When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 16 -

Naruto shambled home from school that day with mixed emotions. On the one hand, he had given Sasuke a boner, which was just hilarious. Even now, as he marched up the stairs to his apartment, a cheeky grin crossed over the blond's face at the thought of his boyfriend's embarrassed blush.

Ha, even the great Uchiha can have lustful thoughts, then...

Of course, as amusing as that particular situation had been, Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit depressed about the ordeal later that day with Gaara. Sure, Naruto trusted the redhead, but he was apparently alone in that respect. Shikamaru, Kiba, Lee, even Sasuke – they were all suspicious.

No, suspicious wasn't a strong enough word – they were afraid. All throughout lunch, even after they'd gone back to their conversations, they kept glancing at Gaara, thinking that he'd pull out a knife and attack at any moment.

I suppose I can't really blame them. It was only a few days ago that we got into that fight – they're probably right to suspect revenge. But I trust him – shouldn't that be enough? Can't they see that something changed in him?

Probably not, he supposed. He wasn't even sure of it himself – well, that wasn't true. Deep down in his gut, Naruto knew that Gaara was a different person, but he still hadn't convinced his brain of that. Maybe that's why they were so nervous. If he couldn't even persuade himself, how could he possibly win over his friends?

Still, Naruto felt a sharp pang of regret as he fumbled for his keys. Even if the other guys supported him, albeit reluctantly, the vulpine boy could not shake the feeling that he'd somehow let Sasuke down.

Wait, what am I thinking? We're boyfriends now – Sasuke should be supporting me. If I think Gaara can be trusted, then he should be on my side!

As this thought crossed the blond's mind, he unlocked the door and push it open, only to be pounced upon by an excited Akamaru. While the white puppy eagerly licked his face, Naruto glanced up at the doorway to find Kiba glowering at him.

"Akamaru! Come!" Kiba barked, causing the puppy to run inside. Once the dog was out of sight, the Inuzuka slammed the door shut and delivered a swift kick to the blond's side.

"Ow! What the hell?" Naruto snapped, scrambling to his feet to defend himself.

"Don't give me that!" the dog-boy roared, grabbing the blond's shirt menacingly. "What the hell are you thinking, inviting Gaara into our group like that?"

"Hey, what's it matter to you? It's not like he beat the crap out of you or anything!"

"Dude, we're your friends. We don't want to see you get hurt!" Kiba sighed, releasing his roommate's shirt.

"Yeah, with friends like you, who needs enemies?" Naruto snarled, rubbing his swelling cheek.

"It got you to listen, didn't it?" the Inuzuka said with a smirk. "Look, personally, I don't care if you trust Gaara. Even if he's just trying to get close to you so he can get revenge or whatever, I'm confident you can kick his ass again."

"Then what's the big deal?"

"Aren't you forgetting something, Naruto? Who was Gaara originally fighting before you stepped in?"

Naruto's heart sank as Kiba's words sank in. "Sasuke..."

"Exactly! How do you think he feels about his boyfriend being so close to Gaara?" Kiba exclaimed, waving a hand in the air wildly as he spoke.

"Well, if Gaara tries anything funny, I'll protect him..."

"That's not the point, Naruto!" Kiba replied, shaking his head in exasperation. "Look, I'm no expert, but I think Sasuke's conflicted. He's not afraid of being attacked – he can handle his own pretty well, from what I've seen – but he is worried about you."