It’s been happening for the past three months.
Every night at exactly the same time, without fail.
Naruto wasn’t stupid, he may have been a bit dense at times, but never stupid. He knew that if he would let the other boy know he was awake, or was even the slightest bit aware of his presence, that it would all end.
And he wasn’t sure he wanted it to.
The blonde was sitting up in bed, glancing at the clock on his nightstand in the dark. He had been doing that for the past two hours and thirty-four minutes, but it felt as if it had been longer as he watched the numbers slowly change with the passing minutes. The blaring red lines now told him that it would be happening soon. Because it always happened, at the same time, without fail.
He didn’t question it.
He wouldn’t question it.
Not yet.
Seeing the red number change from a nine to a zero, the blonde shut his eyes and fell soundlessly onto the bed, squirming at the cold from the lack of body heat as a result of his restless position. He hated that. For whatever reason, he could never just lay down while awaiting the arrival of the other boy. He had to be sitting up, his nerves causing his stomach to twist uncomfortably in a way that made even sitting in one place a near impossibility.
With a deep calming breath he attempted to force his body to relax, falling into a state of calm meditation that would allow him to appear as if he was asleep. The relaxing part was the most difficult, a million and one thoughts running through his brain, but as he lay there, he reminded himself of one thing...
Finally, the wait was over.
As expected, not long after closing his eyes did he hear the almost unidentifiable sound of a latch opening on his window. Naruto knew the only reason he could hear it was because of the Kyuubi, but the intruder didn’t know that. If Naruto had it his way, he would never know that. If he did, these visits may come to an end, and the thought of that happening was almost too much for Naruto to bear.
Why did he depend on these encounters so much? Why did he look forward to them throughout his entire day? How, Naruto wondered, could a simple visit from one person make the glares and insults he got that much easier to accept?
Lately, he discovered that it was much easier not to think about the details at all.
So he didn’t try to make sense if it, mainly because the truth is, he didn’t really care. He didn’t care why the other boy came in at this time every night that they weren’t on a mission. He didn’t care that the other would continue to act as if he didn’t break into the blonde’s house on a regular basis. He didn’t care.
As long as it kept happening, as long as he could keep the feeling of warmth and safety that he got for the few fleeting moments that the other boy observed him silently, that’s all that mattered.
Reason and purpose had nothing to do with it.
Naruto could do without them.
This, on the other hand, would be a bit difficult to give up. Never mind that he didn’t have a name for whatever this was. That didn’t matter, what mattered was that it was happening, and to him. Someone that only few people had ever showed true concern for.
An orphan.
A monster.
This person though, this person came here willingly, of his own accord. So call him stupid, or optimistic, or delusional, but Naruto would take it as a sign of care, a sign of true friendship.
And he knew that if the other weren’t on a mission, and hadn’t come tonight, he would have gone over to his house, if only to make sure everything was alright. Naruto would have jumped into his window and made sure his nightly visitor was safe, because that’s what friends did for each other, right? It didn’t matter that his other friends didn’t do that, and that he wouldn’t do that for anyone else, none of that mattered.
Because this boy was different. Why and how, well once again, Naruto wouldn’t question it. That’s just the way it was, and the way it always would be between the two of them. They had never gotten along, and probably never would. But there would always be something between them, something nobody else understood. One day, Naruto would have to confront the other boy, ask him why he came into his room every night and observed him, and he might just have to answer why he let him.
Yes, that conversation would surely happen another day. Not tonight.
Not now, not when he had this undeniable comfort that he had hardly known his entire life. He couldn’t name it, but it was warm, and something he felt only in these moments of quiet peace between the two. At first, he had been disturbed by the visits, in time he had come to accept them, now he was at the point where he depended on them. He savored and cherished these secret moments between he and his rival.
So yes, that conversation could wait.
For now, he was content just lying there, pretending to be asleep with the presence of the other boy barely noticeable.
As the minutes in silence continued to pass, he wondered when the other boy would leave. It always varied; sometimes he would be in the room for all of two seconds, while others he would stay for minutes on end. His presence was so soothing, so relaxing, that Naruto found himself not wanting the other to leave. There was always that sinking feeling of loss that accompanied his inevitable departure, and Naruto had come to fear it, detest it even.
The minutes continued to pass before Naruto realized that waiting had become a bit too painful. He was tired of waiting for the other to leave, tired of falling asleep to feelings of loss and regret that he couldn't explain. So he decided that he would enjoy this feeling, because tonight may just be the last night it happens. Relaxing into his pillows, Naruto allowed the warmth of his rival's presence to envelope him into a state of complete calm. Before he knew it, a deep and dreamless sleep had claimed him.
It was a bit longer before Sasuke finally decided to make his leave, noting that staying too long was probably a mistake. It was pointless to be in the room longer than was necessary; no good would come out of it. He was confident that the other was unaware of his presence, and would leave seeing that he got what he came for. Now he could go home and curse himself and this stupid weakness in peace.
It bothered Sasuke that he couldn’t sleep without knowing that the blonde idiot was safe. It made no sense that simply watching him sleep was more calming than any of his meditations were. He realized how weak it made him, how pathetic his brother would think him to be. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop coming at the exact same time every night. He tried to make sense of it, tried to tell himself that he would do the same for any other member of his squad. Yet the fact remained that he had yet to check on Sakura once.
It was always the dobe who plagued his mind with unexplainable worry and doubt. It wasn’t as if the moron couldn’t take care of himself, he had proved that much during the fight with Orochimaru three years back, the fight that sealed his return to Konoha. No, he wouldn’t need to protect him anymore.
Why he would even want to protect such a worthless idiot was beyond him. Why he continued to check in on him night after night wasn’t even something he bothered asking himself anymore. There was no answer to those questions, because there really was no purpose that he could find that made sense.
There was only the need, the urge to make sure this one person was safe.
Now, he could go on with his life. He could sleep, then wake up and train with the dobe, and act as if he had never been here. He could act as if the other boy didn’t matter. They would argue, and spar, and he would treat Naruto as if he wasn’t worth a moment of his time.
Until tomorrow night when he would return.
And he wouldn’t bother asking himself why.
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Chapter notes: This is my first ever shonen-ai, and only my third attempt at a fanfic. It's a really, really short one shot, and isn't all that good. The shonen-ai is very light and barely implied.
Comments and contructive critisism welcome!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, this is all just for fun.