1: SasuNaru New Year of 2017
"Damn it Naruto." It happened every time Sasuke went on a long term mission. Every single time, he came home to a mess of an apartment. The Uchiha wondered how the hell Naruto could even function as Hokage when he so obviously had the organizational skills of a two-year-old. Food wrappers and discarded clothes littered the floor and if the gnats were any indication, some form of sustenance had been left out somewhere in the mess. Cleaning would take hours, and it was New Years Day tomorrow. Naruto always worked late on New Year's Eve because he always wanted to start the new year out with a clean slate. With all the work done and filed. To his credit, he always did accomplish that goal, but it meant they never got to spend the first moments of the new year together. He was never home in time to hear their coo-coo-clock chime the new year into being.
Sasuke sighed, he needed to start on the trash first, then he could sort out the clothes. He decided to begin in their bedroom. It was by far the messiest place in the apartment. He grabbed trash bags, cleaning solution and paper towels from the cabinet under the sink that was overflowing with dirty dishes, and made his way to the disaster zone that was their room.
He started off angry. Every move he made was jerky and forceful. He cursed his dumb blonde every now and then, especially when he found empty ramen cups with odd fuzzy molds growing inside. It took awhile to get all the trash taken care of, and then he had to pile all the dirty laundry in a basket and carry it downstairs to the laundry room three floors below. If he wasn't a ninja all those stairs would have just about killed him, especially when he had to make multiple trips because of the sheer volume of dirty clothes. Some of it might have been clean, but Sasuke wasn't taking any chances. If it was on the floor, it was dirty in the raven's mind.
After he got that started, he began to organize everything. Books went on the bookshelves in order from tallest to shortest, blankets were folded and put in the top of their hall closet and so on and so forth. That was until Sasuke found a soft orange blanket that was obviously new. It had only been half taken out of the thick plastic packaging before it was discarded to the floor at the end of the bed. Sasuke chuckled softly, his bad mood having slowly subsided awhile ago, as he wondered what could have distracted Naruto from the blanket so fully. His blonde was like that. He would start something with every intention of finishing it, but if something distracted him well enough, well, out of sight out of mind. The blanket seemed clean enough, so the Uchiha stuffed it back into the plastic packaging and zippered it shut, but the problem was that their hall closet was completely full. Summer clothes for both of them having been tucked away for next year and with extra bed sheets and blankets and the spare towel or two, well, the newest addition wasn't going to fit.
With a sigh, Sasuke turned and went back into the mostly cleaned bedroom. All that was left to do after this was vacuuming and dusting, then he could move on to cleaning the bathroom. Opening their closet, the raven tried to put the blanket on the empty shelf at the top above their hanging clothes, but he met resistance where he expected none. Confused, the Uchiha put the blanket down on the bed before going and grabbing the small metal step ladder from the cabinet under the sink. Going back to the room with a fire of curiosity burning just beneath his skin, he set up the stool, climbed it, and reached up, grabbing what felt like a box shoved to the back corner of the shelf. He pulled it out to see red.
It was a red shoe box with faded white indecipherable letters on it. Sasuke climbed down and sat on the floor, his curiosity urging him deeper into the mystery of the box. Opening the lid almost caused the cardboard hinge to tear completely off. He could see the white in the many cracks made in the cardboard and couldn't even begin to guess how old the box was. Was it even Naruto's? Did it belong to whoever lived here before him?
Inside were unaddressed letters. The only thing on the many envelopes were year numbers. After flipping through a few he turned the stack over and grabbed the one off the top. This would be the oldest, and he decided that the first one written would be the one that explained whatever this box was for. It was crumpled and torn in places but the sloppy penciled date said that it was from twenty years ago, so that was only to be expected. Sasuke and Naruto had only been four years old when this was written, and the raven couldn't help but admire the history in the letters age.
Sasuke set the rest of the letters, face down in the box so that the oldest were on top before carefully opening the envelope and taking out the letter inside. He delicately unfolded it, afraid the lined paper, soft from age and wear, would fall apart in his hands.
1. I wil stop crying
2. I wil get Grampa to tell me da truf abot mama and papa
3. I wil find a fwend
What was this? It was a list in a child's handwriting, but what child would write a list like this? Were all the letters like this? It didn't make any sense, so Sasuke put it back in the envelope, set it aside and grabbed the next letter.
1. I wil enner da akademy
2. I wil get Grampa to tell me da truf abot mama and papa
3. I wil find a fwend
4. I wil get stwong
He had a bad feeling in his gut. A suspicion he hoped was false sitting on the edge of his mind. He moved on to the next letter.
1. I will learn a Jutsu
2. I will get Grandpa to tell me the truth about my parents
3. I will find a friend
4. I will get stronger
Again, the bad feeling, and again, he moved on.
1. I will find a friend
2. I will learn the truth
3. I will get stronger
These letters felt sad to Sasuke and he had the overwhelming urge to comfort the writer.
1. I will meet him
Well, that one was the shortest by far. Sasuke shrugged and put the letter with the others he'd already read before grabbing the next.
1. I will meet him
2. I will get stronger
Who was this guy the person wanted to meet?
1. I will talk to him
2. I will get stronger
3. I will graduate
1. I will talk to him
2. I will graduate
3. I won't give up
1. I will help him become stronger
2. I will be his friend
1. I will tell him that I love him
The writing, which had been fluctuating with the age of the writer was now painfully recognizable.
1. I will find him
The paper had tear stains on it. He picked up the next one to find the same thing written. His heart throbbed in his chest and his fingers shook as he hurried onto the next one, only to find more of the same. He was frantic at this point. He practically ripped the next letter out of the envelope and felt the air catch in his throat. Why he had expected any different was a mystery, but all he found was the same sentence, over and over. His vision became blurry followed by tears sliding down his cheeks. He cried and opened letters, not even bothering to put them back in their envelopes anymore. Until he found one from four years ago.
I found him! Shit, I can't believe I found him!
I know that this is supposed to be a New Years Resolution list, but I don't care about my resolutions. I found him! He came back with me! We kissed, and Sakura's mad but I love him and I just can't seem to care what she thinks right now. God, I hope he stays with me this time.
Sasuke was downright sobbing at this point, silent tears leaving salty trails down his cheeks. These were definitely by Naruto, this letter had confirmed it. They were so sad. What had Sasuke done to his blonde? How could Naruto stand to be around him when he'd done such stupid and awful things in the past? How had the Uzumaki forgiven him for his betrayal when the entire time he was gone he hadn't even considered returning? How had he remained so resolute in his search for the boy he loved?
There were only four letters left, so when Sasuke had regained control of himself as best he could and wiped the tears from his face, he continued.
1. I will ask him to move in
2. I will become Hokage
1. I will be home to greet the new year with him
2. I will help Iruka and Kakashi with the adoption of their son even though the elders are against it (homophobic bastards)
1. I will be home to see the new year with him
2. I will not keep him from going on dangerous missions for selfish reasons anymore (I think he's beginning to notice and he'll be mad if he finds out)
1. I will get home to greet the new year with Sasuke in time
2. I will get Gaara to visit because it's been way too long since I last saw him
Well, that explained why Gaara visited for Easter this year. Sasuke wondered what next year's resolution list would look like.
"I'm home, not that anyone's here- er wait, I thought it was messier... Sasuke! Sasuke, are you home?!" Naruto opened the bedroom door to find Sasuke desperately trying to stuff a very familiar shoe box in the top of their closet, but the corner didn't want to go between the shelf and the doorframe. The raven froze. "Why-"
"I wasn't snooping or anything," the Uchiha snapped.
"I'm not mad-"
"I was putting that blanket away-" They spoke over each other, neither's words truly soaking into the brain of the other.
"It's not a secret or really well hidden-"
"It didn't fit in the hall closet so I was gonna put it up here-"
"We live together and what's mine is yours."
"But the box was- Wait, you're not mad?" The box suddenly slid easily into place and Sasuke stepped down off the stool.
"No, I mean, I hadn't really planned on showing you that specifically. I didn't really think about it when you moved in, but I can't think of any reason off the top of my head that you shouldn't read those. They're kinda boring, though." Naruto shrugged.
"But these are personal!" Sasuke didn't really understand why he was getting mad, but his lover's nonchalance was pissing him off.
"So?!" The raven's anger spread to the blonde like a wildfire. "We live together for fuck's sake!" He took an angry step forward.
"You're allowed to have your own private shit! It's not like we're married or anything!" Sasuke took a step of his own, itching to get up in Naruto's space.
"I don't need to keep anything private! You already have every inch of me, what's the point in trying to separate myself from you! It's not like you keep secrets!" Another step.
"Yeah, but that's not the point! If we know everything about each other we might as well be married!" Sasuke followed suit, taking an identical step.
"Then why aren't we?!" With another step forward from Naruto they were face to face, and with the lack of an immediate response, they cooled off just enough to realize what they'd said. Naruto took an embarrassed step back. "Wait- Er- I mean- I wasn't trying to- Um- Ya know-"
"Why aren't we?" Sasuke gained an odd look in his eyes.
"Why aren't we, what?"
"You're frustrating and insane and a total dumbass-"
"Gee, thanks." Naruto's words were dripping with sarcasm.
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You fight me and push my limits. You get me so angry I lose track of what I'm saying. You're obnoxious and loud, and you say what you really think, regardless of who you're talking to. You're sincere and kind and you always choose the right side of an argument. You know me and fight for me. You don't care what anyone else thinks of you, but get completely pissed off if people think badly of someone you care about. You're totally irrational, yet somehow you make me want to share everything with you..." Sasuke looked at Naruto like he was the most magnificent person ever created. As though nothing and no one else mattered.
"Um, was that an insult or...?"
"Damn it Naruto! Marry me." The blonde just stared in complete silence. "I don't have a ring, and I'm not saying we have to get married tomorrow, but- I mean, six months- or maybe more," Sasuke, for the first time in his life, was floundering for words. He didn't really understand why his lover just froze, or what he could say to change that, so he rambled on in an attempt to calm his nerves. "I know we can't have kids or continue the Uchiha bloodline together, but we can adopt if you want to, and-" Naruto suddenly wrapped his arms around Sasuke, tucking his head in the crevice of his lover's neck. "Um-"
"Yes, Sasuke. Let's get married." Sasuke wrapped his own arms around the Uzumaki, a smile gracing both their faces.
"Hn." And in that moment, neither man could remember ever being happier.
The coo-coo-clock in the living room echoed its odd chime and the new year began with a very different kind of resolution that would come to fruition in the near future for the Uzumaki and Uchiha.
