Chapter Text
Starting at a new school is never enjoyable, but starting at a school halfway through the year even less so. Sasuke got the keys to his classroom over winter break and spent a few hours getting it together before deciding it was satisfactory. Now, on the first day of the new semester, he remembers his least favorite part of starting at a new school.
“So… what brings you to Konohagakure Middle School?” A blonde man asks.
Interacting with new coworkers.
Sasuke glares at him, then moves to pour himself a cup of black coffee.
“Can you back up? You smell like pencil shavings,” Sasuke says, taking a steaming sip and letting the aroma of black coffee replace the pencil shavings.
The blonde man’s blue eyes widen and he takes a half step back.
“Probably from sharpening pencils,” he says with a wide, insufferable grin. “Here.”
He brandishes a pencil pouch that Sasuke can see is filled to the brim with pencils.
“The kids go through these like candy,” he adds.
Sasuke narrows his eyes.
“Why are you doing this?” He asks, aware of how rude he sounds but not caring.
The man grins again. He’s actually kind of hot, Sasuke realizes. A dumb kind of hot but hot nonetheless.
“I’m your mentor,” he says.
Sasuke grabs the pencil pouch.
“My mentor?” Sasuke asks.
Blonde hair nods rapidly.
“Name’s Naruto,” he extends a hand for Sasuke to shake. “The kids call me Mr. U which is short for Uzumaki.”
“I’m Sasuke,” he says, looking at the other man’s hand and then his eager expression. “Uchiha.”
He sinks his hand into Naruto’s, feeling his warm, calloused hand as Naruto grips his tightly in a handshake.
“I’ll check in with you at lunch,” he says, then adds apologetically. “I’d show you around, but I have to go set up the lab for today’s experiment.”
A science teacher, huh? So a hot nerd then.
Sasuke nods, sure he would be unable to avoid his mentor’s presence at lunch even if he wanted to. Which he definitely does.
*****
The first week both slugs and blurs by. Sasuke tries his hardest to learn all his students’ names by the end of the week, and he’s mostly successful. He’s managed to create seating charts that seem to be working, but he’s hesitant to put too much faith into the precarious peace he’s ending the first week with. He knows how quickly a classroom can change.
“Knock, knock!” Naruto calls as two knocks ring out from the door.
“You know, you don’t have to say ‘knock, knock’ if you’re knocking,” Sasuke says, turning around after erasing the whiteboard.
“Yeah, well,” Naruto says with a grin. “I do it to specifically annoy you.”
Something flutters inside Sasuke’s chest in the earnest way Naruto says that. He crushes it quickly.
Sasuke rolls his eyes.
“How was your first week?” He asks, moving to pull out a wobbly stool that Sasuke had hidden behind the door.
Naruto’s worse than the kids.
“Fine,” he says, unsure what else to say. “We started our unit on the French Revolution.”
Naruto nods as he wiggles back and forth on the chair.
“I heard. One of the kids sketched a guillotine on my whiteboard when I was helping another student.”
Sasuke snorts.
“You’re hardly the upper class,” he muses.
Naruto pauses his wobbling and gives him a wry grin.
“To them? We’re always the oppressors,” Naruto shrugs.
Sasuke leans against his desk as a soft smile pulls at his lips.
“Come get a beer,” Naruto says quickly.
Sasuke freezes. Is he asking him… out?
“A few of us go out on Fridays,” he adds, looking suddenly sheepish. “I wanted to see if you wanted to come with us.”
Sasuke never hangs out with coworkers. He takes in Naruto who’s still not meeting his eyes, the momentary lapse in confidence something he hadn’t seen throughout the week. For some reason, he breaks his own rule.
“Fine,” he says, grabbing his coat from his chair. “I just need to grab my bag.”
Naruto’s eyes meet his, looking alight with excitement.
“Great!” He says, standing up. “I’ll grab my stuff and meet you in the parking lot. You can follow me there in your car!”
Naruto is out the door of his classroom before Sasuke can even register his own disappointment at not riding in the same car as him.