The April rain pounded against the glass in a rhythmic torrent. A sweet beckoning serenade that had captured the rapt attention of the blond boy watching its display through the dingy library widow.
"Naruto?" His friends voice calling his name brought him out of his wandering thoughts. He had been so tired that he'd barley paid attention to anything his friends were saying all day.
"Huh?" He asked, looking around the table at the people who where all staring at him with questioning expressions. It hand been Shikamaru that had spoken, he thought. The boy say across from him, chin resting on the back of his had as he leaned his on the table. He was staring at Naruto with an unusual amount of intensity, and he could almost see the cogs working in the boy brain, trying to piece together Naruto's behavior.
Naruto, Shikamaru, Sakura, Kiba, and Gaara, had formed a study group a few months prior to make it through their upcoming test in Kakashi's class. Their first year of college had been a lot harder than Naruto had expected, and it had taken its toll on a lot of things in Naruto's life.
"I said, the library is closed for the weekend, and we are weighing options of another place to study. Can we throw your name in for consideration? Would Iruka mind having us?"
Naruto blinked, confused at the question, "Iruka?"
Sakura rolled her eyes at his absentmindedness, "Your guardian, or father figure, or whatever you call him? The man who owns the house you live in? What is with you today? It's not like you to be so distracted."
Naruto shook his, "Sorry, I meant why are you asking if Iruka would mind... I don't live with him anymore..."
"What?!" Kiba shouted. A number of people around the library glared at him in irritation for interrupting their concentration. Kiba winced at his own forgetfulness of their present location and his next words were more of a hiss, "when did that happen?"
"About then end of summer. Five months ago." Gaara, who had yet to look up from his book to engage in the current discussion, answered the question for him. The rest of group all stared at him.
"Has it been that long? And really none of you know that?" He was slightly hurt at the realization of how absent they were from his personal life. He knew he had told them, had even asked for help moving, which only Gaara had assisted in. But then again, this was another part of growing up, he supposed. People went their own separate ways as they came into their own and built their own little worlds.
"Um... so... where are you living then? Roommate?" Sakura asked tentatively. A faint, guilty blush crossed her cheeks. Naruto briefly wondered if Sakura had been feeling the strain of separation as much as he was. She certainly didn't need a study group to pass this test, and there was no other reason for her to be here other than the companionship it offered.
"Yeah. Middle of town." He said, somewhat shortly. "And to answer your other question, it's probably fine to meet at me place, but I should run it by my roommate first. I doubt he will care but would appreciate the heads up."
The last part was said more to himself than tothe group. Gaara, however, responded with a snort. "Nah, I bet he'll care," he chuckled to himself.
Naruto glared at him and was about to retort, but Kiba interrupted, "Who is your roommate then?"
Naruto blushed, now this part he was aware he hadn't told them, in fact, he'd avoided it as much as possible. "Um... it's Sasuke." He answered, avoiding eye contact with any of them. Gaara had put his book down to watch the spectacle unfolding before him, grinning.
The rest of his friends stared at him dumbfounded. Kiba has opened his mouth, but before he could shout again, Shikamaru elbowed him in the ribs. "Sasuke? Uchiha, Sasuke? Who went to high school with us until he decided he was better than everyone else, broke Sakura's heart when we were fourteen and left? That Sasuke?!" He said in a lower but still incredulous tone, massaging his ribs where Shikamaru jabbed him.
"Yes." Naruto replied simply. He was no longer looking at them, but was rummaging around in his back pack for his phone, before remembering that it was in his pocket. Naruto cared very little what his male friends thought of his living situation, but he was nervous to meet Sakura's gaze. Pulling out his phone, he found he had a missed message from Sasuke already. Food, was all it said. It had been received over an hour ago. Naruto replied, asking both about what kind of food he was wanting, and about the study group. "I don't care." Was Sasuke's immediate and only response to both questions. Typical.
"He says he doesn't care about the study group meeting at our place." He informed them, finally looking up. Gaara chuckled again and Naruto ignored him. Naruto met Sakuras gaze. She was leaning forward on the table they were sitting around. One arm was folded while the other sat vertically supporting her pretty head as her chin rested on the back of her hand. Her gaze was inquisitive, but there was a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. That smile made him nervous, as did the glint in her emerald green eyes.
"That guy was an asshole." Kiba stated bluntly.
"Still is." Gaara muttered, having returned to his book.
"You stayed in touch with him?" Kiba expression was one of bewilderment still.
"Obviously." It was the first thing Shikamaru had said anything for awhile, and Naruto turned his head to face him. Shikamaru was leaning back in his chair, fingers laced behind his head in a casual, lazy manner. He was looking at Naruto but his face was expressionless.
"He was my best friend, of course I stayed in touch with him." Naruto was answering Kiba but his gaze didn't leave Shikamaru, trying to read his face without success. Naruto sighed, he was tired, and had known that the announcement of having Sasuke Uchiha as roommate would not go over well. And if he was honest with himself, he was a little disappointed and hurt that it had taken so long to come out. He had meant kept it a secret, it probably should still be one, but it shouldn't have been this easy. Five months since they'd lived together... three years since they'd become friends again. So much had happened over those years that his friends knew nothing about...may never know anything about. He knew so much about his friends and their lives, did no one except Gaara ever wonder about his?
"Look, regardless of my roommate, my place is open." He began packing his books and paper into his backpack. Sakura looked concerned, and he felt a pang of guilt.
He should have told her. She had loved Sasuke so much, even after he had disappeared. But then again she had never bothered to ask about him or tried to get in touch with him, and hadn't taken an interest in Naruto's life much lately either.
Full of mixed emotions turned to his group, "I gotta go. Let me know what you decide about next meeting." They all muttered some form of farewell, as he slung his backpack over one shoulder. He gave them a half hearted smile, and a thumbs up as a show of good faith, before turning and exiting the library.
The air outside had a bitter cold edge to it and he pulled his coat closer. Naruto's head was a mix of thoughts as he got into his beat up, old pick up and drove home. It was a thirty minute drive from campus to home. He and Sasuke had found a place in the middle of the city, between both of their schools, but it meant that they both drive further than most other students to and from school. He was so distracted that he nearly forgot to stop for food.
When he finally arrived home he found Sasuke asleep in the recliner. The sun was nearing the horizon and a warm glow filled the living room. The tv was on low, playing the evening news. The remote resting on Sasuke's right thigh.
Naruto went into the kitchen to put the food in the fridge. It was nearly empty as neither of them had gone shopping for several days. Sasuke must have been hungry to have been messaging him. He didn't like to text. But if Sasuke was finally asleep, then Naruto wasn't going to wake him. He returned to the living room. The sun had finished setting and the only light now came from the tv. He went to the blinds and closed them before walking over to his roommate. The light from the tv flickered across Sasuke's tired face, and worry filled Naruto's chest. The chair Sasuke was in was fully reclined. His bandaged left arm and leg were propped up on pillows. Naruto wondered if Sasuke had finally taken a pain killer in order to sleep, or if he had simply run out energy.
He checked the bandages as best he could with out touching the sleeping boy. No blood, that was good. Naruto grabbed one of the blankets from the back of the couch and carefully covered Sasuke with it, before grabbing another one and curling up on the couch to finish watching the news. It was still only 7:00, but he felt as tired as Sasuke looked. Neither of them had slept since coming home from the hospital the previous day.
He watched the news anchors prattle on about some new anti government movement, and the cult that had risen up to protest recent laws, before he felt his phone go off. It was a text from Shikamaru. "You seem distracted, so I'm sure you forgot that the weekend starts tomorrow and that we were planning to meet every day as our test is in 4 days. Your place tomorrow, 8 am?"
Naruto wondered why, like Sakura, Shikamaru even bothered to study. He was the smartest person that Naruto had ever met and easily the top of their class. He was smarter even than Sasuke and Sakura put together. Nevertheless, Naruto responded and gave Shikamaru his address. It was only five minutes before he too was sound asleep.
Naruto was awakened in the morning by a loud thunk that made him sit up right in panic. Looking around he found the source to the sound to be coming from Sasuke releasing the lever on the recliner to put the foot rest down. He kicked it with his right foot to finish closing it, muttering an apology for waking him. He got awkwardly to his feet and limped towards the bathroom.
Naruto sighed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, checking the time on his phone before looking around the room. His group would be there in an hour and the place looked like it was hit by a hurricane. Take out containers littered the coffee table, Old bandages, and medical supplies were scattered on the floor, the coffee table was upside down, there was a smell he couldn't identify (though he briefly wondered if was coming from himself) and the garbage was over flowing. Naruto knew the kitchen was just as bad. He went to the pantry and grabbed a large garbage bag to begin the arduous cleaning process. As he was was finishing the living room, Sasuke emerged from his bedroom.
He was dressed in black sweatpants, a white long sleeved-shirt, grey beanie, and white sneakers. "Where are you going? We should to change those bandages." Naruto said softly without looking at him. Where were all the remote controls? They should have five but he could only find the one Sasuke had been using the night before.
Sasuke nodded, moving slowly over to the hall closet to grab his black jacket. "I'm going to go for a walk and take a shower first." He stated, yawning. "I'll be back in an hour. Why are you cleaning?" He asked tilting his head to the side and looking at Naruto quizzically.
Naruto looked up. The dark circles under Sasuke's eyes had lessened, but he still looked tired. Naruto wondered if he looked just as tired, despite having slept for nearly 10 hrs. Sasuke had barely left that chair since they'd gotten home from the hospital three days ago. It was good to see him willing and able to move around, though he wondered if a walk might be over doing it.
"Study group will be here in an hour. I forgot we were studying all weekend. Sorry." He scratched the back of his head, absently. He really was distracted lately. Sasuke shrugged and held out his had for the full garbage bags that Naruto was holding. He hesitated before handing it over, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"I'm not that broken," he said irritably.
Naruto handed him the bag. "I know that!" He said defensively.
Sasuke didn't look at him. "You should shower before they get here. You've been wearing the same clothes for four days." Was all he said before walking out the door. Naruto sighed in exasperation at Sasuke's mood and went back to cleaning. Pausing to smell himself. Sasuke was right about the shower.
Naruto had cleaned up the garbage, taken the rest out, swept, mopped, showered, and was in the process of wiping down the dining table when there was a knock on the door. He chucked the washcloth he was using into the washer and went to the door. He paused before opening it, hand hovering over the door knob. Of all the times for this to be happening, this might be the worst. Everything was so uncertain...
The door bell brought him out of his thoughts. He could hear several voices on the other side. He took a deep breath and turned the handle. All four of his friends were standing on the other side, looking cold. Had the arrived together?
"Thought you'd never answer!" Said Sakura, she was shivering and pushed passed him to enter the apartment, rubbing her arms to warm herself. The rest followed suit. Gaara was especially bundled up against the cold. He had grown up in a desert and though he'd lived in Konoha for a number of years, he would never get used to the biting cold of real Winter. Even though It was nearing the end of when snow would fall he had been wearing heavy clothing since early fall. Gaara glanced at the living room as he came. "He's moved out of that chair?"
Naruto nodded. "He went for a walk, and even slept last night."
Gaara shrugged and moving into the kitchen and placed himself at the dining table, with his back to the window. Naruto followed and sat beside him. The other three took the seats opposite them.
"He'll be back soon." Naruto finished saying to Gaara.
Gaara frowned, "Goody," He said in the flattest tone he could muster.
Naruto looked at him with raised eyebrows. Gaara's and Sasuke's interactions seemed to very from week to week. Sometimes they were quite friendly with each other, and other times it seemed as though one desired nothing more than to rip the others throat out for no reason in particular. "What's with you? I thought you liked Sasuke. You even hang out with him."
"We tolerate each other. We only hang out when you're not around. You're the only friend either of us has, and the only thing we have in common." He leaned down and pulled his books from his bag. "But he's been almost intolerable this week."
Naruto sighed and looked at the other three, who were looking back at him waiting to be included in the conversation. As the sat around the dining table In the kitchen.
"Sasuke was in a car accident a little over a week ago. He's ok, but he's frustrated because he's injured and sore, which he won't take pain killers for cause he doesn't like how they make him feel, so he's not sleeping. The antibiotics he's on make him nauseous, so he's not eating... and yeah... he's a bit on the grouchy side this week."
"This week?" Said Gaara. Naruto ignored him. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been an hour and a half since Sasuke left. He should have been back by now. But as his anxious mind began to go over all the possible reason that could have delayed Sasuke, he heard the front door click open. Kiba, however, did not.
"He was always an asshole! I don't understand how you're still friends with him!"Sasuke was now standing behind them, but only Gaara and Naruto we're facing him.
Naruto put on his best imitation of Kiba, and raising his voice to a slightly higher pitch, said, "you hear that Sasuke, you're an asshole!" Sakura , Kiba, and Shikamaru whirled around to see the person Naruto was addressing. Sasuke leaning against the door frame to the kitchen, unfazed. An amused look in his eyes. Sakura blushed slightly. And Naruto didn't blame her.
He sometimes forgot how handsome Sasuke was and he seemed to have only gotten more so over the years. He was looking at Naruto however, a soft, smile tugged the corners of his mouth at the comment.
He leaned down and picked up a red backpack, that Naruto recognized as his own, and quickly realized that he was the only one at the table without books to actually study from. Sasuke nodded his head slightly to them all in greeting, which only Shikamaru returned, but Sasuke didn't appear to notice. He handed Naruto the backpack before heading to the fridge. His limp seemed worse, Naruto noted. he'd over done it. Naruto muttered and thanks before asking, "How was your walk?"
"Shut up, idiot," he answered softly. Grabbing a water out and closing the refrigerator door. Naruto grinned. To the others it may seem like an insult, but to Naruto it felt like a term of endearment. Sasuke left the kitchen as quickly and quietly as he'd entered.
There was a moment of silence before Sakura said, "So... how is it you two are living together, and no one knows about it, again?"
Naruto knew this question was coming and had dreaded attempting to answer it.
"To be fair," interjected Gaara, "I knew."