Rating: T
Words: 950
Pairing: Naruto/Sasuke
Warnings: Angst and fluff, there's not enough words for more warnings *laments*
Author's Note: I take requests on Tumblr, this was for an anon that wanted NaruSasuNaru (by which i hope they meant either being dominant as I didn't take it as a threesome but that's another story) with the prompt of Lanterns. I didn't start out by shipping these two but I might by the end, just a little. This happens no matter who I write. Anyway, feel free to ask on Tumblr (or on here) if there's something you want to see. My biggest issues are not developing new ships and/or making full length stories out of something that was supposed to be a short (because I have zero self control). Enjoy!
"Don't you want to join them?" Sasuke didn't startle at the voice behind him. He'd felt Naruto's presence long before the blond made himself known.
The Uchiha didn't turn, or answer. His response to the familiar question was always the same. Naruto assured Sasuke that people would get used to his presence if he spent more time in the village, that their old friends missed seeing him, and that Kakashi would welcome him back with open arms. They were the polite lies of an optimist, and Sasuke knew better, had always known better.
Even now, months after the end of the war, Sasuke still saw the blood running red over his hands. His sins didn't deserve forgiveness or absolution, and the Leaf's punishment had been too gentle. Partially because Naruto fought for him, as he always had, even when Sasuke rejected him, and everything he stood for. Phantom pain rippled through the hand he'd lost, a constant reminder of his own worthlessness.
"No," Sasuke answered succinctly, exhaling as he turned to face the other boy. Naruto may have been an outcast for much of his young life, but he was now the village hero, looked up to and admired. Everyone wanted to catch his eye, and the dobe didn't even realize it. "You should go back, you're going to miss the festival."
"It's fine," Naruto shrugged as he took a step closer to Sasuke. "I'd rather be here anyway."
Sasuke knew the statement was simple truth. No matter how many times the Uchiha pushed him away, shunned or mocked him, Naruto was always the most steadfast thing in his life. The one thing he deserved even less than forgiveness. Yet here Naruto was,hope personified, choosing to stand beside Sasuke despite everything. He couldn't explain it, couldn't accept it.
"We can probably see the lanterns better from here than in the village anyway, ya know?" Naruto settled on the grassy hill overlooking Konoha. He didn't invite Sasuke to join him, but the raven-haired boy followed.
Five months had passed since Sasuke turned his back on Konoha, left Sakura and Kakashi at the gate, and Naruto outside the village. He'd been back a few times, and somehow Naruto always knew, and sought him out. Sasuke wanted to say something, but he couldn't form the words. He could barely understand the whispering thoughts that Naruto always seemed to make surface in the back of his mind.
The pair sat in silence as the sunlight faded, and night drew heavily around them. "It shouldn't be long now," Naruto murmured. "It's nearly dark enough."
Sasuke inclined his head without speaking, glancing over at Naruto. The blond half reclined, watching the valley below them expectantly.
The bruised purple sky suddenly filled with the golden glow of lanterns, hundreds released at once. Naruto chuckled softly, his blue eyes sparkling with wonder at the sight. Carefree and innocent, even after all this time, Sasuke thought, leaning back on the dew-dampened grass. Delicate flames flickered inside the thin paper lanterns, lending a softness to Naruto's features, as they gilded his skin. Naruto tipped his head back to watch their lazy path, artificial starlight in his eyes.
Something foreign rose inside Sasuke's chest, twisting through him painfully. It trapped the breath in his lungs, squeezed around his throat. Then, Naruto smiled, and the pressure eased like it had never existed. Years of blind fury, hatred, and revenge had nearly burned a hole through Sasuke's chest. Somehow, Naruto wrapped those shattered pieces in sunlight, blunted their edges, until Sasuke felt almost whole again. Maybe he did. It had been so long since he'd had felt anything beside anger that he couldn't recognize this particular swirl of emotions.
Enraptured by the spectacle, Naruto followed the followed the gentle rise and fall of the other boy's chest, and the way the evening breeze tangled its fingers in his golden hair. Longing filled him, clear and simple after the confused urgency of the earlier emotions. Naruto was close enough to touch, but Sasuke could never deserve him. Could never be enough-
Naruto's hand closed over Sasuke's, the warmth flooding through the Uchiha and taking his breath. "I'm going with you, when you leave the village this time." Sasuke opened his mouth to argue the familiar reasons. Naruto was slated to become the next Hokage, everyone looked up to him, respected him. To throw his lot in with Sasuke's was social suicide. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Sasuke knew that such things would never matter to Naruto.
"Why?" Sasuke's voice held the faintest hint of hope.
"Because I need you," Naruto admitted, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Almost as much as you need me, teme. And if you try to argue with me about duty this time, I'm going to-"
Sasuke pulled Naruto closer, sealing their lips together before the threats could spill out. Hope, fear, and desire flooded through him in dizzying quantities, but Sasuke let them carry him away. Naruto startled, then answered with the same emotion, running his fingers through midnight hair. By the time they pulled back for air, the world was spinning.
"Only if you promise not to be too much of a burden," Sasuke responded.
Naruto laughed and leaned into Sasuke, pressing his back against the grass. "Think you'll get tired of me?" He feathered kisses along Sasuke's jaw, producing a soft groan as the other boy tightened his his hands instinctively, not bothering to question the emotions that awakened in his chest.
"Never." Sasuke breathed, moments before Naruto kissed him again. Somehow, Sasuke both lost and found himself in Naruto as the golden glow overhead faded to darkness.