Work Text
"'Cause he was sunshine, I was midnight rain."
Midnight Rain - Taylor Swift 🌙 When we arrived at the house it was eerily quiet. Just like the entire car ride there. The only thing that could be heard was the low tune playing from the fucked up speakers on the car mom had rented. "We're here," Mom glanced toward me, attempting to smile. She was trying, and so was I. That was all that mattered. We'd be okay soon, even if it'd be difficult and take time. We unbuckled our seatbelts and climbed out of the car, the old rusted thing shaking from the lifted weight. She reached her hand out for me to take—she'd been doing that a lot to try and comfort me wherever we went—but I shook my head, I was fine. Her mouth formed a thin line but nonetheless, she turned toward the house and slowly made her way to the front door with me trailing behind. It seemed as if she was dreading this just as much as I was. My curiosity began to grow. Who were these people? Once she knocked on the door, there was a brief moment of silence that followed before loud footsteps were heard. They came one after the other, loud and quickly as if someone was rushing to the door. After much anticipation, the door was finally pulled open, revealing a woman behind it with long, long, long, slick red hair. Her eyebrows were drawn inward; she knew what had happened. She and mom looked at each other silently and pitifully before the redhead finally broke the silence, "Mikoto, oh my god,"All in the span of a second the lady's arms flew open and mom was wrapped around them as she broke out into heartbreakingly loud sobs. She hadn't cried about what happened till now. She finally let herself be vulnerable. Who was this woman?I stared at the interaction and watched everything I couldn't do. How the lady rubbed circles with her hand on mom's back and pulled her hair back behind her ear. Watched as they both fell to the ground, hugging one another. I finally peeled my dry tired eyes away as another set of footsteps were heard. This time it was a blond man with spiked hair. His eyes landed on the two crying on the floor and his eyebrows also drew in, in the same way the redhead's had. He quickly squatted down and helped pull both of them up, "C'mon, come inside." They both got up, still enwrapped in each other. "Take her to the washroom to clean up, Sunshine." He told who I assumed was his wife.As the two scurried away the blond looked at me. He gave me a warm smile, not a fake one, not one done by someone I knew I couldn't trust, but a real sincere smile. I knew I could trust him. "You okay? Come on in,"If it had been any other day—precisely one before my father's death—I probably would've smiled back. But on this day, that wasn't a possibility. I simply walked inside and he shut the door behind me. "Thank you,""You hungry? Must've been a long ride here," He asked as he led me to a white kitchen with marble countertops and a gray fridge with plenty of space for all kinds of foods and groceries. There was even an island with stools. It was beautiful. A beautiful home, just like the one I once had. "I can make you anything you want." With a beautiful family living in it, just like the one I once had. I sat down and tried my best to smile at him as a way to show my gratitude. "Um," I looked over at a clock they had hanging on the wall which read nine a.m. "Pancakes are fine,""Alright," He smiled again, and turned, beginning to get ingredients out of the kitchen cabinets. "You want regular, banana, or chocolate chip?" "Chocolate chip," I answered, and he eyed me for a second, which caused me to blush slightly as if I had been caught. Laughing, he replied. "I don't know why but I expected you to hate chocolate. You just seem like the type." He shrugged. A small smile crept up on my face, and he seemed to notice as he smiled proudly to himself. "You're right, I hate chocolate, but there's something about chocolate chip pancakes...""Especially mine." He added, as he cracked eggs into the batter like a pro-chef. "Not to brag, but, I'm always getting compliments on my food, especially on my chocolate chip pancakes. You made the right choice." I let out a dry laugh. It felt weird. We were both talking and making jokes as if my mom wasn't crying with his "Sunshine" in another room. It felt wrong, yet, I loved it. It was the most smiling and laughing—if you could call it that—that I had done in a really long time. It was a nice distraction from reality. It made everything seem like it'd be okay. "You excited for school here at Konoha? It's a nice town, and all the kids are sweet, from what I've heard." My head dropped back toward the marble countertop and I began fiddling with my fingers mindlessly. "I don't know... It just seems like it's gonna be exhausting. Having to get to know all these new people, new teachers, new classmates, and a whole new building. It's gonna be especially difficult since everyone already knows each other. I can't just force myself into a clique.""I get it, but hey, before you know it you'll be weeks into school and it'll feel like time flew by. Don't sweat it, I'm sure meeting all these new people is gonna do you some good. Also, don't forget, you still have the entire summer before you have to start worrying about that sort of stuff. You'll probably have made tons of friends by the time school rolls around." Once again, my eyes trailed back up. They focused on the blond man's back—as he mixed the batter he had prepared—and stayed there for a while. His words were so wise and made me feel so much better. There was something amazing about this man. I needed to know who he was and how he was associated with my mom. 🌙 At last, the chocolate chip pancakes were ready. The whole kitchen smelled of delicious batter and milk chocolate. Neither Mikoto nor Sunshine has returned from the restroom yet. It was just me anticipating chocolate chip pancakes while he prepared them. Our solitude didn't last long though. Footsteps were heard coming from the stairs behind me. I didn't look back but I allowed myself to relax in my seat and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Pro-chef turned toward my direction and looking past me, he smiled. Such a genuine smile he hadn't even given me. It was gorgeous; I was jealous. "Naruto! Finally, you're up! I was about to grab a cold glass of water to pour over your head." Oh. It wasn't mom after all, I frowned. Who was this Naruto person then? As much as I wanted to, I didn't turn toward whoever it was, but it was pretty obvious the person was some sort of relative to the blond man. Most likely his son. The arrival of his son made me remember I was somewhere I wasn't supposed to be. I immediately felt as if I was intruding somewhere I didn't belong. I needed to get my mom and she needed to explain who these people were already. "Hey! It's not even that late, especially for a weekend." An unexpectedly loud voice boomed behind me. It was a unique voice, one like I'd never heard before. I never would've thought a voice like that existed, but here I was, hearing it. "Dammnnn, what'd you make? Smells good!""Just because it's a weekend doesn't mean you can slack off. Plus, I didn't want you to miss breakfast. Especially 'cause it's my signature piece." He made an evil villain-like laugh which made me almost laugh. If it weren't for how uncomfortable I was, I probably would have. From my left side, a flashing yellow color ran past me like a blur right before settling into the figure of a teenager, around my height. He had blond spiky hair just like Sunshine's husband. They were uncannily alike, the only difference so far being their slight difference in hair length. "Chocolate chip pancakes again?" The boy whined. I admired their father-son relationship. It was adorable, and also something I'd never had with mine. Ignoring the remark, the older blond said, "Son, introduce yourself to our guest here. Sasuke's gonna be staying with us for a while." Right after perfectly flipping a pancake, he turned to point Naruto's attention to me. I attentively watched as he turned to where I was sitting. Naturally, I was craving to see how he looked. I wanted to see how this new face looked, and what kind of son this wonderful man had brought into this world.He was fully facing me now. He seemed surprised as if only just now did he notice me—not even before, when he raced past me, did he realize I was here. His eyes fixated on me as he shamelessly examined me, and mine connected with his as I did the same with him.His eyes were a beautiful color. I'd never seen an ocean in person before but it seemed like the perfect description for the color in his eyes. There was a hint of beach water too, the colors clashing together to create a hombre effect. I felt lucky to have the attention of those eyes. He seemed like a lively, happy soul. He was handsome and had a great father. I was jealous. I wanted to be him. His eyes seemed to gleam as if something in him—his emotions—suddenly changed, and his mouth opened, stretching out and opening into a grin. His annoyingly perfectly aligned, pearly teeth shined at me. "Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"At that moment I felt weirdly special. I was sure he treated everyone like that, but it felt like I had gotten a glimpse into what it'd be like to be someone important to him. "I'm Sasuke," I spoke with an embarrassingly low voice and began avoiding eye contact. I hated eye contact, it seemed too personal and intimate. He didn't seem to mind though, as he happily sat on the stool next to mine. My gaze followed as his dad walked over and placed a plate of chocolate pancakes in front of us. "Enjoy,""Thank you," I said. "You first," Naruto turned to me, "You asked him for these after all, didn't you? 'Cause I know it wasn't my mom—she hates how often he makes these just as much as I do." I forced an awkward smile as I nodded and reached for the pancake on the top of the stack. "Yeah, it was me."He watched me as I ripped off a small piece of the pancake and brought it close to my mouth. I didn't have to look to know he was looking at me. It was making me embarrassed because I didn't want him to look at me. I didn't want him to see or perceive me let alone see me open my mouth, put food inside, then chew and swallow it. I did it anyway, and he watched the whole time. It made me slightly angry, did he have staring issues or something? I turned at him and glared, shoving the plate of stacked pancakes toward him. Suddenly I wasn't craving them anymore. "Are they good?" His dad asked me right before turning to him. "Naruto! Don't steal the plate away from Sasuke. I mean, I know they're irresistible, but he's our guest."I snorted. Naruto's head shot toward me, a huge grin overtaking his face like an idiot. "Hey! I didn't steal them away! As a matter of fact," He looked back at his dad and pointed at me with his thumb. "He nibbled on a little piece before pushing the plate my way. That is how awful your pancakes were!"I didn't want this man to think that way, so I decided to explain myself. "That's because you wouldn't keep your eyes off me like a weirdo! I guessed you were really craving them so I just let you have them!" I fumed, unknowingly allowing my voice to grow louder. His dad broke out into a fit of laughter, and we both turned toward him, the nice melody sounding through our ears. "You two are adorable." This description made me glare at him for the first time since I'd met him and he seemed to notice immediately. "Another one of my guesses on you is correct; you don't like being called adorable. That's the second time I'm right about you." He smiled to himself, and I let my glare falter. "You're not that good dad, his emo look just makes him easy to read," Naruto giggled to himself. My head instantly snapped toward him and I gave him the meanest glare I could muster up. There was no way he just called me what I think he did. I didn't want to make enemies already, but I couldn't hold my tongue back any longer, even if his amazing dad was about to be here to hear what I'd say. "You're the most predictable person here. You're clumsy, lazy, and eat like a slob," The chocolate pancake he had started to chew on fell out of his mouth. "You look like a unicorn threw up on you, and say anything that comes to your mind without thinking. To put it simply, you act like a five year old."Naruto's mouth was on the floor, and his dad was laughing hysterically right as my mom finally came back with Sunshine. I wasn't sure if she had heard me, but she confirmed my suspicion as she began to scream at me. "Sasuke! What is wrong with you?! Your godparents are nice enough to let you inside their home, feed you, and give you a place to stay, and this is what you do?!" "It's okay Mikoto, they're just kids," Sunshine's husband smiled and walked over to them. "You two okay? I made chocolate chip pancakes." His tone suddenly became soft and soothing, and I wondered how he did it. All on his own, he effortlessly managed to build up an environment in this home, one that made me feel safe. It felt like a perfect home, one like you'd see on television and one I'd been deprived of. Deprived of because of a certain someone who had recently passed away. "Ugh, not again," Sunshine threw her head back and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her husband and my mom seemed to laugh at the same time. I guessed everyone knew about his chocolate chip pancake obsession. It was a family inside joke, and I was in on it now. 🌙 After a surprisingly cheerful breakfast where Naruto and I ignored each other while the adults caught up and cracked jokes, we were unfortunately forced together. Minato, who I had just recently learned was my godfather, told Naruto to help me bring my stuff to my new room.I only had two suitcases full of stuff, so we each carried one while he gave me a mini tour of the house. He made multiple snarky remarks as he did so, but I ignored them all, and at last, he let me into the room I'd be staying in. After dropping off the suitcase he was carrying for me inside, he left immediately. It was obvious he was upset about what I had told him, but he deserved it. He called me emo. I shut the door closed as soon as he left and allowed myself to take a good look at the room. It was a simplistic bedroom, perfect for a teen like me. There was a wooden white bed in the middle with blue sheets and pillows, an empty white desk for me to do my school work, and a bookshelf right next to it, white as well. The most beautiful feature of the room was the bay window with blue cushions and curtains, and built-in bookshelves on each side. There were even drawers for storage underneath. The room was beautiful and perfect for my book collection. So far, it was small, but I was ready for it to grow. Before I moved in with the Uzumaki's I hadn't been able to have my own bookshelf, so I only had about six physical books that I kept inside of a shoe box. Any other books I read were online. Thankfully, the room I was given also had its own restroom so I wouldn't have to share with anyone else. There was also a huge closet, having more than enough space for all my clothes. As I put all my clothes inside, I frowned, seeing a bunch of black items. As I hung a black sweater on a hanger all I could think about was how Naruto had called me emo.Instead of hanging the sweater on the rack, I angrily threw it on the floor and rushed out of the room. I don't know why what he said bothered me so much because usually, I didn't give two shits what anyone said or thought about me. Maybe it was due to all the stress piling up on me after what happened. As I walked down the hall, my eyes caught Naruto's room, because of how loud he was being. From his open bedroom door, I could see him sitting on an orange bean bag while playing a fighting game on his console. He seemed very into the game, but he somehow still managed to catch me staring. He stared at me, showing no sign of expression on his face, and I simply rolled my eyes at him and kept walking.I walked down the stairs and found my mom sitting quietly on the stools we had eaten breakfast on earlier. She seemed deep in thought as I sat next to her. "Hey, mom," "Sasuke!" She slightly jumped and gave me a surprised look. "You came out of nowhere! You finished packing already?"I shook my head lightly, "No, not yet, I just got frustrated and came to get some air. What about you? You finish yet?""Yeah," She smiled to herself. "Kushina offered to help me so we got it done fast. If you need any help, let me know, although I know you like to have everything a certain way." I laughed, "True.""So, why are you suddenly frustrated? Is it because..."I cut her off before she could continue her sentence, knowing what she was about to say. I wanted to avoid that topic. "No, no, not at all. I'm just bothered by what Naruto told me. He's so annoying, I can't believe I'm going to have to live with someone like him."She frowned. "I'm sorry, I can't afford to get us our own place right now.""Mom, I like it here, I just don't like Naruto." Her smile came back, and I felt relief wash over me. "C'mon, he was only playing around with you. If he did hurt you he should apologize, but still, you two need to talk it out and become best friends already, seriously." She reached her hand out to me and roughed up my hair. "We're complete opposites mom, not best friends." I swatted her hand away and tried my best to fix my hair. "You know what they say," She giggled to herself at my sorry attempt to fix my hair. "Opposites attract."
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"We were both young when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts, I'm standin' there, on a balcony in summer air,"
Love Story - Taylor Swift 🌙 I barely managed to finish packing by the time lunchtime rolled around because I kept getting distracted. Apparently, Minato wasn't going to be joining us since he wouldn't be getting off of work till later in the day, so Kushina and mom were putting their efforts together to make a delicious lunch for Naruto and me. I grabbed my two empty suitcases and walked downstairs to see Naruto "helping" them prepare for lunch but really he was just goofing around and trying to get early access to the food. I narrowed my eyes at him before looking away and asking Kushina shyly, "Hey, uh, where can I put these?"Kushina looked up from whatever she was cooking and looked at me holding my suitcases. "Naruto, can you take those from Sasuke?" She ordered Naruto, and I inwardly smirked as soon as I saw the blond moron frown. "You already know where to put them," "Yeah, of course, it's my pleasure." He spoke in a mocking tone as he walked toward me, his back slouched. As he placed his hands above mine to take them from me, I instantly felt the warmth from his hands rush onto mine. Of course he was warm-blooded, and he called me predictable."Thanks," I told him sarcastically. I know... I probably shouldn't have added fuel to the fire, but... Well, it was just fun, and I wasn't quite over the fact that he called me emo. Mom caught me and looked at me suspiciously, "Did you just come to get rid of those or to help us out?" I heard Kushina laugh and Naruto snort as he walked away. As if he had any room to talk—he hadn't even actually been helping them! If anything, he had been making more of a mess in the kitchen. "I'm not good at cooking, but I can clean up the mess Naruto left you guys to deal with." I walked behind the counter and examined the mess to see what I'd get started with. "Hey, I heard that! That's not true!" Naruto shouted from a distance, and both our moms began laughing.I began cleaning up the mess in the kitchen that Naruto had left by washing all the dirty dishes—knives, cutting boards, bowls, etc. I also helped them wash the rice, which took quite a lot of time and multiple washes. Surprisingly, Naruto didn't end up coming back after he put away my suitcases. I saw him go upstairs, so I assumed that he went to his room to play some more video games. He seemed to have a lot of energy to run around and shit, but never to help out when it came to things that were actually useful."You finished already, Sasuke?" Kushina suddenly asked me, and I blushed and nodded. "Perfect. You can watch the newest episode of Naruto's favorite show with him. Your mother, Minato, and I really want the two of you to get to know each other." I instantly frowned at the mention of that moron, and it only deepened as soon as I remembered that my favorite show's new episode was about to air! There was no way I'd miss it to watch whatever childish show Naruto was into. But, god, Kushina looked so sincere and hopeful at that moment. I could tell that she had a sweet soul, just as Minato did. So, without thinking, I agreed. "Sure, I'll join him.""Great! Here," She turned from the island, where they were preparing the food, and opened up the pantry, pulling out a packet of microwave popcorn. She tossed the packet to me, and I managed to catch it. "Naruto loves that popcorn, make some for the two of you,""Maybe you'll be able to make up with him through the popcorn," Mom added. I flipped the packet over and read over the instructions. First, I had to remove the plastic and then simply put it in the microwave for four minutes the right side up without leaving it unattended. It was simple enough, so I walked over to their microwave and did as the instructions said. Three minutes in, the popcorn started popping, and I became concerned as they began to smell almost burned. I thought of maybe taking them out but decided against it since I was probably just overthinking it. I didn't make microwave popcorn often, so maybe this was something normal, right? Or else Kushina would've told me something. I glanced over at her as she was having a conversation with Mom. They were adorable and both amazingly skilled cooks. Naruto and I were probably the only ones in the house who didn't know how to make a proper meal, but hey, we were only teenagers. There'd be time for that later in our lives. I hoped Minato would be the one to teach me, particularly how to make his famous chocolate chip pancakes. I suddenly zoned back in as I heard Mom and Kushina sniffing around. "You smell that?" Mikoto asked.Kushina sniffed around before glancing at me. "Crap! Sasuke, stop the microwave!"I knew it! My head immediately turned around as I hurriedly pushed the microwave's stop button, the entire kitchen suddenly smelling like burnt popcorn. "Shoot, I'm sorry, Sasuke, I forgot to tell you to put three minutes instead of four." Sunshine apologized, pulling the bag of popcorn out, the heat somehow leaving her magically unscathed.She carefully opened the bag as mom and I peeked, hoping the popcorn wasn't burned, even though the smell of the entire kitchen was proof enough to know it was. Another ball of smoke made its way out of the bag, and inside were black and white popcorn. Even the white popcorn's kernel was black. "I'm really sorry, that was our last packet." "It's fine," I sighed, "I'll make sure Naruto eats it anyway. I'll get out of the way now so you guys can finish lunch." I took the bag of popcorn from her hand, "Do I go to his room? Or does he watch it on the living room TV?""Go up to his room," She responded, glancing at the clock. "Hurry along, the show is going to start in about five minutes." After thanking her, I rushed up the stairs, slowing down just before reaching his room. Once again, his door was open. I peered in and saw him struggling to turn on his TV, and I quietly laughed to myself. I knocked on the door and stepped inside his room. He pulled his hands away from the TV, narrowing his eyes at me. "What do you want? I didn't say you could come in.""Your mom did." I retorted and walked over to where he was. There were two orange bean bags in front of the TV, so I sat on the one farthest from him and placed the popcorn between us. He raised an eyebrow at me, crawling over to look at the popcorn I brought. "How'd you know I liked— " He paused. "Sasuke, why is the popcorn burnt..?""Shut up and eat it; I made it for you.""I'm starving, so, fine, I'll eat it. I wouldn't want it to go to waste..." He snatched the bag and reached his hand in, pulling out a bunch of popcorn and shoving it inside his mouth with his head tilted up. Damn, he was a slob. Regardless, I felt my lip curling upward at the fact that he ate it even though all the popcorn was basically burnt. Once he finished swallowing all the popcorn he shoved in his mouth, he turned to me with a puzzled look on his face, "Hey, what'd you mean my mom let you into my room?"I reached for the popcorn and grabbed a few, stopping to answer his question before eating them. "Yeah, she told me to join you in watching your favorite show. I'm a good person, so I agreed even though I'd rather be watching my favorite show right now." I said this to him in a joking way, but I wasn't sure if he took notice since my facial features weren't usually too expressive around new people I met."Calling me a five-year-old isn't something a good person would do!" He said, crossing his arms and making a humph sound. So he was also still sour about that, as was I..."Calling me emo isn't either." I retorted. "I'm not the one saying I'm a good person!" He dramatically turned toward me with a childish angry look. I rolled my eyes, "I'm missing the newest episode of my favorite show for you right now, so technically, I am a good person." I got up from the bean bag and walked over to the TV to see what he was struggling with. "What's the problem?""I don't know, it just won't turn on for some reason." He slouched back on his beanbag and pouted. "I really don't want to miss this episode; I got left on a cliffhanger last episode." I scanned the area around the TV, trying to see if it was a problem with the cables or if the moron actually broke his damn television. That's when I saw it—behind the TV, the plug was empty, and the cord for the TV wasn't even connected. I didn't know if I should have been mad at the idiot or if I should've laughed at him. There was no way that wasn't the first thing he checked. I reached behind the TV and swiftly plugged it in, then grabbed the remote off the table and tossed it to Naruto so he could change the channel. It landed on his lap, and he didn't wait a single second as he turned on the TV and dialed the channel number. "You fixed it?! You're amazing!"I hummed and I walked over to the bean bag I had been previously seated on, sitting down once again. This time, I let my gaze wander around his room curiously. As my eye caught pictures of half-naked girls on his walls, I scoffed. Of course he was also a snobby kid. No way he was Minato and Kushina's only child. "It's about to start! Sasuke, pay attention!" I looked back at him and then at the TV. The show instantly started, and a theme song flashed on the screen. My heart dropped and my head snapped to Naruto, who was jumping up and down on his bean bag, his eyes shining brightly at the television. "You watch this too!?" He looked away from the screen and toward me. "Huh? You watch this?""Of course I do, and here I was, thinking I'd miss this episode to watch cartoons with you." I sighed in relief and relaxed into the beanbag, snatching the burnt popcorn from between us. Surprisingly, instead of retaliating, Naruto continued to talk with me about the show during the intro, I guess he had been just as surprised as I was that he watched this. He and I watched the entire episode together, anticipating every move the blond ninja made as he fought his opponent who was threatening to kill all his friends and destroyed most of his home, and gasping when he made his surprise appearance. When he showed up after his training, shocking all his friends, I swear my heart wanted to bust out of my chest. It was my favorite show of all time, and every minute of it made me feel something amazing while leaving a non-faltering smile on my face. I guess it must've been noticeable because I swore I saw Naruto keep stealing glances at me. The episode ended before we could see if the blond had been able to defeat the antagonist and save his friends, but it was still an amazing episode. I felt grateful that Naruto also liked this show because if he didn't, who knows what I would've been watching at that moment instead. Once it did end, he and I had a good talk about it. He told me who his favorite character was which was obviously the main character who was a lot like him, and mine was the main character's best friend. The biggest surprise of the day though was that he told me he thought the two best friends would be cute together. Even bigger surprise? So did I.
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"I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile. So good to me, so right. And how you held me in your arms that September night. The first time you ever saw me cry."
Back to December - Taylor Swift 🌙 "I still can't believe you like him, he's so...""What? Emo?" He eyed me as if he were unsure if he'd be safe if he agreed."He does remind me of you–"Just then, he'd been saved, as we both looked toward his bedroom door. "Boys, come down and eat!" His mom shouted for us from downstairs. Naruto immediately shot up and walked to the door, stopping as he realized I wasn't walking along with him. He turned back to me, "C'mon, slowpoke!" Powered by my annoyance with the nickname, I picked up the pace, rushing past him down the stairs, and turning back to him once I reached the kitchen. "Slowpoke,"He tried to catch up but failed miserably. "That's not fair, Sasuke! I didn't even know we were racing! I was being slow on purpose so you could catch up!""Stop rambling," Kushina's long red hair and green apron were spotted as she walked behind Naruto and pushed him to the dinner table. "And sit down so we can have a proper meal.""Yes, mom!" He instantly listened to her, which greatly surprised me. I also sat down, across from Naruto and next to Mikoto. They had made kutsudon, one of my favorite dishes, for us. There was still heavy steam floating out of it, disguising the earlier burnt popcorn smell. "Smells good, did you make this 'cause it's my favorite?" I whispered to mom, too shy to allow Naruto and Kushina to hear since I wasn't yet comfortable with them. Mom didn't seem to get the hint though, as she replied as loud as she possibly could. "Not really, Kushina did tell me it was Naruto's favorite though, and I told her it was yours too, so that was when we decided to make it for the two of you."My eyebrow twitched and my eyes lead me to the two sitting across from us. They both stared at me, and I blushed. "It's uh, your favorite too, Naruto?""Not really," He bluntly replied but didn't elaborate, making me blush ten times harder. Damn him. Kushina laughed and interjected, "Ramen doesn't count as real food, Naruto." Using her chopsticks, she grabbed a piece of tonkatsu and rice off his plate and shoved it in his mouth. "It's unhealthy."A small smile danced on my lips as I stared at the interaction from across the table. While he struggled to swallow the tonkatsu, he seemed to notice, his eyes landing on me. He kept them locked on me, and once he successfully swallowed, he narrowed them, mouthing an "I'm gonna get you after this,"My smile widened mischievously as I mouthed back, "Try me, loser,""Oh, Mikoto! I've been meaning to ask, when summer ends, is Sasuke going to be attending the same high school as Naruto?" Kushina suddenly asked. "For sure, the only problem is..." Mom glanced at me, catching me in the act. In the same way, Kushina turned to Naruto. "You two need to get along! Don't think we didn't see you guys racing down the stairs earlier. Someone could've seriously gotten hurt." She nagged at him and pulled on his ear. "Owww, mom, that hurts!" Naruto swatted her hand away, exaggeratedly holding his ear in pain. "I was slightly rushing down because I was excited to taste your yummy food." He pouted and looked down at the table. "And this is what I get in return."It was obvious the moron was acting, so it blew my mind as she fell for it. "Naruto, sweetheart, I'm sorry." She pulled him in for a hug and coaxed him. "You know your dad and I don't like when you do things that can lead you to getting hurt.""I know mom, but seriously, we weren't racing down the stairs!" He lied. "I wouldn't do that, but I'm sorry too. I won't do it again." I was sure he would.I glanced away and began to pick at my food. I found how they acted to be unusual because my mom and I never did stuff like that. That was why I had denied her when she tried to hold my hand. Turned out these sorts of things weren't just in the movies and make-believe. I glanced at my mom as she quietly and uncomfortably ate her food, and wondered why that couldn't have been us—and only one name came to mind. I was jealous, it wasn't fair, but it would be too weird to start being affectionate like that now when the relationship mom and I had was already established to work as it did for as long as I could remember.They finally pulled away as I pushed my chair back to get up. They all looked at me, "Uh, I'm not really hungry, sorry." I knew it'd be rude not to finish the food they made for me, but I'd lost my appetite. I hated that about me. One little thing, me overthinking one small interaction, or one jab at me in the wrong place would ruin my whole mood. If it was bad enough, it could've even caused me to make a scene or rash decision. Then later I'd be left feeling stupid for overreacting and making an irreversible decision. That was why whenever I felt some way emotionally I'd hide it and wait till later because I knew I'd inevitably get over it. Why cause a scene?I grabbed my dish to go and wash it but mom grabbed my hand to stop me. "It's okay, I'll wash it for you."I avoided her eyes because I didn't think I could handle it. "Thanks," I accepted, wanting to be out of there as soon as possible. I pushed my chair in and rushed upstairs to my room. Once I made it there safely, I grabbed one of the books I had packed with me and began reading, hoping it could help me escape from the feelings I didn't want to feel. It'd be embarrassing to cry now, and over something so little, though, I knew deep down that there was something more that was making me so emotional. A small tear threatened to fall, so I quickly wiped it away, shakily whispering to myself, "God, I miss Itachi." He should've been there. I couldn't bear my feelings all on my own. I needed to hear him and have him tell me what it was that was going on inside of me because I couldn't understand. I wasn't sure how long I'd been reading but considering I was a slow reader and was able to finish multiple chapters of my book, it must've been a long while. I heard a knock on my door, I glanced at it, and before I could say anything, Naruto came in. His presence made me feel slightly at ease, but I was feeling slightly embarrassed about my small emotional outburst. I pretended to glance back at my book uncaringly, "I didn't say you could come in."He smiled a big smile which had me feeling pleased. "Payback," He laughed to himself, glancing around my room. "Damn, it's so bare in here."I still kept my eyes locked on my book as if I were still reading. "Why? 'Cause there aren't any posters of naked women on the walls?" His head quickly turned toward me in surprise. "Wh— Nake— No way! You've got it all wrong!" I finally looked away from my book and at him, raising an eyebrow. His face was so red, it was funny, and, I wasn't sure why, but I wanted him to explain. "Oh yeah?" So, I pushed his buttons till I got what I wanted. "Yeah! My friend put those there, not me! I'm a child of God!" "Not with those posters on your wall. I bet you kiss them goodnight before bed." I snorted teasingly. His mouth dropped, and dropped, and dropped, till he rushed toward me. I wasn't sure what he'd do, but it sure as hell wasn't to grab my wrist, pull me out of my bed, and drag me to his room. From the rush of things, my heart was racing once we got to his room. I was surprised by the suddenness, to say the least. He looked at me then at his wall before jumping up on his bed and ripping off a poster in one quick move. I smiled so hard it began to hurt my face and no matter how hard I tried to make it go away, it wouldn't. "Can I help?"He turned to me and returned a proud smile, he hadn't seen me smile so hard till then. It was embarrassing. "Hell yeah, c'mon." He reached his hand out to help me as I attempted to climb on his bed. I took it and tried my best to avoid falling but ended up wobbling as soon as I stood over the cushion, almost falling. In the same moment though, I grabbed onto Naruto's shoulder and he grabbed onto my arm, saving me just in time. "Thanks," I hurriedly said before quickly letting go and turning to his wall, "So, you sure this is okay?"He thought about it for a second, and I began to think maybe he did kiss them goodnight. "My friend will probably be pissed at me but whatever, I'm sure it won't last long." He ripped another one off the wall, and I followed. I was surprised he'd done this for me and felt incredibly happy that I had gotten to share this moment with him, but also felt something else inside me at the mention of his friend. Whoever they were, they were lucky to have Naruto as a friend. I could tell he was a good person to have around. "What if they try to replace them?""He won't, and, to be honest, the only reason I have these on here is because I lost a bet." He peeled some tape off the wall and spoke as I attentively listened. "Since I lost I had to put these up on my walls. My parents were surprised since I'd never been into stuff like that," He gave me a look, and I knew what he meant by it. "My mom was super pissed and I was seriously scared for my life but my dad somehow got her to let me keep them. She avoids them whenever she comes in here though, which is a little funny to me, and the main reason I haven't bothered taking them down." I laughed and bumped my shoulder against his. "You're so evil. You're such a bad son, I can't believe you lied to her like that earlier." Ignoring my comment, he jumped off the bed and dusted himself off, as if he had done construction work or some shit. I turned to do the same but paused. "Naruto, don't let me fall," I warned him, too scared to jump down on my own. "Sasuke—" He smiled so hard, and I blushed in embarrassment. "There's no way—" He broke out into a fit of laughter and clutched his stomach. "Bro, I'm serious." I glared, but my blush deepened so much so that my face looked like a tomato. I angrily leaned down and grabbed a pillow off his bed, shooting it at him with as much force as I could muster up without hurting him. Infuriatingly though, he easily dodged it. "Okay, okay," His laughter died down and he got serious. "But, seriously, there's no way you're scared of jumping down.""I could literally jump down and trip or, like, twist my ankle, moron." I explained, trying to justify my fear. "I don't live a dangerous life like you, now, are you gonna help me down or not?"He smiled, no teeth, "Fine, Sasuke, I'll catch you if you fall, but I'm sure you won't." He got closer so I could use his shoulder to help me balance myself as I jumped down. "But you better help me get rid of the trash." He quickly added. I thanked him under my breath as I finally got back on the ground, and let go of his shoulders. "Of course there's a "but" with you." I rolled my eyes. "I was going to help you anyway, idiot," I walked over to the posters we had thrown onto the floor and picked them up, handing two of them to Naruto to throw away himself. "C'mon," He followed behind me as we both walked down the stairs with posters of women—with large breasts and slim waists—in our hands.When we reached the bottom of the stairs, in front of the kitchen, we realized Minato had come home. "Dad! You got off work already?" Naruto grinned and rushed past me to his dad's side. His dad gave him a side hug, my stomach felt empty, and I walked over. "Naruto! Yeah, I'm home." Minato gave me a side hug as well—he was a good person like that. Then his eyes went from the posters in my hands to those on Naruto's. "What are you two doing?"Kushina walked over from the living room and threw her head back dramatically, placing the back of her hand over her forehead. "Please tell me you're finally getting rid of those." I should have made a joke, interjected, or something. Said something like "Yeah, thanks to me," but I didn't. I knew what words to say but my mouth and heart wouldn't permit me. That just wasn't me. That wasn't who he raised me to be. "Sasuke got me to take them off, right Sasuke?" He turned to me and I nodded.Naruto was able to though. I felt relief that he'd transitioned the conversation the way I would have, but also made an unintentional mental note that he was what I couldn't be."You're a lifesaver!" Kushina gave me a genuinely grateful look. "Just because of this, I'll get Minato to make you those chocolate pancakes you like whenever you'd like.""Hey, hey, when did I agree to that?" Naruto's older version interjected, and I smiled. They were such a great family. "You agreed when you signed up to be my husband." She flirted and leaned in to peck him on the lips. Naruto grimaced. "Gross, get a damn room!" He then turned to me with his tongue sticking out in disgust, and one of the sides of my lips perked up. "C'mon, let's go, Sasuke." 🌙 After we threw away the posters, I had completely forgotten about my book, and how I'd probably lost what page I'd been on as Naruto invited me to play video games. I hated video games—they made me rage. Nonetheless, I said yes. Once again, I sat down on my designated beanbag as he set up his console and handed me a control. The first game we played was a racing game. I'd never played it before, which was my excuse every time he won and called me a loser.For some reason, his insulting words didn't feel like insults. I shot them back at him every time I won, but that wasn't very often. Every round I'd end up inevitably throwing my head back and glaring at him lightheartedly. I had never clicked with someone in this way. It was so pure. I won't lie, when I'd first "connected" with him, I had this feeling. I couldn't pinpoint it at that moment because it was in the back of my mind, but it was something like... I knew he was about to be a big part of my life, or maybe I wanted him to be. He seemed cool and fascinating but I doubted things would play out my way even if it felt like they might just. So I brushed off the feeling as me trying to convince myself there was something there when there wasn't. After all, he probably treated everyone in that way and made them feel like this—like they'd just met their match. There were three knocks at the door. I glanced at the door, and back at Naruto who looked somewhat scared which confused me. He instantly shot up and rushed to the TV, shutting it off and taking my control away. He set both controllers on the table and speed-walked to the door.When he opened it, Minato was standing there. An apparent wave of relief washed over Naruto. "Oh, dad, it's you." He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He received a look. "Naruto, get ready for bed, it's late." Minato reached his hand out and patted Naruto on the head. Then, he looked over his shoulder and at me. "You too Sasuke,"I got up from the beanbag and walked to where Naruto was standing. "Oh, okay," I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and read the time. It was ten pm. Minato roughed up my hair as well before closing the door and leaving, then Naruto turned to me with the same look he'd given his dad. "Goodnight, Sasuke. Let's play video games together again sometime. I'll probably keep winning though." He teased me, smiling at me with an idiotic grin for the hundredth fucking time of the day. In a low tone, I replied. "In your dreams, Naruto. Now, go to sleep before you get in trouble." I smirked and walked out of his room and toward mine. I heard him say something else but it sounded incoherent to me as I decided to ignore any of his comebacks. 🌙 Back at my room, after I left Naruto's, I found my book scattered over my messy bed sheets. It reminded me of what had happened and made me realize how real it was, taking me back to the earlier interchange between him and me. It gave me an outlook on what had happened between us. Something had definitely changed. I wasn't sure how to feel about it yet, or if it had been a good thing. There was one thing I was certain of though—I had fun. A lot of it. I smiled ever so slightly before walking over to my closet to find something to change into. After the long drive, all I had wanted to do was take a shower to wash away everything. I hadn't gotten a chance to earlier in the day since I had to unpack for most of the day though. Sighing and not waiting a second longer, I grabbed a black shirt and some sweatpants as well as a pair of boxers, and headed to the bathroom. I couldn't wait till I was out of the shower, cleaner than ever.The bathroom was mostly all white which didn't come as a surprise considering their modern interior everywhere else. The shower was huge and had one of those square shower heads with great water pressure. Prepared for me came towels, a new toothbrush, and an all-natural-ingredient shampoo and conditioner, the expensive kind. My shower was quick, as I didn't want to disturb anyone who might've been trying to sleep. It was the first time I had showered in such a luxurious place. It was nice, but it also added to the growing uneasiness I had been battling the entirety of my stay. After I got changed, I turned on a lamp that was on my desk and turned off the room lights. I had taken a cold-ish shower so I hurriedly wrapped myself around my bedsheets in an effort to warm up. I also reached for my book, wanting to get a bit of reading done before going to sleep. There was a problem though. Once I found the page I had left off on, I kept re-reading the same sentence, paragraph, and chapter over and over again. My brain just couldn't retain any of the information. There were too many thoughts and emotions I had piled up and my brain couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't handle it anymore. I shut the book closed and tossed it on my desk frustratedly. My desk, my room, my bathroom, my closet. It didn't even sound right. That wasn't my home. I shouldn't have been sleeping there. I shouldn't have been interacting with those people the way I was, because, they weren't my family. They were strangers who I had to live with whether I liked it or not. I may have never liked being at my house all that much, but at least it had felt like home. In comparison to mine, this house was full of smiles and happiness and yet I couldn't seem to truly feel it deep inside me. Rather, it felt so cold inside me. Not as warm as I should've felt. Itachi wasn't there. Dad wasn't there...Mom was there, but... I could feel her sadness. All the walls were smothered by the dread she felt for what had happened, and I couldn't understand why. She could put on a smile and laugh at jokes made at the dinner table all she wanted but I could see right through her. She wasn't okay. Not because of the move, or the fact that we were fucking dirt poor, but because he had died. That bastard had died and she... She was sad? Worst of it, somehow, that made me sad too. Mom's sadness, not knowing how to feel about what had happened, Itachi being gone, and the whole change in environment, it was all hitting me hard. I wasn't sure at all how I should've felt or what I was genuinely feeling about anything. It was just... Too much. All I wanted to do was rest. To sleep and wake up in some sort of fantasy world where none of that was my reality. I dug my face deep into my blanket, not wanting to let a single sound out—Naruto was just down the hall. The blanket around me became wet incredibly quickly, and my face was all red, I could feel it. Tears were spilling out of my eyes faster than ever before as I bit back sobs. Not only that but there was a dreadful sensation forming in my stomach. I wanted to throw up.My breathing was uneven and heavy as I pulled my face away from my blanket and ran my hands through my hair in a frenzy. I raked my fingers through it and pulled on it in distress. My snot began running and I tried to wipe it away as quickly as possible while not making too much noise.Even after I fought hard to avoid anyone hearing though, someone did. A door down the hall slowly crept open, and my heart immediately dropped and kept dropping as I heard footsteps inching toward my room. Yet, the thought of getting caught crying wasn't enough to stop the tears from running.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Love is a ruthless game. Unless you play it good and right, these are the hands of fate."
State of Grace - Taylor Swift 🌙 When I first woke up the following morning, I wasn't sure if what I had heard was a fragment of my imagination or maybe a dream. Though, after sitting up in bed, feeling the pounding headache I had, and seeing my swollen eyes in the bathroom mirror, I was sure the part where I was crying all night wasn't a dream. Fortunately, my puffy eyes didn't stand out too much. But that didn't stop me from rushing to my phone and looking up all possible remedies to make swollen eyes go away. The last thing I wanted was to be the pitiful kid who cried last night. I hated being caught crying more than anything else. It made me look weak. When I was a little boy, elementary school and a portion of middle school were hell for me. I was a very emotional child. Someone raising their voice at me, the thought of getting into trouble, or me slightly embarrassing myself would instantly make my eyes water. I was afraid, and so my tears led me to be labeled the shy kid, the sensitive kid, and worst of all, the crybaby. I hated that I was unable to control my emotions and as a result, as I grew older, my yearly New Year's resolution was to go the whole year without crying. I failed every year, and I had yet to succeed, but I was certain that eventually, I would. For now, though, I had to make sure no one could see this side of me. Multiple articles I had read recommended using a cold wet washcloth so I went with that since it was the easiest. Since I didn't want to leave my room and risk being seen, I settled with using one of my shirts. I rummaged through my closet and found a black T-shirt. I grabbed it and hurried back to the bathroom. I turned the cold side of the faucet on and tested the temperature by touching it. Deciding it was cold enough, I soaked the shirt in the water and then draped it very loosely over my eyes out of concern that I wouldn't be able to handle the cold. After a few seconds, the shirt began feeling soothing so I allowed it to be completely pressed against my eyes. I occasionally had to re-soak the shirt in the water because as my skin warmed it up, the shirt's coldness faded. After doing that multiple times I decided I was too lazy to keep going. I pulled the shirt off and silently hoped I'd done enough to go undetected. Then it was time to deal with the headache. Usually after some sleep and pills in my system, the problem would be solved. The thing was, I doubted I'd be getting any sleep since it was already morning. As I threw the now wet shirt in my laundry basket I decided I'd have to rely on just the pills. Before asking mom for any–since I knew she always carried some in her purse–I had to get changed from the night prior's snot-overrun shirt. I rummaged through my closet for a second time to find a new shirt, one that was for my upper body rather than my eyes this time. There, I found a long sleeve with dark-gray and black stripes.I pulled the shirt over my head but paused mid-way as the sound of a knock at my door interrupted me. I froze and looked at it, realizing someone might just walk in and see me shirtless. Hastily and hurriedly, I slipped my shirt on all the way before heading over to the door to see who it was.Rather than it being one of the adults, it was Naruto, who wore his non-faltering smile. "Good morning, Sasuke! Dad sent me to come get you, you're up late. If it were me who woke up this late, mom would've been hysterical, you're lucky." He spoke so much and so fast, it surprised me. I wondered how many simultaneous thoughts he had in his head. As he stood in front of me, I was sure there was so much more he wanted to say somehow, but I stopped him. Who knows how long he would've kept going if I hadn't.I wasn't sure how I stopped his mouth from running wild at first. Maybe I had wished hard enough? I kept watching him attentively to see if I'd get an answer as to how and got it sooner than expected. His lips formed a sinister grin that couldn't possibly mean anything good as his gaze roamed the top of my head like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.My head circled within itself relentlessly as I wondered what it was that was making him smile so damn hard. My eyes then widened and my hands shot up as an image of the ridiculous hairstyle I had earlier seen in the mirror but had been too preoccupied to deal with flashed into my mind. But before my fingertips could touch hair, Naruto grasped my hands with his own. Once again, a wave of warmth surged through my hands as he transmitted it onto me with his bare touch. Mine were no longer cold. I kept relentlessly trying to pull my hands away from his grasp as his laugh echoed through the hallway, but he wouldn't budge. "No, wait, wait, wait." Our hands were tangled and glued together as we both tried to maneuver ourselves for our different wants. "Stop, no, you look hilarious right now, Sasuke," One of the many things I noticed when I'd first met him was how much he said my name. No one had done that before. I'd have extended conversations with friends and family, they'd say my name here and there if I were lucky. With Naruto, he said it so many times. I liked it. I liked my name. I liked that it was my name coming out of his mouth. I could have easily used my foot to kick the moron in the balls, that would surely wipe the laugh off his damned face, but I didn't want to. Displayed on my face was a look of annoyance, but really, truly deep inside of me, I felt happy. I loved the moment we were having. The way he was already comfortable with touching me and joking with me. An onlooker would have never known we had only just met. "I'm gonna kick you." I threatened him, an empty threat. "Okay, okay, hold on, please, just let me get a picture of this." Finally freeing my hands, he whipped out his phone to take a picture. I reached forward to snatch it away, failing as he retracted backward. I followed suit, stepping forward again and failing again as he opened the camera app using one hand. It was stupid of me not to have fixed my hair rather than attempt to take his phone away from him but I had gotten caught up in the moment. Or maybe I liked being with him like this—having small meaningless fights with him. It made the hope I had of what I thought was an imaginary connection fabricated by my brain feel possible and real. "I swear," I gritted my teeth because, either he was incredibly skilled or for some reason, the gods were on his side on this particular day as he avoided every one of my attempts. "I'm going to punch you in the face." Even after all my threats, he kept pushing my buttons. So I decided to step the fight up a notch. It was time for me to take action. I lunged myself onto him, tackling him to the ground. The sound made a loud thudding noise as we both fell out into the hallway. Immediately after, I could hear Naruto's mom call out for him. Continuing our spar, we both ignored her. We tossed and turned and after a few minutes, as footsteps rushed up the stairs, we were both found breathing heavily while lying side by side on our backs. My eyes were closed, while his were wide open, staring up at the ceiling and then at me. "Naruto!" His mom shouted first, then, "Sasuke!" I opened my eyes and stared up at her. She was angry. Really angry. "You two scared me! What happened?!" She kneeled down between the two of us, but faced Naruto and placed the palms of her hands over his cheeks as she held his head. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"I turned to face them as my right cheek touched the cold wooden floors. I watched as he pushed her hands off his face, but didn't let go of one. He was comforting her. "Sorry if I scared you... We were just playing, sorry." Her eyebrows drew in with relief. Mikoto also ran up the stairs, but by then, I had already fixed my hair and gotten up off the floor, the only thing left behind on that hallway floor being a display of affection. An ordinary display of affection between a mother and her son. I passed by her as I walked down the stairs, but paused as I remembered what it was I was after. "Hey, mom," She turned to me surprised at my suddenness. "You got any painkillers? I have a headache." Nodding repeatedly in a frantic manner, she replied, "Yeah, I'll go get some for you," She reached to touch my arm comfortingly but I instinctively pulled away. I hadn't meant to. I wasn't used to being touched like that, and so it made me uncomfortable. I saw hurt flash in her eyes, and fade away just as quickly as I felt the regret set inside of me. "Are you getting sick?" She asked, playing off the interaction. I shook my head. "Oh, okay," She paused and stared at me intently. "Wait here and I'll go get those for you.""Get him what?" Walking up behind mom, Naruto walked up to us along with Kushina, her hand around his shoulder.Mom looked back at them. "Oh, just some painkillers, Sasuke's got a headache."Walking past Sunshine and Mikoto, he inquired, "You have a headache? You should have told me before I provoked you to tackle me, I'm sorry." His apology took me aback. I hadn't expected it from him, especially with something as trivial as a headache. "It's not a big deal," I shrugged and averted my gaze. I felt weird. "It is a big deal." He looked dead serious. "Your head was probably pounding as you knocked me to the ground." Kushina's mouth fell open and she looked between us. "Knocked you— What?!"He eyed me as if he were waiting on it, and he got it. My lips perked up into a smile and his followed suit. He was serious about his worry but he was also cracking a joke. Two in one, to make me feel better. "You're an idiot,""Sasuke, come down!" Mom called out for me from downstairs. I glanced at Naruto who was rubbing the back of his neck at Kushina's angry stare. I turned and walked downstairs, deciding to sit that fight out. The pressure in my head was getting worse. I got to the first floor to see her holding a glass of water out for me. "I thought you told me to wait upstairs,""Yeah, I know, but I have something for you." She explained, handing me two pills as well as the glass of water. "Oh, okay," I took them from her, eyeing the eerily wide smile on her face. "Thanks..." "I wanted to wait till after dinner, but I can't wait any longer. You're gonna love it." I watched it intently—the smile was so beautiful on her face. She was beautiful. It had been a while since I had seen such a genuine one on her face.I put the glass down on the counter. "What is it?" She let out a little giggle before turning around to face the counter behind her, her arms visibly grabbing something off it. Seconds later, she turned back with a box in her hand, one with a shipping label. Extending her arms out to me, she handed the box to me and I took it. Had she ordered something for me, was that the surprise? My eyes scanned the top and felt my heart stop as I immediately recognized the name. On the shipping label— 'Uchiha Itachi'My eyes widened and my breath hitched, the grip I had on the box tightening as its preciousness grew. I looked back up at mom, "Itachi sent this? A-are you sure it's for me? What is it?""Yeah, it's for you." She nodded vigorously. She looked like she wanted to cry. "Itachi called me yesterday and let me know to expect a package for you. He told me what it is, but you should open it up and find out on your own." I didn't wait a second longer. I placed the box on the counter and ran to grab a knife from one of the kitchen drawers. Using it, I opened the box with trembling hands. The first thing I laid my eyes on was a small white envelope sitting atop bubble wrap. I ripped it open to see a letter inside. ━━━━━━━━━━
Dear Sas',
I'm deeply sorry I can't be with you and mom during these difficult times. Not a day goes by that I don't resent this situation and the fact that I'm not there with you guys. I promise I'll be there soon. Anyway, I got you something! I think you'll really like it. I'm not sure if it'll be of any use to you when it comes to your writing, but I hope it will. If it isn't, you can use it for your school work, no worries. But when I come back to you two, you better show me your newest chapters and I'll be sure to admire your amazing writing skills. One last thing, don't worry about the price, I got it for cheap from a friend! :)
Sincerely,
Your amazing older brother, Itachi.
━━━━━━━━━━ My fingers clutched the paper, crinkles forming around them. If mom hadn't been watching, coats of tears would've been petaling over the letter and the ink would have melted and shifted beneath the tears. My head was faced down and my eyes were glassy, but my pride wouldn't allow them to fall. Instead, I blinked them away and decided to see what he'd gotten me. Whatever it was he had gotten me was wrapped heavily with bubble wrap and duck tape. I carefully cut through it all, my hands still shaking. Mom offered to help me out but I told her I could do it on my own. As I cut the last piece of bubble wrap, I pulled out the present inside. It was wrapped with wrapping paper from my favorite show. I took a second to appreciate the effort he had put into it before shredding it off. What was left was a bare MacBook box. I couldn't believe it. I didn't allow myself to—I didn't want to be let down. I pulled the top of the box up, the bottom slowly sliding out. It slid out fully, a silver MacBook laying peacefully inside, waiting on its owner's use. I pulled it out and slowly opened it. It was cold against my touch, exactly how I had expected it to feel. "I can't believe it," I turned to mom. "Mom, I can't believe it, is this really for me?""Of course, it's for you! In the midst of all this... He was still able to show his love for you. Your brother is amazing."I hated that she had to mention how sorrowful our current situation was, but I decided not to allow that to bring me down. "I can't wait to use it." Mom didn't know I wrote. She didn't know about the love I held for writing or how much I wanted to be an author. I had told her when I was barely beginning. I was much younger and excited over a few thousand readers as I shoved my phone in her face and bragged. I was sure she didn't remember though. She probably thought it was one of those things I grew out of. Two pairs of footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, Naruto and Kushina surely. I wasn't sure why, but I pocketed the letter as the blond approached me. He looked at the counter full of duck tape-covered bubble wrap, wrapping paper, and mailing items. He then looked at the MacBook in front of me. "You got a MacBook, cool! I have one of those, mom and dad got it for me to do my schoolwork on." He rolled his eyes. Kushina walked over to Mikoto and they began to inaudibly talk. I didn't care enough about their adult conversations to listen in. Instead, I let go of my hold on the laptop and decided to clean up before doing anything else. I wasn't shameless enough to go back to my room to use my new electronic before cleaning."Wait," Walking past me, Naruto asked, "Mom, did my package arrive?" Interjecting before Kushina could say anything, Mikoto answered. "I did see another package when I got Sasuke's. I left it on the living room coffee table." I could hear him gasp excitedly and run over to the living room. As soon as I finished cleaning up after myself I grabbed my MacBook to take it up to my room. I ran up the stairs and into my room, throwing myself on my desk chair. I softly and carefully placed it on the desk, and after setting it up, I opened a google doc. The page was empty, but that didn't last long. My hands hovered over the keys before beginning to tap away, words forming on the page and forming sentences, paragraphs, and a soon-to-be story. I typed for who knows how long until the door of my bedroom opened. I looked and as I expected, it was Naruto. He had a black box in his hands. "Hey, Sasuke!" He walked over to my bed and sat down facing me. I didn't say anything, I knew I didn't have to. He'd keep talking regardless, and I guessed I liked that about him. He filled the silence. He opened the box and showed me the new shoes he had gotten. "I got these shoes," He explained, "They're ugly, right?"I looked at them and knew my answer right away. The colors were beautiful and bright. They were beautiful. They were stunning. I loved them. They were childish, I'd admit that, but beautifully so."No, they're not. I like them.""Really?" He looked genuinely surprised. I wondered why or how anyone could find them ugly. "My friend told me they were." He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Good thing they're just for gym class."I propped myself up on the chair. I couldn't comprehend it. "Are you kidding?" I wanted those shoes for myself. They were that breathtaking. "They're not ugly, they look amazing."He laughed in my face. "Wow, you're getting so serious over a pair of shoes." I frowned, looked down at the shoes, then back at my laptop screen. "I'd say you're in love with them." He attempted to joke. "Shut up, moron," I grumbled, reading over the last sentence I had typed out to try and get back in my writing space. He nosily glanced at my laptop and noticed the google doc I had open. This made him place the shoebox down on my bed and walk up behind my chair to read what I was typing. He leaned down and placed his head on my shoulder. My breath hitched, I wasn't used to someone being so close. To distract myself from him, I began reading over the same sentence over and over again, then everything on the screen, but couldn't comprehend anything I read. I was out of it. I held my breath until he finally spoke. I didn't want to accidentally breathe too hard. "I thought you were doing homework but you're not." A smirk crept up on his face. "Are you writing a fan fiction about—""No!" I slammed the laptop closed. Shit, I had completely forgotten what it was I had written. "I wasn't,"He chuckled and stepped back. "I saw their names on the screen Sasuke, there's no point in lying to me." I blushed and glanced at him to see the smile on his face. He was enjoying this. "Don't worry, I read fan fiction about them too." He admitted as if it were nothing. My mouth fell open. I knew he watched the show too, but I had no idea he read fan fiction. I turned my chair completely to him. "Really? You better not be lying.""I'm not lying, Sasuke! I'm so serious right now. I did tell you I shipped them yesterday, didn't I? One fic' I read is actually really similar to yours. Same writing style and everything." I paused. "What? What do you mean?""Yeah, the last chapter the writer uploaded was about them getting stuck on a Ferris wheel at an amusement park, and you're writing about that right now. It's odd really." I tensed. It wasn't possible, was it? No, of course not, couldn't be. There are many fictions which are similar. I needed to know though. I had to be sure. Something was telling me to ask, and so I did. "By any chance, in the fic' you read, was there someone who purposefully made the Ferris wheel stop?" "Yeah! How'd you know?" He took a second to think, then, "Wait," His hand came up to his mouth in shock. "Oh my god," He paced around the room before coming to a stop and looking into my eyes. "You wrote that Sasuke?!"I slowly nodded. "Was it any good?" I needed someone to tell me it was good, that they enjoyed reading it, and that it made sense and wasn't just a jumble of gibberish made by a stupid teen. My fanfic wasn't very known, I was purely writing for myself. I wanted to feel accomplished and form a story of my own. But I also wanted gratification. I wanted to know if what I wrote was enjoyable. Worth reading. A beautiful masterpiece. "Any good? Sasuke, it was amazing! I couldn't believe that his own friend did that to him! When are you going to update next?" He sat down on my bed, in front of me. I could see the pure excitement in his eyes. "Can you let me in on what happens next? Wait, no, can I read the next chapter early?!""Wow... You're up to date." I too, began to smile. So hard it hurt my face. This was unbelievable. The chances of this happening were so low and yet... "I'm surprised you even understand what's going on in the story. I feel like it doesn't make any sense.""You know what I'm surprised about?" "What?"He grinned from ear to ear. "That you!" He jumped up off the bed and pointed at me. "Sasuke, wrote that!" My face turned beet red and my ears felt warm. I couldn't believe it either. I had met one of my readers. Naruto was one of my readers. He had read it all. Every single chapter I had written up until now. It felt so... Meant to be. But I didn't dare think it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet.You should've said, "No" Baby, and you might still have me."
Should've Said No - Taylor Swift
🌙 Naruto had found the letter Itachi had given me. Weirdest part of it all was that I didn't mind. He had breached my privacy, and I wasn't upset or uncomfortable. I welcomed it. No, I had planned it. In truth, I had planted it there for him to find. I wanted him to see, to know, that part of me. Not precisely that I had a loving older brother but rather that Sas' was my nickname. It was how all my old friends and Itachi referred to me. I wanted to let him know he was welcome to use it without actually verbally doing so. Through this, somehow, I wanted to feel closer to him. The next time Mom and I went shopping, I bought a bulletin board to go above my desk. When I got home I immediately set it up on my wall, sticking the note Itachi had written for me on it. I also added a few other things so it wouldn't be so obvious that I wanted him to see, but not too many that they'd take the focus away from the note itself. Soon after, Naruto rushed into my room uninvited, and noticed it. He was nosy and had a good eye so I didn't have to do much for him to notice. It worked out perfectly for me. He had strutted into my room with his usual confident walk, head and shoulders held high. Spotting it as soon as he walked in, and as I typed away on my laptop, he walked over to get a closer look. He observed it for a moment, and I felt the anticipation killing me, before he asked, "Can I read this? I don't want to intrude or anything,"He was always so careful. The last time we had hung out he suddenly apologized for saluting. I laughed and called him an idiot for thinking that would offend me. Why would I get offended over that, I asked, and he responded, "Someone did once." I didn't reply, but I wondered who the asshole who had gotten mad at him for that was. It must've been bad for the memory to have stuck with him. "Yeah, go ahead," I answered, continuing to type away on my laptop as if I wasn't dying to see what he'd do. If he'd take the initiative and do as I'd wanted him to. I continued typing out the last sentence on my mind before he'd walked in and made me lose my focus. I paused, stretched my fingers, becoming hyper-aware of his eyes reading over the note. I wondered what he'd say, or think.But he didn't say anything. He just walked away from the note and sat down on my bed, but I hadn't lost hope. Then he said something. "You have an older brother Sas'?" He paused. "I didn't know, my parents never told me. They only told me about you."He didn't waste any time, and went straight to using nickname. He had done it so shamelessly, and the thought filled me with so much joy. "Yeah, I do." I avoided his thoughtful gaze and curious eyes, resting mine on my laptop screen. Even though any thoughts of what I'd been writing about were long gone. "He's currently away for work though. A business trip, I think.""That's so cool!" He watched me carefully, "What does he do?" "You know, just office stuff, I really don't know. I don't like to pry on that, but it requires him to travel once in a while." I shrugged. "One of his teachers helped him get the job. He was a great student back in high school. Straight As, perfect record, in clubs and everything." He made a humming sound and threw himself backward, his back landing on my bed. "Wow, what a nice teacher, your brother seems amazing too. I'd like to do all those things too. I plan to."I wanted to ask what he meant by that but before I could, from down the stairs, Kushina's voice suddenly slipped through my open bedroom door. "Naruto!" He looked to the door and then me. "I'll be back," I nodded and looked back to my writing to try and keep myself busy as I waited, but I was too anxious to do so. I just wanted him to come back so we could keep talking.Not long after, he did. He peeked his head back in and grinned, as if he had an evil master plan he wanted to set into action. "Hey, Sas'?"I glanced at him. He said it so... "Yeah?"He didn't answer right away. He seemed to stare into my soul, and I wanted to break away from the contact, but I didn't want to lose the moment. Naruto was staring into me. "Want to go to the park with me before dinner? Mom just gave me permission. I had asked her earlier today, and she just gave me the go for it." He paused, then rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. Sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem like you had to... Because you don't."My heart accelerated. I didn't even have to think about it. Of course, I did. He was fun, and I loved the way I could be myself around him. He could make me smile. Laugh. Even though I wasn't the type to, especially now. I pretended to think about it, wondering if my 'packed' schedule had enough room for him. I didn't want to seem... Too desperate? I didn't want him to see me as I did. Someone who would simply rot in bed all day and only had a handful of friends. He was cool and I needed him to think I was too. "Yeah, I do."I could see his eyes light up, and just as the first time I'd met him, he ran over to me in a flash of blurred yellow, grasped my wrist, and pulled me up. "Great! Let's go now!""Wait, but I'm not even ready." I stumbled forward, but as I tried to resist his pull, a part of me allowed itself to be dragged away. He looked back at me to see what I was wearing, looking me up and down, and I felt myself shrink beneath his gaze. I had a faded dark-blue T-shirt on with washed-out gray jeans and Converse. "You look fine, great even."I rolled my eyes but didn't miss the feeling of my cheeks heating up. "Quit lying, you're just trying to get me to go.""I'm serious!" He laughed, I smiled at his laugh, and he dragged me out of my room. 🌙Before heading out, I asked my mom for permission and she'd said yes. I was grateful she had allowed me despite her usual somewhat strict parenting, but I was sure she'd only said it in relief that I was finally going out after what happened. On our way out the door, we decided we'd walk to the park since it was within walking distance according to Naruto. As I agreed, I followed him out the door. Right away, he struck up a conversation, not leaving any room for a single moment of silent awkwardness between us. Like always. "So, what are your friends back at home like?" I looked up at the sky, a way to avoid his eye; I'd just get nervous. It was at that awkward stage that comes before the sunset. Beauty was to come, and I couldn't wait to see it with Naruto. "Well, I've known them for basically all my life. I met them during my first year of middle school. There are four of them in total.""I saw," He paused, then elaborated after I shot him a confused look. "From the pictures on your pinboard. It's not fair they get a place on there and I don't."'What?' is all I could think as I looked back at the sky, feeling something twist inside my stomach. I'd rethink this moment and examine what it meant later, when I was alone. There was probably no meaning behind it, yet I couldn't help but think whether or not he wanted me to mean something to him too. "You have to earn it, loser." "Okay, okay, I will. Just you wait Sas'!" He shouted out, speeding past me as energy bursted through him. It was like he drank energy drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."Stop being so loud, idiot! The whole neighborhood will hear us!" I rushed after him, and hesitated to wrap my arms around his neck. I wasn't normally touchy with anyone, but something about Naruto made me want to have this touchy closeness, like others did. He felt safe enough to do so, because he was him, and I was sure it wouldn't be weird or awkward.He was under my chokehold, yet I didn't receive the reaction one would normally draw out. Rather, his reaction was to wiggle his head and neck around my arm in an attempt to pull away from my touch... While letting out small choked-out giggles. "Your neck is ticklish!" I gasped as it hit me. I removed my arm from his neck and instead began wiggling and brushing my fingers against his neck. He let out a few laughs but quickly stepped away from me and crumbled into a ball on the ground, his arms wrapped around his head for protection from me. "You're so evil, Sas'! Stay away!""C'mon, you can't stay in a ball all day." I crossed my arms and tapped my foot exaggeratedly against the ground. "Where did your bravery suddenly go?""I never claimed to be brave, but thanks!" I rolled my eyes at his childish comeback and squatted down next to him, getting a hold of his arms to try and pry them off of himself. I ended up struggling more than I had anticipated though. "Jesus, you're strong. You're like those evil babies who somehow have super strength." His body heaved as muffled laughs came through, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. "Don't compare me to those evil beings, Sas'""Fine, I won't,""Thank you,""If,""Asshole,"I bit the inside of my cheek and momentarily looked away, at the sky, once again. "You get up off the floor. Do you know how many germs are down there? How many dirty shoes step over that spot you're currently sitting on?"He peeked one eye out above his arm and looked at me. "Right now, germs scare me much less than you."I held back a smile as I grabbed onto one of his arms and pulled him upwards to get him to stand up. "Idiot, I promise I won't tickle you anymore. Do you want to hear about my friends or not?""Fine, fine, and don't call me that!" He allowed himself to be pulled up, and dusted off his pants. "What's the first one like? Boy or girl?""She's a girl," I looked down and kicked a rock onto the empty road. "She's short, and her name is Kerin. She can be annoying at times, but she's always there when I need her most. She's really funny too, and though she acts tough, she's extremely sensitive, always reading too deep into situations."He hummed in response. "How does she look?""She has red hair,""Like my mom?""Yeah," I looked at him and nodded. "But it's not silky like hers, it's more spiky 'cause she cuts it to be that way.""She sounds cool, I want to meet her." I didn't reply, the chances of that were low. "Who is the next one?""The next one is a guy, his name is Suigetsu. He's a real perv, always making sexual jokes, but I find them funny. The only downside to him is the fact that he isn't very open-minded, he has no filter, and is pretty selfish at times." Kerin hated his sexual jokes, but I loved them. Maybe because I was as dirty minded as he was, if not more. But I wouldn't tell Naruto that. "That's more than one," He pointed out, with a big grin on his face. I looked at him and smirked. "Right, but he's fun and can be pretty nice."Naruto laughed, but I kept going. "Then there's Jugo. He's the sweetheart of the group. He stays out of arguments, tries to sort them out, and rarely uses curse words." I paused. "It's funny when he does,""Like you,""I do use curse words," I glared at him. "Just..." "Okay, say a curse word right now then." Speeding up ahead of me, Naruto blocked the path in front of me, his stance resembling an "X."I rolled my eyes. "Stop being childish," I pushed down one of his arms to try and get past him but he moved over to block me again. "Sas', you tickled me. This is the least you can do!"I rolled my eyes and forcibly pushed my way through him. "No, I'm not gonna curse for your satisfaction. I do curse, quite a lot actually, I just don't feel like it right now." And I was telling the truth. Partly, at least; I only ever cursed when I was with my friend group or by myself. I wasn't sure why I didn't like cursing around Naruto, why I held that part of me back when I was around him. Maybe because he seemed like a genuinely nice person? But what was I afraid of?Naruto soon gave up pestering me and we continued on our path to the park as I told him more stories about my friends, and filled him in on who the fourth one was. Her name was Sakura, and she was the baby of the group. She was adorable, and could always make me laugh. She called me her best friend at one point, but as we grew older, she gave the title over to Kerin instead as she could relate to her boy problems more. I wasn't boy crazy enough. As we walked, I wanted to ask him about his as well, but I was scared for some reason. I felt as if we weren't close enough, though that didn't make sense, since he was asking me about mine. Maybe because I was nothing compared to him. And maybe because I'd feel bitter jealousy at whoever could call themselves his friend. The sunset was setting a beautiful color when we made it to the park, a stunning mix of red and orange colors. The sun was dipping low into the horizon, and casted a breathtaking orange undertone over the playground. From what I could see, in the center of the playground and above the sand, were the swing sets. I turned to Naruto, seeing if we were on the same page, and as he stared back at me, I knew we were. From slow paced walking to full on running, our paces quickened. We ran onto and across the playground as quickly as our lungs and legs allowed us. I settled onto a swing first, the cool metal chains cradling me as I propelled myself into motion. My legs swung into the air, and just as they did, Naruto settled onto the swing next to mine, instantly following in my steps. It felt nice to be by his side. "It's so nice outside today." He commented. He was right; it was chilly, but a refreshing sort of chilly. I hummed in response. "So, did your mom really not tell you about us? She just told you to pack your things and get in the car?" He questioned, bringing up a topic we'd discussed before. I laughed drily, a gust of wind coming and going, making goosebumps form on my arms. I tightened my hold on the cold metal of the swing. "Yeah, and I was honestly too scared to ask since I knew she was going through a tough time after my dad died. She and I... We aren't emotionally connected, I guess? I'm not sure how to explain it.""What?!" He looked at me in shock, and I hated it because I knew what was coming. It always came. "But she's your mom!" I frowned and looked away from him to hide it. "Can we talk about something else?""Oh," He went silent, and my stomach suddenly felt disgustingly empty. I'd never heard his voice sound like that, and it was my fault. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. Sorry...""Stop apologizing moron, it's okay," I turned back to him and forced a smile, feeling the need to make him feel better. "But yeah, I had no idea about Kushina or Minato, or you for that matter. They're great people by the way."His spirit was instantly lifted again. "They really are! I love them so much. They can be pretty strict sometimes though." "Really? They seemed laid back to me." I was genuinely surprised. They seemed like a picture perfect family, for the most part. "Yeah, with grades, chores, and other stuff. They have really high expectations of me." He smiled sheepishly. "They're only letting me somewhat slack off right now because you and Mikoto are here and also because it's summer, but I'm sure that won't last long. You'll see their true colors soon, trust me." We both laughed, unaware of how much this would come to haunt me. Us, maybe. "You're making them seem evil," I smirked, swinging my legs faster in an attempt to make my swing go quicker and higher. He looked over, and noticed what I was doing, so he copied and tried matching my pace. "They can be, I mean, they didn't let me watch certain cartoons as a kid." "What?" I almost gasped. "You're joking?"He chuckled, and I couldn't keep my eyes off him even as he opened his mouth to speak. "No, I'm serious, I wasn't allowed to watch SpongeBob."My mouth fell open even wider. I couldn't believe it. Something that had played such a huge role in my childhood and I was sure many others, wasn't allowed in Naruto's? What was so wrong with SpongeBob? "Why? I'm pretty sure SpongeBob is a kids show."He shrugged, "I don't know, I was young, so I just did as I was told.""You still do." I blurted out, unable to hold my tongue. I didn't feel bad for doing so, I was happy I had an opening to bring it up. But Naruto didn't seem to understand what I meant. Or, if he did, he didn't care to reply, as he switched the subject. "Sas', school is starting in less than two months! Can you believe it?""What I can't believe is that you sound excited." The last thing I wanted was to go to school, but maybe he was right, and maybe it'd be fun. Or okay, at least, because he'd be there with me. "I'm not excited!" He protested, and I could feel him turn to look at me with a taken-aback expression. "I just think it'll be fun going with you, that's all. I wonder what type of student you are,"I felt a smirk coming onto my lips as I opened my mouth to speak. "You'll see. But the real question is which type are you? Class clown, I bet."He gasped in an offended manner and jumped off his swing while it was still in motion, like a maniac. Proving he was most definitely a super-strength baby. "That's so not true, plus, I—Ah! Sasuke!""N—Hey!" I shouted, frantically squirming in my swing to try and halt its motion before it collided with Naruto, who had stupidly thought it was a good idea to walk right in front of it.My efforts were futile though, and there was no other option but to allow the swing to hit Naruto. He had no time to move away to safety, and if I attempted to get off the swing, my legs would likely get hurt trying to get off a swing going at such a high speed. I could do nothing but watch as Naruto used his hands to shield his face. I couldn't see myself hurt him. So, I shut my eyes and awaited the impact. My knees were the first to feel it, knocking straight into Naruto harder than I'd liked, and instantly making him tumble to the ground. My mouth was agape as I jumped off my swing and ran over to him immediately after, his entire outfit now covered in sand. "Shit, are you okay?"Peering up at me while smiling like an idiot, he gave an evil grin. "You cursed!"I rolled my eyes, realizing why he was smiling despite just getting knocked onto the ground and being completely covered in sand. I reached a hand out for him, "Get up, idiot.""I made you curse!" He mused, reaching for my hand, but by then I'd decided he no longer deserved my help and I pulled away, allowing him to fall straight back onto the sand. "Ow! You jerk!""That's what you get, now get up. Let's go back,"Sitting up, I could hear Naruto groan, making me look back down at him with hidden worry. "Can't you see I'm injured, Sas'? Because of you, cough cough." I snorted at his joke. "Quit being dramatic, and don't blame me; you got yourself injured." "You're so mean," He pouted, and I almost felt bad, until I felt him reach over, grip one of my legs, and use his inhuman super baby strength to knock me to the ground. Allowing me to fall right on my ass. "That's what you get!" He laughed to himself, hysterically, cradling his stomach and nearly choking on his own laughter."Really? Seriously?" My mouth fell open and I looked down at my sand-covered clothes, but he kept laughing. And laughing. And laughing. "Real mature, real—" That was it. I reached over, grabbed a fist full of sand, and threw it at the idiot, making sure to avoid his face so as to not get any in his eyes. Immediately, his laughter subsided and he screamed, scrambling to cover his face. "Ah! Sasuke, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! You were—Ah!" I threw another fist full at him and then reached for a third but was too late as I felt sand land on me. He'd gotten back at me. "You're gonna regret that," My jaw tensed. "You started it! Agh—""Me?! It was you!”For the following five minutes, the empty playground was filled with screams, threats, and laughter as Naruto and I threw fistfuls of sand at one another. It was somewhat scary, having to avoid getting it in my—or his—eyes, but it was fun and ended with both of us laying on our backs while laughing and catching our breaths, apparently a common occurrence between us. That was when the breathtaking sunset chose to make its nightly appearance. The stars were visible, and though the sand was uncomfortably sticking to our skin, I was happy. Not just happy despite my life’s unfortunate events, but happy in the most irregular and unusual way for me. I’d never felt happy in the way I had with him. I turned to Naruto, he wasn't looking at me, but at the sky. I could see his surprisingly long lashes that were hidden by their blond color, and the way they were curled, and I could see the side of his eyeballs, the blue of them darker than I was used to. His lips were also curled up into a soft smile, and I felt the urge to capture the moment. I reached for my phone for the first time while with him and then—Naruto shot up. "Crap!" He felt his pockets, attempting to locate his ringing phone. He answered instantly and got up from the ground, leaving me be. I stayed there, and in the distance, could hear him talking on the phone. "Hey, Mom. Yeah, sorry, we lost track of time. We're on our way home now. Alright, yeah, see you then. I love you,"My lips formed a hard line, and I stood up. He hung up the phone and walked back to where I was standing, trying to dust myself off. He watched me as I did so, irritatingly rubbing the material of my clothes. But the sand wouldn't come off. My eyebrows scrunched up and I looked to the side as I heard Naruto laugh. "What's funny?" He laughed harder and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Calm down, Sas'. We can just sneak in and change before they see us." I sighed; he was right, but I wouldn't tell him that. "Let's go then. Your mom will get suspicious if we don't get there soon." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, sorry."I shrugged off his apology and we walked back onto the sidewalk, hurrying back home. We needed to make it back with enough time to spare so we could change. The fact Naruto told her we were on our way back already wasn't helping with our time situation, either. The street was chilly, and it was much darker out. If we didn't make it home soon, Kushina would surely worry and get angry at us for being out so late. Maybe she wouldn't let us out so late again. I turned back to Naruto, who was strolling through his Apple Music. My nose scrunched up. "You use that? Spotify is better, and hurry up, you don't seem worried at all for someone with such a strict mom." He jogged past me, and I matched his pace, after he seemingly put play on his music, only one earbud in. "What?! Apple Music is definitely better! No debate, one hundred percent!""Oh yeah?" I egged him on, and I rushed past him, and he followed."Yeah, in many ways!""Like?""Okay, first off, the sound quality! You gotta admit, you can't beat it." Naruto went on and on, listing his different reasons, adding fun facts to persuade me that he was right here and there, and I hummed when needed to signal him to keep going. I had made that comment half expecting this to happen, on a whim, but I'd been correct; if I distracted him with something to focus on, he wouldn't complain about wanting to take a break every five minutes. I couldn't have cared less about the Spotify vs Apple Music debate. Before we knew it, we'd arrived home, and upon realizing it, any thoughts Naruto had on the two apps were long gone. He turned to me with a face an evil baby would make, and I felt a shiver go down my spine. "C'mon, if you help me up, we can climb up the roof and through my window. Then I can throw some clothes down for yo—"He stopped mid-sentence, his mouth falling open, as I opened the front door. He looked dumbfounded, and I turned back to him as I walked inside. "Let's keep quiet. They're probably in the kitchen making dinner so we'll have to go undetected.""Got it." I bit back a smile. Naruto followed me in and we carefully tiptoed past the living room and toward the kitchen while our moms had their backs to us. Among the sound of pans and pots, the sizzling of oil, and chattering between them, and the agonizing feeling of going up the steps as slowly yet quickly as possible, I knew, even before the moment was over, that it would be something I would never be able to forget. When we got to the top we each scurried to our rooms to get a new pair of clothes on, knowing full well we'd have to pray to the heavens above that our outfit change wouldn't be noticeable, or else we were royally screwed. We both ran back out of our rooms less than a minute later, looking exhilarated. We shared a nod, and with it, we peeked back down the stairs to see our moms with their backs to us, and we took our chance. At the door, Naruto carefully opened it, and then shut it closed loudly before adding, "We're home!"The chatter coming from the kitchen subsided, and we received our response from Kushina: "Get over here, you two!" She peeked out, wiping her recently washed hands against her green apron. Her eyes stared us down for a second too long, and our breath caught in our throats as we realized we'd been caught. From the corner of my eye, I saw Naruto's mouth fly open, to say something like "We can explain!" But then, the corners of her mouth turned up and we were able to breathe again. "Took you long enough, I was starting to get worried. I'm glad you two are safe, though."From the kitchen, my mom replied. "I told you they were fine!""Mommm, we're old enough to be out late!" Naruto jumped in, but I stayed silent. "I know, I know," she opened her arms and he fell into them. "I just wanted you two here on time for dinner; Mikoto and I have some news for the two of you."He gasped and pulled away from her. "What news?!" "Nuh-uh, you have to wait till dinner." She denied, and Naruto visibly deflated. "Now, can you two set the dinner table? The food is about done.""Of course." He replied, ogling the kitchen, staring past her shoulder. "What are we having?" She answered as she turned to walk back to the kitchen. "Ichiju Sansai,"His eyes lit up as he followed her into the kitchen to get the utensils and bowls for the table out, and I followed suit. Mikoto and Kushina finished preparing the food, Naruto and I setting the table, and before we knew it, we were seated and staring at the steaming hot food, completely rid of any thoughts on the news we were supposed to be receiving. Two seconds later, everyone was clattering to get their serving of the delicious meal, but Kushina and Mikoto shared a look, then looked at us. "So," Kushina cleared her throat. "Boys, as I mentioned earlier, we have some news for you. It might disappoint or relieve you—I'm not quite sure. Just remember to react respectfully."I finished swallowing my rice and looked at Naruto who was already looking at me. He looked as worried as me. This couldn't be good. "Uh, yeah, 'course," Naruto replied, and I simply nodded in agreement.Kushina and Mikoto shared another look before Kushina let out a sigh and focused her gaze on us again. "Okay, so... Naruto, your father and I have been discussing this, and we believe it would be better for you to attend a different school this year."The words came out in slow motion, and the first thing I felt was denial. It couldn't be. Surely she meant both of us, not just him. The room had fallen silent, and I watched as Naruto's eyes dimmed, as he was only able to utter a weak, "What?"Clearing her throat and looking uneasy, Kushina continued, "Yeah, we want you to go to a more... Prestigious school. It will increase your chances of getting into an Ivy League School."This wasn't real. No. And if it was, Naruto would say something. He had a big mouth, and he always pushed to get things his way. He would say something, he would stop this, he would save us. Our future. He had to. My mom let out a weary sigh, her voice slightly hesitant as she chimed in, "I must admit, it's a really good opportunity—" Her words hung in the air, and in that moment, I felt my worry slowly turn into an unexpected surge of anger. I couldn't believe her. She always sided with what was best for anyone, but me. Like I wasn't even her son. Did Kushina and Naruto already mean more to her than me? Was I that unlikable? "But what about Sasuke?" My eyes and ears refocused on the conversation as I heard Naruto interject, and I felt relief wash over me. Of course he'd say something. I knew him, not for long, but I really knew him, and he wouldn't allow this. "We were supposed to attend school together. It's our first year of high school.""Don't interrupt her, Naruto. Where are your manners?" Kushina scolded but he didn't answer, so she continued. "This is what's best for you, end of discussion. You'll thank me in the future." Naruto looked like he wanted to protest, but as I had expected, he gave in to his mother. I knew him long enough to know what he'd do to get his way, but I also knew exactly who he'd drop everything for. And right now it felt like he was dropping me. "Okay..." Mom continued as she locked eyes with me, but she didn't have to; I knew what she was going to say. "And Sasuke, you'll be attending the local high school." I wasn't any different from Naruto though. He and I were in different situations, yet they were all the same. So, really, could l be upset?I merely nodded, my gaze fixed on the plate before me. Keeping my eyes there, I tuned the rest of the dinner table conversation out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Rain came pouring down, when I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe."
Clean - Taylor Swift
🌙 The night after, I fell into a deep slumber at an ungodly hour of the night, just as most nights, my deep eye bags being proof enough of the habit. I would stay up late doing anything but sleeping. On my phone, reading, and especially thinking. I thought nonstop about our conversation at the dinner table, and how I would be completely alone at a new school for the first time ever. From elementary up to middle school, I'd been alongside the same people, but now it'd be different. For a second, Naruto had made me think that wouldn't be the case, but it would be. The only reason I wouldn't wake up late on most days was because Naruto would barge into my room and wake me in the early morning, and I would let him because that was the only thing I loved more than sleep. Spending time with him, time that felt fleeting. The morning after the news, I woke up late. Naruto hadn't barged in and screamed the two words at me like always: Good morning, Sas'! And that was when I realized he was upset. Not at me, but at himself. So I got up and dressed as fast as possible—I needed to talk to him. Say something to him. Something to bring back his early morning good mornings. I'd been upset at him for not fighting for us, but really, what could he do? What did I expect him to do? I couldn't put everything on him. It wasn't his fault. It was just life. My eyes were droopy as I stepped out of my room, and I felt a pang in my chest that became deeper every step I took, and with every thought that occurred to me. How upset would he be? How would he look upset? Would I be able to cheer him up? "Sasuke, you're up!" Minato waved from the bottom of the stairs. He had his usual smile on display, the same one he'd shown me on my first day there. It must've been his day off. "Kushina and Mikoto went out, so it's just you, me, and Naruto."I cleared my voice; I didn't want to sound weird. I didn't want him to see through me. "Right. Uh, where's Naruto?""Oh, him?" He glanced around, peeked toward the living room, and the opposite direction, where the washing room was, and then back at me. "I'm not sure, sorry bud. He's probably in his room though."I nodded and turned back down the hallway, but he spoke again. I turned again. "Oh, and by the way, are you hungry? Kushina told me to let you sleep in. She thought you must've been really tired since you're usually up early."I shook my head. "I'm fine, thanks." I tried at a smile and then walked off toward Naruto's room. Deep down, I'd know he was in there. And yet, I'd been planning to walk down the stairs and look for him down there. I wanted to postpone this. I was scared. Like I was partaking in an egg race, and I didn't want to break my egg, so I chose to stay still rather than move forward and risk breaking it. I stood in front of his door, and I wanted to rip the bandaid right off, so I pulled it open without knocking. If he could, then so could I. I'd planned to walk right in, but I wasn't expecting what I saw. On the floor, there were black trash bags, a trash bin, cleaning solution, napkins, Killer-Bee posters, and clothes and trash littered everywhere, Naruto in the middle of it all. He looked surprised, maybe he'd expected it to be someone other than me, but nothing could silence him, so he spoke first: "Sas'...?"I took a step forward, my voice wavering with concern. "What happened here?"He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, and got up off the floor. "I... I got frustrated and started cleaning, but then things just got out of hand. Sorry, it's a mess."I surveyed the chaos in his room, the remnants of his frustration scattered about. It was clear that he had been trying to distract himself from his own thoughts and emotions. I walked further into the room, carefully navigating the scattered items, and took a seat at the edge of his bed. "It's okay," I said, my tone gentle, almost afraid. "But we really need to talk." Naruto's blue eyes met mine, his expression a mix of sadness and vulnerability, and he slowly stepped forward to join me on the bed. "I know, Sas'. It's just... It's hard, you know? Accepting the changes and everything. Even though I barely brought up the topic with you, I was truly looking forward to starting highschool with you, and I yes, I know we just met and we've only known each other a little while but still... You're already so important to me."He never held back, always sure of himself. He wasn't scared of not being loved back, or maybe he knew he would be. If he did, and he could've felt or seen the feeling in my stomach, he would have known he was right. That was when I was more sure than ever that this sudden click I felt between us wasn't one sided. I wasn't imagining it, it was real. I thought about it for a moment, and decided this was okay as I opened my mouth to reply. "You're important to me too. More than you know." More than he'd ever get to know. I needed to see his reaction. His face. I turned slightly, only to see him grinning harder than I'd ever seen him grin. It twisted and turned the feeling in my stomach, much much harder. I could feel my cheeks blaze. There was a silence for a moment, but then I glanced away from him, mainly out of nerves, and continued. "If it's what our parents think is best for us, I think we should go with it. Besides, we can find a way to make things work, even if we're in different schools.""You're right," He responded, chipper. He sounded happier, and that made me feel lighter. I'd succeeded. "We live together after all, and we have weekends!"I glanced around his room, looking for something, and my eye caught the Killer Bee posters. He was a rap sensation, winning awards at the Grammys, Oscars, and Billboard and MTV music awards, almost back to back. He was most known for the controversial topics he rapped about, and how quickly he could do it. He was the best in the game. "You're a Killer Bee fan?" I found myself asking. He jumped up, and it was as if he'd never had a sad thought. "Do you even have to ask? Killer Bee is a legend." I laughed. "So, what? You got those posters to replace the ones we tore down?"He picked a poster off the floor, tiptoed past all the clutter, and climbed on the bed, avoiding crumbling the poster. "Yeah, my walls looked too empty, so I ordered these online."The bed sunk where he stepped, and I had to scoot over so I wouldn't fall toward him. I looked up and watched as he carefully positioned it, and then let out a gasp. "Oh crap, I forgot the tape." He looked back at me. "Sas' can you get it for me? It's by the beanbags, on the floor.""Yeah," I agreed and grabbed the roll of tape from where he had indicated. As I tiptoed my way back to the bed, I spoke, "Do you need help cleaning your room? I can do it for you." He took the tape from my hand and expertly secured the corners of the poster to the wall. "Nah, it's fine. That wouldn't be right, you're the guest." He replied, slightly sarcastic. "I'm serious. I can get this room looking so much better in like an hour tops, if you let me." Brushing his hands against each other, he looked at his placement and jumped off the bed, making me step back. "Have you even eaten yet?"I shook my head, realizing I had neglected my hunger in the midst of everything. "No, I haven't. But don't worry about it, I can handle cleaning your room up first." I began walking toward the mess and away from the bed, but before I could move, I felt Naruto take hold of my wrist, and I lost my breath. "You need to eat. How about we make a deal?" I couldn't respond, he hadn't let me go, and it felt like I couldn't breathe. "We eat now, and afterwards we can clean together. I could really use the help," He finished, and cracked a smile. I couldn't say no to that. "You haven't eaten either?"We both walked out of this room simultaneously, and as we did, he answered my question, letting out an evil laugh. "I have, but there's room for more, a lot more."I snorted. "Of course there is."The two of us made our way to the kitchen, and I allowed Naruto to lead because embarrassingly, I had no cooking expertise. And I'd already told Minato I wasn't hungry, so we'd have to make something ourselves. As I stood awkwardly by the island, Naruto opened the fridge. Every time I looked it it I'd be in awe. It was one of those with a tablet-size screen embedded onto it. I'd seen it when my dad, Itachi, and I had gone to Home Depot. We'd promised to one day upgrade to it, but we never got around to it. "Hmm, what should we make?"As a small blush made its way onto my face, I admitted, "I have no idea. I'm actually not good at cooking, at all. If you left me alone here, I'd probably burn your house down." Naruto pulled out a packet of fresh sushi-grade salmon from the fridge, and made a pfft sound, his ocean blue eyes wrinkling at the corners. "Don't worry, Sas'. I've got things covered. Even if it'll take teaching you a thing or two.God, he was so cool. He was good at everything, and I didn't know whether I loved or hated it. "Okay, then." he looked down at my hands. "Is that salmon? What are we making?"Rummaging through another kitchen drawer, he answered, "Yeah! We're making the classic, salmon teriyaki." 🌙 After placing the plate in front of me, Naruto rubbed his hands together and I suppressed a laugh at his antics. "Aren't you gonna sit down?" I asked, observing him leaning his hands on the countertop across from me."No, I want to see what you think!"Teasingly, I arched an eyebrow and remarked, "You really like watching me eat, huh?" The faint blush that tinged his cheeks only added to my amusement. I loved it, or more so the fact that I was the reason for it. "Dude, shut up!"I chuckled, and he stared at me as I did, his blush disappearing. It made me almost blush, so I picked up the chopsticks in front of me, and shoved the food inside my mouth. He seemed surprise, but he watched for my reaction nonetheless. I'd helped him out with the cutting and washing, but he had done most of the work. Which was why, as I tasted the food, I felt my admiration for him grow. Was there anything he couldn't do? Stay quiet probably. I laughed to myself. His eyebrows raised in concern. "What? Is it bad? Why are you laughing? Please don't tell me it's that bad. I'm sure we followed all the steps correctly—"I put my hand up, and interrupted him. "It's so good. You need to try it." For a moment, I imagined myself picking up a piece and feeding it to him, but brushed off the thought. I needed to stop fantasizing. Instead, he circled around the island and settled into the seat next to mine. He picked up the other pair of chopsticks and reached to get a slice for himself, leaning over me in the process. His shoulders were touching mine, and the side of his face was practically in my face. I could smell his shampoo, it was sweet. Strawberries, maybe? "Mmm! You weren't lying," He turned his head to me, still close, and for that short second before he realized the proximity and backed away, I felt weird. I wanted to pause the moment, save it, keep it forever. I wanted him to look at me like that, with that distance, forever. By my side, forever."Why would I?" I replied, and before he could answer, we heard the front door open. We both looked in surprise, to see our moms with shopping bags in hand full of every grocery you could think of. Naruto jumps off the stool and runs over to them. "You guys are back! Mom, I can't believe you went out on Dad's day off."He took as many bags as he could from her grasp, and in a group, they make their way back to the island to place the bags there. As Naruto had taken the bags from her, Kushina let out a laugh at his comment. "Sorry, sorry, Mikoto and I had to buy a few things. Sasuke and her are going on a short trip.""We are?" I looked to Mom. "Oh, I'm sorry," Kushina looked between the two of us, but kept her gaze on Mikoto. "I thought you told him already."In return, she forced a smile on her face, and began putting the groceries away. "It's no big deal. Sasuke, pack an overnight bag because we're heading out soon.""What? But why do I need to go? And for what?"She sighed. "We need to go back to get some of your brother's things because the landlord needs it to be clear so she can rent to someone else. And I think it's a good chance for you to give a proper goodbye to your friends. Don't you remember? You wouldn't even speak to them."I could feel the naruto's questioning look drilling holes through me. "Oh, right." I swallowed hard. "I'll do that then."Naruto and I finished eating, quietly. I had a lot on my mind, and though I could feel that he had many questions, he didn't ask. "Sasuke, I'm done eating." He stood up abruptly. "It seems like you'll be busy, so I'll clean my room on my own. You can clean the dishes in return."I had been looking forward to cleaning with him. To seeing all the small trinkets he had in his room, and learning more about him. I felt bad, but my mind was clouded with other things. Things I couldn't ignore anymore. "Sorry, but yeah, thanks."After Naruto left and I'd finished the food, I stood up from the stool and started cleaning the dishes, trying to distract myself from the whirlwind of emotions inside me. As I scrubbed the plates, memories of my past flooded back—the good times with my friends before everything changed, the tragedy that struck my family, and the void it for some reason left in my heart.While in thought, I slightly jumped as Kushina leaned against the counter, next to me. Mikoto was nowhere to be seen, probably packing her own overnight bag already. She looked at me for a moment, and I felt uneasy, then she spoke. "Sasuke, you seem deep in thought. It must be my fault, sorry, I have a big mouth... I should've let your mother tell you."I kept my lips pursed, and didn't show any signs of replying, so she continued. She spoke softly, "Sasuke, you know we care about you like family. I'm truly sorry about your father. You are a strong young man, going through that and all."I nodded, feeling my eyes well up. Hearing those words from a gentle, nurturing voice, struck something in me. I wanted to fall to my knees, or into her arms, like Naruto had. My lips quivered, but I sucked it up, she couldn't see me cry. "Thank you..."At my response, she smiled softly. "It's okay to take your time to process things. But remember, your friends care about you too, and saying a proper goodbye is only fair, for all of you."I dried my hands with a rag and faced her, giving an appreciative smile. The realization had already hit me, but this had set it in stone. I couldn't avoid or put this off anymore. "You're right," 🌙 I shut the door behind me and locked it, careful to be quiet, for no particular reason. I took a shaky breath and made my way to my bed. On my nightstand, I grabbed my water bottle and took three long sips. Then, I placed it back down and slipped into the comfort of my blankets. There, I finally pulled my phone out and opened the group chat, looking over the most recent messages.
10 AM
Karin: Bro I miss SasSuigetsu: Yeah but he won't answer any of our messages 😒Jugo: Understandably Suigetsu: Yeah ik Karin: Have you spoken to him Jugo?Jugo: I've sent him multiple messages, but he won't answer any of them Suigetsu: It's like he's disappeared completely Suigetsu: Moving so suddenlyKarin: What if he never talks to us again?Jugo: Don't worry I'm sure he willJugo: He just needs time Karin: I wish there was something we could do Jugo: There's no point in dwelling on that Jugo: He'll reach out when he's ready
4 PM
Karin: What are you guys up to?Karin: Sakura and I just got our asses handed to us on this new game we started 😭😭Sakura: Yeah we did 😭😭Suigetsu: Trying new tricks on my skateboard with my girlfriend Karin: CoolKarin: And you Jugo?Jugo: Thinking of what color to dye my hair nextSuigetsu: Again? hahaKarin: WHATSakura: No wayKarin: But the orange suits you so well Suigetsu: Your gonna end up bald if you keep this up Karin: FR LMFAOSakura: LMAOJugo: What do you guys think of brown? Jugo: or red?Suigetsu: Y'all tryna twin or what?Karin: 😭😭On the top corner, my eyes bulged, noticing they were currently in a FaceTime call, and an idea brushed my mind. A crazy one, that I wanted to go through with. So, without thinking about it for too long, I pressed the join button. My heart raced as I waited for the call to connect, wondering how my friends would react to my sudden appearance. At first, I thought they'd be pissed I ghosted them, but from the messages I'd skimmed through, it didn't seem like it. After a few seconds, their faces appeared on the screen. Suigetsu was in his room with his girlfriend, Jugo's camera was off, and Karin seemed to be emersed in some banter with her family. Sakura wasn’t in the call, probably occupied with something else and unable to call since she was usually always down to call.I could feel my heart in my throat as I waited for them to notice me. Then, Jugo was the first to notice, asking in disbelief, "Sasuke? Is that you?" I unmuted myself, only for a second, and shakily whispered. "Yes,"The other two stoped whatever they'd been busy with and looked at their devices, to see if it was really me. Karin gasped. "Sasuke! Oh my god!"Suigetsu joined in, "Hey, man. It's good to see you."Hurriedly, my anxiety completely gone, I propped my phone up and turned both my microphone and camera on. I could tell by their faces that they were as happy to see me as I was to see them. I'd missed them so much. Their stupid arguments, comforting words, and out of this world jokes. "Hey, guys," I began, my voice a bit shaky. "Sorry for not responding to your messages, I just..."Jugo interrupted, "It's okay, you don't need to explain, we understand," His voice softer now, and I felt my heart melt. "We were just worried about you.""Yeah, we miss you," Karin added, sounding genuine."I miss you all too," I admitted, feeling a smile coming onto my lips, and my eyes possibly tearing up, but I blinked them away. Suigetsu chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. "So, Sasuke, what made you finally join the call? Thought you needed some 'me time'?" He teased with a small grin.I couldn't help but smile. "Well, I heard Jugo was thinking of dying his hair again. I had to see this, you know, just in case it finally gave out."The group burst into laughter, and for a moment, I forgot about the weight of the guilt and longing I had been carrying. It felt good to laugh and reconnect with them again. Like nothing had been or ever was wrong. Mid-laughter, I paused. I knew they'd be ecstatic to hear the news, news that didn't seem so scary anymore. "Oh, yeah. Guys, guess what?""What?!" Karin and Suigetsu answered in sync, and I held back a snort. Things were starting to feel normal again. If I'd known it would be this easy, I would've done this sooner. "I'm..." Pause. "Going..." Pause. "Spit it out already!" Karin fumed, puffing her cheeks out. She always got annoyed easily, so after a small laugh, I decided to comply before she began with her threats. "Okay, okay." I smiled, excited to be telling them. "I'm going back to Suna soon, tonight I think. Only temporarily though."Karin audibly gasped, her mouth agape. "Are you serious? So, you're saying—" I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be seeing you guys again soon."”Sakura is not gonna believe what she missed out on in this call! The one time she doesn’t join too,” She laughed. Jugo spoke up, "I can't wait for you to come see us again! Too bad it's only temporarily; we'll have to make the best of it."Suigetsu who was once again distracted with his girlfriend on his end of the line refocused his attention on us. "Yeah, what he said. I know you've missed me, so of course I'll go see you. You ain't even gotta ask." I rolled my eyes, a smile creeping up on my face. "Yeah, yeah, thank you so much for your service."We all shared a laugh, and another, and another, and things felt okay again. I couldn't wait to tell Naruto about this.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“But I looked to the sky and said,
please, I’ve been on my knees.
Change the prophecy.”
The Prophecy - Taylor Swift
🌙
I'd like to say that, that night I went to sleep after ending the call with my friends, smothered in the comfort of knowing everything was okay again, with them, at least. But that would be a lie. Instead, as I ended the call, I couldn't contain myself. Naruto had made me feel so safe around him that I knew he'd welcome me with open arms when I’d tell him the news. His reaction would be everything, and he'd be ecstatic for and with me. A part of me, too, was hoping he'd feel jealous. Not of me, but them. Those other than him that I had around me. Jealous just as I was at the mention of his friends. As soon as I said my goodbyes to a sleepy Suigetsu who was the last awake, I ended the call. Then, I hurriedly turned my phone flashlight on in order to begin tiptoeing towards Naruto's room. Despite knowing this would put us at risk of getting into trouble, I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't stay away. Once twisting his bedroom’s door knob as quietly as I could, I pushed the door open softly and whispered so low I wasn't sure if it was even possible for him to hear me. "Hey," I opened my mouth again, prepared to say his name, but immediately closed it. I couldn’t yet. As I stood there in the darkness, something in me wavered. What if this was stupid? What if he didn't wake up, leaving me here looking like an idiot and having to shamefully walk back to my room? Before the thought could convince me to walk away before it was too late, though, I faintly heard some sort of shuffle on Naruto's bed. And from the little light my flashlight provided, I could see him moving from under his bedsheets. I stood there for a bit, waiting for him to make another move and considering maybe it was a fluke. Two blinks later, he had sat up and turned to me, rubbing at his eyes. The way he awoke, it was... endearing. So gentle. His hair was messy, and his eyes weren’t fully open yet. He was tiredly gazing at me, flustered and confused. I could never come to regret the choice I made of disturbing his sleep that day. However, something in me hesitated once more. Though it’d be out of character from what I had seen from him till then, I considered he’d be pissed at me for waking him up. But, for the third time, Naruto banished all the negative thoughts swirling in me before I could act on them. What had done it? The small upwards turn at the corner of his mouth. Relief washed over me, and excitement was what came next. I needed to tell him. So, from under me, my legs moved before I could stop them. They moved quickly and only came to a stop as they reached the edge of Naruto's bed. There, my lips, too, formed a thin smile. One I was sure was hideous but with a force too strong for me to banish. “Sasuke? What are you doing here? And what time is it?” He glanced around the room as if it’d answer his question, and maybe the darkness surrounding us was what did. “Sorry, I know it’s late. I just,” The words were stuck in my throat. I wasn’t sure how to explain. “Remember how my mom asked me to pack an overnight bag? And mentioned how I hadn’t been speaking to my friends…”He seemed to wake up at the question, presumably out of curiosity. “Oh, right! I was wondering what that was about, but you know, I didn't wanna overstep or anything.” He rubbed the back of his neck shyly, unknownst to him that there wasn’t anything he could possibly overstep when it came to me. I wanted him to see, to question, to want to know more about me. Invade me. Before I could stop my mouth from running wild, I heard words escaping my mouth quicker than I could think of them. I wanted him to know everything. “Well, before coming here, I kinda cut contact with them because it was all too much for me, so I never got to say a proper goodbye. Actually, your mom was telling me this was a good chance for that.”Naruto nodded understandingly as he watched me intently. “Yeah, Mom is awesome. She always knows what to say and how to help. I’m really glad she was able to help you, Sasuke.” I nodded in agreement, “I am too. It helped a lot because I was really hesitant to contact them again after so long. I thought they would be upset with me,” I confessed, my fingers nervously fidgeting with the edge of the blanket on his bed. “Why would they be? You went through a lot, Sasuke. Something like that isn’t easy to handle.”I pursed my lips, my fingertips pressing down roughly onto the blanket. “I know, but still… It was scary.”He paused for a moment as if processing everything, then asked, “So? Were they?”I couldn’t help but smile as I responded. The memory of it eased my mind. “Not at all. Your mom was right,” I replied, glancing up at Naruto briefly before returning my gaze to the blanket. “They were really understanding, and we joked like old times. It felt so.. unexpectedly normal.”“Was it those friends you told me about? Karin, Suigetsu, Sakura, and uhh,”He had remembered. Yeah, I had only just told him, but he had remembered. “Jugo,” I replied, helping him out. “Yeah, him!” He nodded. “So are you excited to see them again? You are, right?”I nodded. “Yeah, I probably won’t get too long with them though.” I pursed my lips, squeezing my hands into fists as I realized. “This is probably the last time I’ll ever see them.”“Oh, right.” He frowned. “You’ll stay in contact though, so maybe it won’t be too bad?”“I hope so,” I replied, forcing a smile. “But it won’t be the same as being there physically, you know? Just hanging out, playing video games, laughing…”“Yeah, I get it,” Naruto said sympathetically, “But hey, at least you’ll get to spend some time with them before you leave, right?”I nodded, pursing my lips. I appreciated that he was attempting to cheer me up. “Yeah, I’m grateful for that.”“Well, you should make the most of the time you have left with them. Do you have any idea what you’ll do?”I shrugged, considering it for a moment. “I haven’t had much time to really think about it. I literally just got off the phone with them,” I admitted, letting out a small snort. I thought it was funny. Naruto gasped, surprising me, “This late, Sasuke?!” If only he knew how late I usually slept. “It’s not even that late,” “It is! It’s pitch black in here, Sasuke.” I could never get sick of the way my name rolled out of his tongue. And how often. Yet, it wasn’t enough. I wanted, needed, more. No-one could ever say it in the way he did. They could try, but, something about him was different. “That doesn’t mean anything, moron.” My words seemed harsh, but I knew with the way he was staring at me that he could hear the smile behind it. “How does it not!” Naruto raised his voice, but I shushed him, and he gasped and lowered his shoulders. “Oh, crap,”I stifled a laugh. “You’re gonna get us caught,”“You’re the one who came in here!” He retorted, blushing and his mouth falling open as he realized what he’d said, “I mean—not that I didn’t want you to come, I’m glad you did actually. I’m really happy for you and I think it’s great that you’re gonna get to say a proper goodbye to your friends back home. Well, it isn’t really your home anymore— Shit, sorry, what I mean is—”I shook my head lightheartedly at his worried rambling. “I know what you mean, it’s okay, idiot. I’m glad too.”“Sorry, I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut.” I smirked. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”“Screw you!” He laughed, shoving me playfully. I smiled to myself, but looked at him questioningly as he fell silent. “Also, uhm,” He seemed to gulp nervously. “Do you?”“What?” My stomach felt weird. I was scared at what he’d say. It made me nervous that he was nervous, and that he was about to say something that made him nervous. “Consider that your home still.”I knew the answer already: no. The second I packed my bags, emptied out my once everyday home, and closed its front door one last time, I knew that place wasn’t my home anymore. Whether it ever felt like one at all was a different matter. But, as much as I was beginning to enjoy Naruto’s company, this place didn’t feel like my home either. So, really, did I ever even have one? Would I ever? I hesitated, unsure of what to say, then shook my head. “No, not anymore.” As if it ever was a home, or could have been with such an angry man at home. One that was nothing like Naruto’s Minato. “ I’m kinda stuck right now.” Noticing his questioning look, I elaborated, “Like, I have no place. Even with my mom here with me, I don’t feel familial comfort in any way. She and I don’t talk much these days, not like we ever did a whole lot, but especially now since she’s usually hanging out with your parents.”“Oh,” He paused, pensive. “Is that why, uhm, I don’t mean to intrude but… The other night,”A pang hit me. I didn’t need him to finish; I knew exactly what night he was talking about. It’s not like I could have forgotten the embarrassment I felt the morning after, when I realized that someone had probably heard me crying like a baby. I was an idiot. There was only one way out of this for me; acting clueless. “The other night?”“Yeah, I was up past my bedtime and…” I wished and wished that he wouldn’t finish what he was going to say, and that it wouldn’t be what I knew it would be. “I heard you in your room.”“What do you mean?” I had to keep up the act, it was my only way out. Why couldn’t he take the hint?“I heard you crying, Sasuke.”I couldn’t pretend anymore. I could avoid it and pretend, but if he asked straight up like this, I’d never lie to him. That wasn’t me, especially not with him. “Oh, you mean that.”“Yeah,” His eyes were on the ground and he was fidgeting nervously, a look I didn’t usually see on him. It made me feel oddly close to him. I was making him this nervous? Not me—but asking me something? “If you don’t want to talk about it it’s fine— I just thought I’d bring it up in case you wanted to talk about it, ya know? But it’s totally up to you!”I kept silent, in admiration mostly, and uncertainty, but he continued. “And… To be honest, I’m a little curious too, I’m sorry if that’s like—”“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” I assured. His fidgeting almost completely stopped, and he began watching me intently with shy eyes. “It’s just, everything really. I kinda got overwhelmed. I miss my brother and my mom is going through a tough time mentally. Even though she tries to hide it I can tell, and this might make me sound like an asshole but it pisses me off that she’s so affected.” Wanting to quickly switch the subject, I finished off, “Also, no offense, but I’m not really used to being here.”Naruto nodded slowly. It seemed as if he wasn’t sure what to say, but as always, he did. “I get it.” As the words escaped his mouth, relief came over me. I wasn’t sure why, but I cared what he thought of me. A lot. “I know my house isn’t really the best to be dealing with all these emotions since you don’t feel at home but I’ll try my best to change that, and I’m sure with time you’ll feel better.” A thought coming to mind, his face lit up, “I’ll make sure you won’t feel another moment of sadness from now on, Sasuke!”One would think I’d be disgusted at his naiveness, or, insensitivity you could call it, to my situation, but his optimistic and reassuring attitude made me feel so much better. And I felt as though I could trust what he was telling me. So, possibly not so naturally, I couldn’t help but repeat that night’s occurrence. I cried and Naruto Uzumaki heard me. It was different this time though. This time; he pulled me in for a hug and I felt warmth like I’d never felt before. Warmth I’d never feel by anyone ever again. 🌙 “Are you done packing yet, Sasuke?” My mom asked, peering into my room. Of course, she knew I would be. I was always quick about things I was excited for. When she’d seen me smiling my ass off at breakfast, I’d known she would know it went well with my friends. Lifting my face from my phone, I glanced at her and then pointed at my overnight bag. “Yeah,” I kept it short and returned to the conversation going on in the group chat. Karin: Around when do you think you’ll arrive?Sasuke: Not too long Suigetsu: Very specific Karin: HahahahSasuke: Five hours maybe? Sasuke: It’s still early so I’ll be there on time to hang out before sundown Jugo: What should we do when you get here?Karin: Let’s go to that abandoned house we visited last time Suigetsu: HELL NOSuigetsu: We only got out alive that time because we got lucky Karin: Quit being a scaredy-cat Suigetsu: I’m not scared Suigetsu: Sasuke watched a self defense video just in case remember Karin: Exactly so what’s the problem Suigetsu: I just don’t wanna go Karin: Scaredy-cat I chuckled at their constant banter and shut off my phone, leaving them be. I had other things in mind. A person, rather. I wouldn’t be gone for long but, still, I wasn’t sure how to say goodbye. It was odd. Not too long ago, we had hated each other’s guts and now… Well, now, I had no idea what he felt towards me. But it definitely wasn’t anger like before. I needed to figure out how I’d do it. I was aware of my awkwardness so I wasn’t sure how to pull it off. Another thing I was just as sure of though, was that everything flowed so smoothly with him around. He was so sweet and it made me feel safer in his presence than I’d ever felt around anyone else. That alone, brought out a version of me no one else could see. Without literally doing so, he made it known vulnerability was okay, proffered even, rather than cringy or embarrassing. Knowing that, just not the extent of it just yet because I had still only just met him, I went looking for where he was. First, I checked his room; empty. Next, the living room; empty. Then, on my way back from there, I ran into Kushina who was starting on breakfast. It was still early, but she’d been insistent about Mom and I not leaving on an empty stomach. Mikoto said it was fine, assuring that we’d stop for food at some fast food place, but Kushina had scrunched her nose at that and called it unhealthy.Sensing me, or maybe hearing my footsteps, she turned away from pulling plates out of a cupboard and at me, in slight surprise. “Hey, Sasuke! Done packing already?”“Yeah,” I replied, then, scratching at my face, more from nerves than from an actual itch, commented, “Sorry if I startled you.”She laughed, her expression friendly as she set the dishes in her hand down and made her way toward me. “You don’t have to be so formal with me,” She said, patting my head like a little kid. “And it’s okay, I just didn’t expect you to be done so soon.”I shrugged, glancing down at the kitchen floor and then back at her. I never feel comfortable when someone I wasn’t used to was so close to me, boldly making eye contact. My dad had always teased me about that, and despite my dislike of him, it made me feel seen. “We’ll only be there for a day, so I don’t think I’ll need much.”Animatedly looking upwards, as if in thought, she made a face. “Right, just a day, you’re right. Sorry, I must’ve gotten carried away!” Shuffling back to her old spot by the kitchen counters, she picked the dishes back up. “I know it’s not me going, but I always seem to get like this when it comes to planning stuff, especially with people I care about. I worry a lot so I like to make sure things go accordingly, ya know? My biggest nightmare is something going wrong when I could’ve prevented it with a little more preparation—” She suddenly paused and glanced back up at me apologetically, asking me rhetorically, “Sorry, am I rambling?” She was so much like him. “No, it’s okay,” I said, a small smile unknowingly tugging at the corners of my mouth. Snapping out of it and back into thoughts of my original goal, I remembered to ask, “Uh, by the way, have you seen Naruto around?”She glanced up from her cutting board where she had begun cutting vegetables. “If I’m not mistaken, he should be in his room.”“I checked there already but I didn’t see him,” I frowned. “His room was empty.”She paused for a moment, then replied again, “He was asking about the family laptop earlier. I bet he went into my room to get it and you probably missed him when he was in there.”“Ah, that makes sense. I’ll check there again, thanks for the help.” I turned to leave the kitchen, a little nervous again. “Of course, and good luck finding him!” She called after me, continuing to chop up the vegetables for breakfast. This luck she had wished me must have reached me, because as I pushed his door open, I caught sight of my new acquaintance who had quickly become my favorite one. “Sas’!” He gasped happily, and even though I expected it because he always did it, the excitement and warm feeling I got from his greeting never seemed to dim. It made me feel as if I were important to him, in the way he was quickly beginning to be to me. “Did you finish packing already? Sorry I didn’t talk to you sooner, my mom was telling me not to bother you while you were busy with that; said I was gonna be too much of a distraction for you.” He had apologized. Like it was a huge wrongdoing. Like it was our thing . Like it was an obligation of his, because maybe, our friendship, if that’s what this was, required doing those sorts of things. “It’s okay, and yeah, I finished.” He was seated on his bed, the laptop Kushina had mentioned sitting on his lap while his fingers glided between the keys. “I didn’t take you for a rule-follower though.” To that, he looked up from his laptop again, and I couldn’t help but smile at the fact my teasing had worked and gained me his full attention. “Pfft, I’m not!” I was hoping he’d explain what he was doing, because I was quickly becoming extremely curious at what had him so captivated. “I considered going to bother you anyway, but then I uh, well… You know how you write about Uzura and Uchio?” I nodded. “Yeah, why?”“Well… I had some old pieces I’d also written. They’re not as good as yours of course—which is why I never posted them. But ever since I found out who you were, it kind of made me wanna work on them a bit more. Not to post but, like, for fun, ya know? And you were busy so it was like my best chance since I wanted you to, uhm, have a look?” His fingers had stopped moving across the keyboard, his left hand pulling on his right hand’s shirt sleeve. “You want me to have a look?” I wasn’t all that great, still learning. To that, his nerves seemed to fade away, as his face shone brightly. “Yeah! You’re amazing, Sas’! I love your writing, your stuff seriously deserves to blow up.” I was flattered he thought so highly of me. It was like he knew just the right things to say, and was so genuine about it. “Thanks, and yeah, I’ll take a look whenever you’d like.”“Great!” His smile seemed to widen, and if it was even further possible, his eyes brightened. He sat up excitedly, quickly getting on his feet and handing me the laptop while ushering me to sit down as he simultaneously sat down beside me. It was open on a document, with around 500 words. “You can edit it however you’d like. You know best, after all.”I nodded not in agreement but understanding, and as I read, my eyes seemed to absorb the words I knew belonged to him. I never could have gotten tired of learning about and gaining more information about him. I wanted to know every aspect there was to him. He watched me as I read, noticing how I was unable to hold back laughter at the idiotic things I shouldn’t have been surprised he’d written about. It started off with Uzura who was known as the Devilish Prankster, calling out the phrase “eight streak kill,” which I had no idea the meaning of—maybe because I had never been the sporty type—but I went with it. Then, as I continued I couldn’t believe he’d written about a peanut butter sandwich getting thrown at the students with peanut allergies, who then screamed in horror. However, instead of engaging in the usual banter with me for laughing, he got up off the bed, cutting my laughter short. If it hadn’t been for the expression on his face, I would’ve been concerned about him being upset with me. “I’m gonna go get a snack, I’ll be back.”“Oh, okay, yeah.” I replied, awkwardly. “I’ll finish up here and show it to you once I’m done.”He nodded wordlessly and began to walk off. I shifted my attention back on the screen, at least, until I heard his footsteps stop as he called out, “Hey, Sas’?”“Yeah?”He rubbed the back of his neck, it was cute. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s totally optional so if you don’t want to then that’s completely fine!”I smiled, “I want to.” He smiled harder. “Okay, thanks! I’ll be back!” And with that, he turned to leave, shutting the door after himself. I was left alone in his room, editing his work, and as much as I was enjoying doing so, I had a lingering feeling that seemed to settle inside of me as soon as he had exited the room. As I scrolled through the document, adding detail to a paragraph here, rephrasing a sentence there, I couldn’t shake the feeling. I couldn’t ignore it, because the truth was, it was in fact a possibility. Was he just using me? The thought was absurd, unreasonable, I knew that. If he was, it would’ve been over something so stupid, so insignificant—a short 500 word document, which took no more than ten minutes of my time. But still, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Could this Naruto I thought I’d known just been constructed by him? Was he hiding his true intentions? Maybe he was still angry at me after all, and maybe, just maybe, getting closer to me, that hug we had shared, was all just a way for him to tear down my walls so he could really hit me where it’d hurt. I was afraid. Afraid that this connection we had wasn’t real, at least on his part, and I’d see it if I looked close enough. That was when my perspective of him changed, just for a second. I didn’t look at him through a biased lens. I didn’t glorify him in my mind. I remembered that I had just met him, and knew close to nothing about him. It had been one of the only times I’d ever seen him as someone other than who he was. He looked different. It wasn’t real, the image built on my fear, but it was as if I was looking into the eyes of a predator, mask slipping for just a moment, and in that moment, seeing something else behind his sweet words and smiles—a hidden agenda. It was as if the person I thought I knew suddenly morphed into something else; somebody capable of deceit.The thought scared me. I couldn’t forget that for one terrifying second, I’d seen him for what he might really be—a deceiver, hiding his true self behind a mask, and I was falling for it. I was, could’ve been, one of his many victims. But, it was a stupid thought, I knew that. A few minutes later, Naruto burst through the door, hands overflowing with snacks, all kinds; sweet, salty, and spicy treats crammed between his arms. “Could use a hand here, loser." Naruto called out, grinning as a bag of chips slipped from his grasp and hit the floor. "Unless you want to watch me drop everything."I watched in amusement, unable to hide the small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. I set the laptop down and walked over, bending to pick up the fallen chips before taking some of the load off Naruto’s hands. “Why so many?” Naruto shrugged, “Figured I’d cover all the bases. Never know what my super cool editor might be in the mood for.”“Does this mean I’m not getting paid?” I teased. After me, he threw the snacks over his bed, then looked at me. “Oh!” He seemed surprised at my request, but reached for his back pocket nonetheless. Without thinking, I grasped his arm, stopping him. It was warm. I pulled my hand back, as if the touch had burnt me, but I was glad it had gone unnoticed. “I was kidding, idiot.”“Oh,” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, but then smiled, toothy. “Makes sense.” It had been a stupid thought, I was sure of it.