>: “oh, fateHASu, yes!”
<Ramenluvr>: eh. it just isn’t the same
<fateHASu>: Just to hear you moan for me… names are so inconsequential.
<Ramenluvr>: u r sick
<fateHASu>: Mmmm Maybe so.
<fateHASu>: I’m sick for you, Naruto. I think about you all the time.
<Ramenluvr>: are you trying to make me stop talking to you??
<fateHASu>: lol
<Ramenluvr>: i mean it, i am so close to cutting you off
<fateHASu>: I know, I know. But you are just so fun to tease.
<Ramenluvr>: …
<fateHASu>: Why does it bother you so much, Naruto?
<Ramenluvr>: what?
<fateHASu>: That anyone would find you desirable…
<Ramenluvr>: …well…
<fateHASu>: That anyone would want to push you up against a wall and have their way with you. That anyone would find you devastatingly sexy…
<Ramenluvr>: o_o
<Ramenluvr>: *cough*
<Ramenluvr>: i don’t think anyone thinks that
<fateHASu>: No? Well, I’m sorry to say that you are quite unobservant. Or, perhaps naive is more appropriate?
<Ramenluvr>: hey, watch it now
<fateHASu>: Don’t you remember how many heads you turned when all you did is forgo that orange jacket of yours? Or how many of them watched surreptitiously as you paraded down the street in nothing but boxers the other day.
<Ramenluvr>: HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?
<fateHASu>: I’m observant. Especially when it comes to you.
<Ramenluvr>: who are you, damn it! I want to know
<fateHASu>: *liiiiick*
<Ramenluvr>: U*#(%@&$%
<fateHASu>: Heh heh. You’re adorable, Naruto. Such a natural little uke.
<Ramenluvr>: fuck you
<Ramenluvr>: how come you don’t bother neji? why is it all about me?
<fateHASu>: I’m a seme. I know my prey, little firecat. Reluctant uke that you are, you’d put up one hell of a fight, then submit so deliciously.
<Ramenluvr>: that’s it.

Naruto closed the window, his eyes still huge. Whoever his stalker was, they certainly were ballsy, he’d give them that.

Naruto’s cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Naruto, it’s Neji.”

“Hi, Neji!” Naruto chirped into the phone. Boy, did he feel awkward considering the story he’d just read. He ignored the flush he felt grace his cheeks.

“I was wondering if you had spoken with your Uchiha friend about the other day?” Neji’s voice was deep and strangely captivating.

“Uh -  I haven’t… yet. I’m still sort of too mad to.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. “Naruto… How was it that you were dressed the way you were when you got locked out?”

“Er.” Well, hell. That was not a simple question to answer. “I had just woken up, and then Sakura came over, and I invited her in but Sasuke was apparently feeling bitchy so he kicked us both out.”

“You sleep over other people’s houses dressed like that?”

“Um…I didn’t really think about it I guess. I don’t usually stay over other peoples’ houses...” Naruto trailed off, feeling a little sullen. No one was beating down the door to invite him for sleepovers. As it was, he’d forced himself into Sasuke’s house unannounced.

“Naruto, you are more than welcome to stay here any time you like.” Neji paused delicately. “I know living alone can be difficult at the best of times.”

Naruto felt inexplicably moved. “Th-Thanks, Neji. I – don’t know what to say.” Few people seemed to remember that Naruto lived by himself, that he could barely cook well enough to sustain himself – hence the ramen habit, and that he was a people person in forced solitude so he was prone to loneliness. Some days it just SUCKED.

“You don’t have to say anything. It’s a standing offer.”

Naruto smiled. Why hadn’t he become friends with Neji sooner? He was SO nice. Not like some people. Even so, they didn’t know each other all that well. “Say… do you maybe want to hang out again some time? Like, when I’m not having a crisis?”

Neji laughed. “You sound so uncertain. Do you think I’ll turn you down?”

“Well, you must be busy and all – I didn’t want to impose -”

*beep beep*

“Oh! Hey, Neji, hang on a sec. I have another call.”

“Ok.”

Naruto switched over to the other line. “Hello?”

“Naruto.” Attitude was just imbued within that one spoken word.

“What?” Naruto snapped.

“Why haven’t you been returning my phone calls?” Sasuke’s voice was clipped and sharp. It pissed Naruto off.

“Because I’m MAD at you. Surely you understand how this works?!”

“Why are you mad at ME? Neji – ”

“What does any of this have to do with Neji??” Naruto yelled. “YOU are the one who locked me outside, with no means of communication, and no hope of saving my dignity since I was practically streaking through the village, trying to find some DECENT person who could lend me some freaking CLOTHES!”

“Naruto, I’m sorry about that – ” Sasuke started impatiently.

Naruto cut him off. “To top that, you don’t like the person who actually helped me, and like an asshole, you tossed my stuff into the street where anyone could have snagged it!”

“I didn’t! Naruto, you don’t understand, Neji – ”

Naruto hung up on him. Why did Sasuke have to BE like that? Why couldn’t he be normal and well adjusted, or at the very least NOT a jerk off? It was like he thrived on being difficult.

“I’m back,” he said to Neji.

“You sound annoyed.”

“That was Sasuke.”

“I see.”

“GOD!” Naruto fumed. “He really can be such a bastard sometimes! He couldn’t even really apologize or anything. In fact, he told me I had no right to be mad, and was somehow trying to blame this on you.”

“Maybe you should avoid talking to him, if it works you up this much.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”

*chime*

Naruto cursed.

He swept his irritated gaze over to the computer screen.

<Uchiha1>: NEJI IS THE STALKER, DOBE

“Hold on a second, Neji. The bastard is IMing me.”

Naruto turned to his computer with a scowl on his face.

<Ramenluvr>: yeah right. i already know it isn’t him.
<Uchiha1>: Isn’t it convenient that he showed up just when you needed help?
<Ramenluvr>: isn’t it CONVENIENT that some bastard locked me outside in nothing but my underwear, so any stalkers out there would have easy access to me?!?!
<Uchiha1>: Naruto, I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking.
<Ramenluvr>: yeah, well sorry isn’t good enough
<Uchiha1>: What do you want me to do?
<Ramenluvr>: i want you to leave me alone
<Uchiha1>: I can’t
<Ramenluvr>: sure you can. just stop trying to talk to me and everything will work out fine
<Uchiha1>: I came to see you when I brought your stuff. They wouldn’t let me in.
<Ramenluvr>: damn it sasuke! i’m not discussing this with you

“Naruto?”

Oops, I forgot I was on the phone too! “Crap! Sorry Neji -”

“It’s alright. It’s just that I have to go.”

“Oh.” Naruto felt vaguely disappointed.

“Call me some time when you want to get together.”

“O-Okay!”

“Bye, Naruto.”

“Later, Neji.”

<Uchiha1>: Where the hell did you go??
<Ramenluvr>: i was on the phone, asshole
<Uchiha1>: With who?
<Ramenluvr>: neji : P
<Uchiha1>: So you don’t care that he’s your stalker? You’re totally over it?
<Ramenluvr>: how do you manage to sound so sarcastic even when you type?
<Uchiha1>: Don’t change the subject.
<Ramenluvr>: don’t tell ME what to DO!
<Uchiha1>: You asked for my help with this in the first place!
<Ramenluvr>: maybe i changed my mind.
<Uchiha1>: When you spent the night there, did you or did you not sleep in Hyuuga’s bed?
<Ramenluvr>: …

Naruto thought about that. He was a little hazy on the specifics, but he did sort of remember falling asleep in Neji’s room. But, when he woke up in the morning, Neji wasn’t there. Did that even count?

<Uchiha1>: (waiting)
<Ramenluvr>: yeah, i guess i did. but it’s not like he slept there too.
<Uchiha1>: I don’t believe that. He made it clear that you were both in HIS bed.
<Ramenluvr>: what do you mean ‘made it clear’?
<Uchiha1>: I TOLD YOU. I spoke to Neji at the gate, and he wouldn’t let me IN!
<Ramenluvr>: not this again
<Uchiha1>: How else would I know you slept in his bed?!
<Ramenluvr>: goodbye sasuke

Naruto closed the window, and exited the program. He didn’t feel like being bothered anymore tonight.

He drifted to his bed and allowed himself to fall onto it face-first. Stupid Sasuke. He’d planted a seed of doubt in Naruto’s mind about Neji, and Naruto resented him for it. Neji had been nothing short of wonderful. But, try as he might, he couldn’t quite shake his doubts. Would Sasuke really make something like that up, just out of spite? He hadn’t seemed like he was lying, but then Naruto tended to believe everyone by default.

---

The cavernous maw of the living room was cold and desolate in the moonlit hours before sunrise. Sasuke knew this well, as he’d taken to pacing there when he couldn’t sleep. Which had only become a problem as of late.

He kicked at the pristine white carpet, wondering what had possessed his parents to put in a color that was so hard to keep clean and how he was going to deal with the Hyuuga problem. Foremost in his mind, however, was how to get Naruto on proper speaking terms. The blonde could be exceedingly catty when he was unhappy with you. And for Sasuke, who had rarely even seen that side to him, it hurt. This of course annoyed him to no end - that his feeling of well being, as it were, could be so affected by the whims of an idiot.

“Dobe,” he muttered.

Sasuke caught his reflection in the large glass panels that overlooked a small, private section of garden before the high wall that bordered the Uchiha property. He saw his mouth turn down, and his eyes narrow in distaste at the poor planning of such an area. What was essentially a glass wall should have been strategically placed in front of something more worth looking at. This was pitiful – 11 feet of grass, and negligible plants, and a giant gray wall.

Putting that aside, Sasuke regarded his reflection with a critical eye. Was there any way that he was physically inferior to Hyuuga? His eyes were large and dark in the perfect paleness of his face and his black hair merged with the darkness. His features were decidedly androgynous which he suspected was one of the things that could make fan clubs spring up all around you. Hyuuga suffered some of the same – but his fans had learned to be more secretive. No. Neither of them was inferior to the other physically. They were merely… different.

Hyuuga.

What was it that Naruto saw in him?

Sasuke clenched his fist. He knew, somehow, that he was losing Naruto before he ever had him.

As soon as he had begun to realize how he maybe sort of felt towards the blonde, things had already gone wrong. He had inadvertently sabotaged it all and sent Naruto like a moth to Hyuuga’s flame.

That day that he kicked Naruto and Sakura out of his house, he hadn’t really thought everything through. He had overreacted to discovering Sakura’s presence because he usually let down his guard when it was just him and Naruto.  It felt like an ambush. He’d trusted Naruto not to bring her in, and yet there she was, eyes glued to his head like she was deciphering a puzzle. Maybe it was a bit much to say the word betrayal crossed his mind, but it wouldn’t be inaccurate. There was a reason he didn’t let people past his frosty exterior. It kept them at bay. The last thing he needed were people like Sakura professing to understand him, and his feelings. Naruto never said such things, but he did understand him. Underneath all their bickering was a camaraderie that went deeper than any bond Sasuke had ever had. He was sure the blonde felt the same way.

So how was it that Hyuuga was so easily taking Naruto away from him? He had Naruto in a web of crafty words and maneuverings, reeling him in so expertly that Naruto wasn’t aware of the slightest danger.

Sasuke grit his teeth.

What was that old proverb…? ‘Know thy enemy’?

Yes. That was it.

Sasuke abandoned the living room, and made the trek back to his room. He sat down at the computer, and flicked the power switch on. The black machine hummed and whirred, life stirring in its fabricated mind.

Sasuke had no problem finding fateHASu’s (a.k.a. Hyuuga’s) author page. He glared at the screen when he saw the date on the newest one. He opened it and started to read, his scowl growing darker by the moment.

---

Naruto yawned.

It was finally Friday, and the end of the stupid academic rotation. He grinned sleepily at the thought of getting some real training in. He’d really gotten lax without Sasuke to…

Oh damn.

Starting Monday, he’d be dealing with Sasuke face to face again. “Arrrrgggghh!” he yelled. Starting Monday, he’d be dealing with Mr. Holier-than-thou-I-know-everything Sasuke and the repercussions of their fight. He felt his stomach turn at the prospect of dealing with that glare for the next slice of eternity.

“Don’t think about it,” he said to himself. “You have three full days before you are doomed to get ulcers. Enjoy them.”

Naruto stared at his ceiling, suddenly unmotivated to get out of bed. As soon as he did, the day would begin, and the next thing he knew, it would be Monday. The thought of it gave him a feeling that was a cross between having butterflies and heartburn.

---

Sasuke had dark circles under his eyes the next day, but no one had the nerve to mention it. Some of the fan girls cooed in concern, but one sharp look from him and they backed off quicker than usual. Sasuke hated the academic rotation. He didn’t mind the research and studying, he just despised being in range of so many drooling, vapid headed admirers. That, and he barely got to see Naruto. He wondered what the other boy was up to at those times… probably hanging out with all his friends.

Sasuke slid into a seat in the middle of the classroom. He steepled his hands in front of his face, and stared ahead fixedly, ignoring the usual stares. Don’t they know that’s bloody irritating?!

He let his mind wander as more of his fellow ninja trickled in. He had been up all night, drinking antacids as he read the Hyuuga’s exploits with HIS Naruto. It didn’t tell him much except that Hyuuga had a fertile imagination, and more than a few kinks. However, the first one he read, the newest addition, hinted at recent events. This could be bad or good.

The Good: Sasuke suspected that he himself was the “asshole” being referred to as an annoyance on the Hyuuga’s part and a hang up on Naruto’s. It was possible then that Naruto still thought and talked about him, which must annoy the longhaired boy if he bothered to write about it.

The Bad: Judging by when this had been written, and the increased XXXed ness when compared to the other stories, it was very likely that something had happened between them. Then there was the fact that fan-fiction-Neji told fan-fiction-Naruto not to talk to or see fan-fiction(Sasuke?). And currently, Naruto was not in fact on speaking terms with Sasuke.

Sasuke refused to pursue that train of thought. Entertaining that story’s legitimacy for even a millisecond had made Sasuke’s eye start twitching, and his head was now starting to pound with gusto.

Someone took the seat next to Sasuke.

“Hello, Uchiha.”

Sasuke’s eyes slid to the right of him to see Hyuuga’s typically blank, yet superior expression marked by a slight smirk.

Sasuke decided to ignore him.

The instructor called the assembled group to order. Sasuke still hadn’t spotted Naruto, but didn’t fancy craning his head to see if the blonde had just arrived late. “Where’s Naruto?” he asked the pale-eyed boy to his right without looking at him, figuring the Byakugan user wouldn’t have had a problem.

“He isn’t here.”

“What?” Sasuke looked up. “Where would he be? He knows they give special instructions to teams on the last day.”

Neji’s expression was amused, the smirk curved across his lips. “Maybe he was tired, Uchiha,” he said suggestively.

Sasuke saw red for a moment, wanting to rip Hyuuga’s throat out. He could almost feel the flesh between his fingertips.

“Are you sure he even wants to see you?” He remembered Neji taunting him. “Maybe he won’t want to bother getting out of my bed to do so.”


Then Sasuke remembered where he was, and that he would be suspended for doing something like murdering Hyuuga, even if it was justified. He couldn’t afford that now. Soon, his team would reassemble and Naruto wouldn’t be able avoid him. He’d be able to confront the blonde and make him see reason. He leaned back in his seat, not remembering moving forward. “Anytime, Hyuuga,” he growled.

“EVERYONE!” the instructing shinobi called out. “We are going to try something different this time. As a test of your team instructors’ leading skills, as well as your own capabilities with team work, and adaptability, we will be mixing up the teams and their leaders for this rotation.”

Sasuke stiffened. What the hell was this about? New teams??

Neji laughed softly next to him. Obviously, he saw this as an opportunity. He had the chance of being placed on Naruto’s team, whereas Sasuke, currently a team member, had zero chance at remaining so.

The instructor began barking out the groupings.

There was a tense silence between the two dark haired shinobi. The cards were falling, and neither one knew who would have the upper hand.

“Sasuke, Sakura, Lee!”

Sasuke cursed How the HELL do I not get Naruto, yet I keep Sakura?!

“Tough break, Uchiha.” Neji smiled infuriatingly.

“Neji – ” the instructor called out, then paused to consult his list.

The tension crackled between Neji and Sasuke. This was the moment of truth. Would Naruto be –

“Neji, Kiba, Hinata!”

Neji cursed.

Sasuke smiled.

The question was, who would Naruto’s new teammates be, if it wasn’t Sasuke OR Neji?

They waited, and waited. Endless teams were announced. Finally, the instructor was nearing the end of the list. It wouldn’t be long now.

“Ino, Shino, Kankuro!”

Oh, that’s right. They still had some of the visiting sand-nin.

“Chouji, Temari, Sebiki!” Temari made a sound of disgust.

“Naruto-”

Neji and Sasuke snapped to attention.

“Is Uzumaki Naruto in attendance?” The instructor’s eyes swept the room.

Neji stood. “Sensei. He is not here, but I can relay the team assignments to him.”

The instructor looked disapproving, but he nodded. “That will suffice. Please inform him that if he fails to appear on the day assignments are distributed, he will be facing immediate suspension.”

“As you wish.” Neji bowed slightly and retook his seat.

Sasuke seethed. Why hadn’t HE thought of doing that?

“MOVING ON,” the instructor called out, rustling his papers. “Uzumaki, dead last, Naruto…” There was a rumbling of amusement and catcalls from the assembled ninja. “Shikamaru, Gaara!”

Neji and Sasuke started, and shared a quick look of horror. The psychopath!  

They tuned in unison, surreptitiously glancing upwards to where the sand-nin was seated next to his siblings. His face looked blank at first glance, but if you looked closely, you could see the fragmented smile disturbing the stillness there.

One strange, black outlined eye rolled down to regard them. It was not a friendly look. Neji was closer to that gaze, and Sasuke could practically feel his muscles tense.  

This three-ringed circus had just become a hell of a lot more complicated.


_______________________________________________________
TBC