Broken (SasuNaru / NaruSasu)

5. Mixed Signals

She saw the harsh glance Sasuke shot her way and she took it as an immediate order to retreat.
"I'll....see you in class," she smiled and walked away in a hurry.

"What was that about?" Sasuke demanded an answer unentertained by the attention Naruto was getting from the Hyūga.

Naruto tried to decipher the codes sent his way. Sasuke's mood just changed to angry...no, annoyed. 'is he jealous?' he wondered to himself.
"Hinata-chan is my Kendo pupil."

"Do you like her?" He followed up quickly.

"Yeah...b-b-but I li-like you two differently-..." He was interrupted.

"I know, Usuratonkachi. I'm your best friend. Of course you like us differently" he walked away taking it as he didn't even take time to listen for the rest. He didn't want to hear the rejection out of Naruto's mouth.

The blond felt something break inside of him. He was almost certain Sasuke felt something for him but now, hearing those words were more than enough to get him to stop any kind of advances.

Sasuke only realized Naruto was not beside him when he almost reached the entrance of the building. He turned around to see him standing there.
"Usuratonkachi?" He called upon him and Naruto snapped out of it and joined him like a lost puppy.

During class, Naruto sat down and for the first time he was genuinely not focusing. His doodles were incoherent, his thoughts loud. Sasuke, up until just an hour ago had never denied any of his subtle advances. 'Maybe that's the problem? They're too subtle?'

Naruto was too focused in his thoughts to notice anything else including his own sickness.

Sasuke watched his classmate in silence. Keeping an extra eye on the teen all the while paying attention in class. He noticed how his cheeks got in a deeper shade of red. How the blond's cerulean eyes closed heavily and his hands dropped his pencil on the desk seemingly for the umpteenth time just this minute.

"Asuma sensei?" Sasuke raised his hand, the Uchiha genius never spoke up before. He had never participated. Everyone's heads snapped back to look at him, interested in every word he was about to utter.

"Yes?",

"Namikaze-san isn't looking well" he informed pointing at his classmate who was visibly sick. "Permission to take him to the doctor's office"

"Namikaze-san?" Asuma called the teen.

Naruto stood up too fast to argue he was alright only to lose balance and be caught by Sasuke. Small whimpers from girls sounded in the classroom. Their Sasuke was holding someone else.

With the permission granted, Sasuke helped his sick classmate out.
"I'm okay," Naruto tried to argue despite knowing he wasn't about to fool anyone.

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You look like shit"

"Comforting" Naruto huffed sarcastically as he walked breaking from Sasuke's hold and leaning on the lockers to walk. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"You really need to start looking after yourself, Usuratonkachi" he stared at him some more.

"Sasuke, you really think of me as your best friend?" He asked his intention to pry and to change the subject.

"Yeah.." he looked away as he spoke. "What of it?"

"Nothing. I just..have never had a best friend or a friend..." He stopped walking as he got too dizzy.

"Usuratonkachi, sit down" he commanded as he helped him sit down.

"What's going on here?" The hallway monitor joined as soon as he saw the two bodies.