Chapter 11
The gang's headquarters had quieted down for the night. Most of the members had either gone to their rooms or were out handling business. Naruto sat alone in his office, the dim glow of a desk lamp casting shadows across the room. A few documents were spread out in front of him, but for once, his mind wasn’t on gang affairs.
It was on him.
Sasuke.
Naruto leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. "Tch. Stupid Uchiha."
The spar had been intense—Sasuke was strong, fast, and damn skilled. Naruto hadn’t expected anything less. But what he really hadn’t expected was that.
The accidental kiss.
Naruto groaned, running a hand down his face. "Of all things…"
It had lasted barely a second, just a stupid mistake in the middle of a fight. And yet, hours later, it was still stuck in his head.
Why?
It wasn’t like he’d never been close to someone before. He’d had fights where things got intense, moments where he’d gotten up close with opponents. But this was different. This wasn’t just anyone.
It was Sasuke.
The way his lips had felt—warm, barely there. The way Sasuke’s eyes had widened in shock, but even now, his stomach twisted when he thought about it.
He frowned, tapping his fingers against the desk. "It was nothing. Just a dumb accident."
Then why did he keep thinking about it?
Naruto shook his head, trying to push the thought away. He had more important things to focus on—rival gangs, deals, making sure his people were safe.
But as he leaned forward to get back to work, his mind betrayed him once again. He found himself picturing Sasuke’s expression—annoyed, flustered, trying to act like it didn’t affect him.
Naruto exhaled sharply, pushing the papers away. "Damn it."
He wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.
---
After tossing and turning for what felt like forever, Naruto finally drifted off to sleep. But instead of peace, his dreams decided to mess with him.
Naruto found himself in a dimly lit room, the air thick with tension. Sasuke was standing in front of him, closer than he should be—too close. His usual glare was there, but there was something different in his eyes. Something unreadable. Something that sent a shiver down Naruto’s spine.
"You’ve been thinking about it too, haven’t you?" Sasuke’s voice was low, almost teasing, but there was a challenge in it.
Naruto swallowed. His mouth felt dry. "Tch. You wish."
Sasuke smirked—that damn smirk that always made Naruto want to wipe it off his face, one way or another. "Liar."
Before Naruto could snap back, Sasuke was even closer. His breath ghosted against Naruto’s skin, and for some reason, Naruto couldn’t move. Or maybe he didn’t want to.
Then, Sasuke grabbed his chin, tilting his head slightly. "Still think it was just an accident?"
Naruto’s heart pounded in his chest. His instincts told him to push Sasuke away, to regain control—but he didn’t.
Because he wanted to know what would happen next.
But just as Sasuke leaned in—
Naruto’s eyes snapped open.
His breath was heavy, his body warmer than it should be. He blinked, staring up at the ceiling, trying to piece together what the hell just happened.
"Shit."
That was not a normal dream.
And worse?
It felt too real.
Naruto groaned, covering his face with his hands. "What the hell is wrong with me?"
One stupid accident, and now his brain was doing this to him? He sat up, running a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling up inside him.
This wasn’t happening. Nope. No way. He was not about to start thinking about Sasuke like that.
But as much as he tried to shake the feeling, one thought refused to leave his mind.
It didn’t feel like just a dream.
It felt like something he wanted.
---
The next morning, Naruto walked into the main hall of the headquarters, looking as casual as possible. Act normal. Act normal.
He had barely slept after that dream, and every time he closed his eyes, flashes of it came back—Sasuke’s voice, the way he was too close, the feeling of his breath against his skin. Naruto had woken up in a mess of frustration, telling himself over and over that it was just a stupid dream.
But now, as he stepped inside, the first thing he saw was him.
Sasuke stood near the couches, talking with Itachi. His back was turned to Naruto, but as if sensing him, Sasuke casually glanced over his shoulder.
Naruto froze.
For a split second, all he could see was the dream—Sasuke’s smirk, his hand on Naruto’s chin, the way he—
"Nope." Naruto turned immediately in the opposite direction. He didn’t care where he was going. He just needed to not be here.
Too bad fate hated him.
"Oi, Kyubi!" Itachi’s voice stopped him dead in his tracks.
Naruto clenched his jaw before forcing a grin and turning back. "Yeah?"
"Sasuke was asking about the fight last night," Itachi said, looking amused. "He said he’s still waiting for a rematch."
Naruto’s eye twitched. Oh, I bet he is.
Sasuke crossed his arms, watching him closely. His usual unreadable expression was there, but Naruto swore there was something in his eyes. "What’s wrong, boss? Scared I’ll win next time?"
Scared? Naruto wanted to die. He wasn’t scared of losing. He was scared of remembering how close they got, how it felt.
He forced a cocky grin, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Tch. You wish. I just don’t waste my time on weaklings."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
Naruto had to get out of here. He turned toward Itachi. "Gotta handle something. Later." And with that, he booked it out of the room.
Itachi watched him go, then looked back at Sasuke. "...What was that?"
Sasuke just stared at the door Naruto disappeared through. He wasn’t sure why, but something about Naruto’s reaction felt off.
And he intended to find out why ?
---
Sasuke wasn’t stupid. Something was off with Naruto.
Ever since their spar, Naruto had been acting weird. The guy who usually had no problem staring down an enemy or laughing in the face of danger was now actively avoiding eye contact with him. And when he did look at him, he got all stiff and twitchy, like he was hiding something.
Sasuke didn’t know what, but he knew one thing—he was gonna find out.
So, he came up with a plan.
Naruto had one true weakness. Not fights. Not threats. Not even an army of enemies.
Ramen.
So, that evening, Sasuke walked into Naruto’s office with a plastic bag in hand, setting it down on the desk with a casual smirk.
Naruto, who had been hunched over paperwork (probably trying to distract himself), looked up—and froze.
The smell hit him instantly.
Rich broth. Perfectly cooked noodles. Steaming, fresh, and from his favorite ramen place.
Naruto almost drooled on the spot.
Sasuke leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. "Thought I’d be nice and bring you something."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, immediately suspicious. "…You? Being nice?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I was in the area."
Naruto stared at him. "You went to a ramen shop? Willingly?"
Sasuke sighed dramatically. "Tch. Just take the damn food, dobe." He pushed the bag toward him.
Naruto hesitated for exactly two seconds before grabbing the container and popping it open. The scent alone made his brain short-circuit.
Then, just as he was about to take the first bite—
"You’ve been acting weird," Sasuke said casually.
Naruto choked on air.
He quickly covered it up with a fake cough, stuffing noodles in his mouth to avoid answering. "Dunno wha’ you’re talkin’ ‘bout," he mumbled through a full mouth.
Sasuke’s smirk widened. Got him.
"You’ve been avoiding me all day," Sasuke continued. "You barely looked at me this morning. Then you ran off like an idiot." He tilted his head slightly. "Something on your mind, boss?"
Naruto almost dropped his chopsticks.
"Nope! Nothing! Everything’s great!" he said way too fast.
Sasuke hummed. "Hn. You sure?"
Naruto shoved more ramen in his mouth. "Mhm."
Sasuke watched him struggle, amused. He didn’t know what was making Naruto so flustered, but watching him squirm? Way too entertaining.
He leaned forward slightly, voice lowering just enough to make Naruto tense. "If you say so…"
Naruto refused to look up. He just kept eating aggressively, pretending nothing was wrong.
Sasuke smirked. This was going to be fun .
---
The next day, Sasuke decided to take his fun to the next level.
Naruto still wouldn’t look him in the eye for too long, and every time Sasuke got even slightly close, Naruto tensed up like a deer caught in headlights.
So Sasuke did what any good friend (or menace) would do—he made it worse.
The gang members were gathered in the main lounge, discussing business, drinking, and relaxing after a long day. Itachi sat on one of the couches, casually listening to a conversation while Kisame leaned back, looking half-asleep.
Naruto was trying to act normal, laughing with a few of the guys, until Sasuke walked in.
And he immediately felt it.
That damn smirk. That energy.
Sasuke strolled up, hands in his pockets, and stopped right next to Naruto—too close. "Yo, boss."
Naruto stiffened but forced a grin. "Yo."
Sasuke tilted his head. "You’re not gonna run away this time?"
The whole room went silent.
Itachi raised an eyebrow. Kisame actually opened his eyes. Some of the newer members looked very interested.
Naruto choked on his own spit. "What?!"
Sasuke hummed thoughtfully. "Well, considering you bolted yesterday, I thought maybe you were avoiding me or something."
Naruto’s eye twitched. Oh, he was doing this on purpose.
"I wasn’t avoiding you, teme," Naruto snapped, crossing his arms. "I was just busy."
Sasuke smirked. "Busy avoiding me?"
Someone in the back gasped.
The room was now fully focused on them.
Kisame grinned. "Oho? Now this is interesting."
One of the lower-ranking members whispered, "Is the boss getting bullied?"
Naruto heard that and turned red—not from embarrassment, but from rage. "Shut up!"
Sasuke was enjoying this. He leaned in slightly. "Hn. You seem nervous, Kyubi. Something on your mind?"
Naruto took a step back instantly. "Nope."
Itachi took a sip of his drink. "This is the most entertained I’ve been in years."
Sasuke wasn’t done. "You sure? Because the way you reacted yesterday was pretty suspicious."
Naruto grabbed his own drink and downed it just to avoid answering.
Kisame laughed. "Hey, boss, what exactly happened yesterday?"
Naruto almost broke the glass in his hand. "NOTHING."
Sasuke smirked even wider. "Hn. If you say so."
The entire gang knew something was up now. They didn’t know what, but the fact that Sasuke Uchiha had Naruto this flustered? Priceless.
Naruto glared at Sasuke, burning with frustration. He was going to kill him.
But the worst part?
This was only the beginning.
---
Sasuke had been way too smug about this whole thing. Watching Naruto squirm, teasing him in front of everyone—it was fun.
But then, Ino had to open her mouth.
"You two kissed, didn’t you?!"
At first, Sasuke had just smirked, enjoying Naruto’s absolute meltdown. But then, as the chaos exploded around them, his brain caught up to what she actually said.
Kissed.
The memory flashed in his mind—Naruto’s lips against his, even if it was an accident. The warmth, the way Naruto’s eyes widened in shock, the way his body had frozen for just a second too long before Naruto had laughed it off—
Sasuke’s smirk faltered.
…Shit.
"Oi, Sasuke." Kiba’s voice snapped him back.
Sasuke blinked, realizing everyone was now staring at him.
And Naruto—despite looking beyond furious—was now pointing at him with the smuggest grin ever. "HA! Look at his face! HE'S THINKING ABOUT IT!*"
Sasuke scowled. "I’m not."
"Liar!" Naruto shouted, still pointing aggressively. "You just flinched! I saw it! EVERYONE SAW IT!"
Kiba lost it. "HOLY SHIT, SASUKE'S FLUSTERED!"
Sakura gasped, covering her mouth. "No way."
Ino smirked. "Hah! So I was right!"
Even Shikamaru looked mildly surprised. "Damn. Didn’t think anything could make him react."
Sasuke hated this. He crossed his arms, trying to regain control. "Tch. It was just a stupid accident."
Naruto leaned in, wiggling his eyebrows. "Was it, though?"
Sasuke stiffened. "Dobe."
Naruto grinned. "Ohhh, now I see why you were messing with me! You weren’t teasing me ‘cause I was flustered—*" He gasped dramatically. "YOU WERE TRYING TO COVER UP YOUR OWN REACTION!"
"Shut up," Sasuke muttered, looking away.
"OH MY GOD, HE CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT ME NOW!"
Hinata, still red, fidgeted. "U-Uh, maybe we should—"
"No, no, let him suffer," Kiba wheezed. "This is gold."
Itachi, watching from the couch, smirked slightly. "Hn. Interesting."
Naruto was thriving. "So? How’d it feel, teme? Thinking about it now, huh?" He leaned in just a bit too close, winking. "Was it good for you?"
Sasuke shoved him away. "I WILL KILL YOU."
Kiba was on the floor laughing. "This is the best day of my life!"
Sasuke was never going to hear the end of this.
And worse?
Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it either.
---
After what felt like an eternity of absolute chaos, Itachi finally decided to step in.
"Alright, enough." His voice was calm, but the authority in it made everyone shut up instantly. He took a slow sip of his drink, then glanced at Naruto and Sasuke. "You two done?"
Naruto crossed his arms, still grinning. "Yeah, yeah. I think I made my point."
Sasuke glared at him but said nothing. His pride had already taken enough hits for one day.
The Konoha 12 were still trying to recover from the madness. Kiba was wiping tears from his eyes, Ino looked way too pleased with herself, and Lee looked like he was about to give a speech on the power of youth and love.
Sasuke refused to let this go any further. With a final scoff, he turned and walked out of the room, not sparing anyone a glance.
Naruto blinked. "Oi, where you going?"
Sasuke didn’t stop. "Away from you."
The room erupted into laughter again.
Naruto chuckled to himself, rubbing the back of his head. Maybe that was a bit much.
But as the teasing died down and everyone settled back into casual conversation, Naruto found himself staring at the door Sasuke had left through.
He thought about his reaction. The way he actually froze for a second. The way he couldn’t even look Naruto in the eye after getting called out.
That was new.
Naruto frowned slightly, suddenly feeling a little… weird. He wasn’t sure why, but for the first time since the kiss happened—he started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t the only one affected by it.