pWith a yawn and smack of his lips Naruto hoisted himself up to sit and get his bearings about him. Light stung his eyes as he moved the curtain to peer outside. His body stiff and aching from a long and sleepless night. With unsteady hands he tried to pull off the covers and move himself to the edge of the mattress. His legs toppled down and wound up tangled in the sheets. Naruto sighed as he bent to try and untangle himself, flailing wildly as he lost his balance, and then fell into a tower of empty ramen cups.
"Ee!" He screeched as a cockroach crawled towards him from out of a nearby cup. Scrambling to get as far away from the roach as possible only proved to be a bigger challenge when surrounded by copious amounts of garbage. Naruto clawed his way back onto the bed and threw his alarm clock in the direction of the roach while bellowing, "So gross! Bugs belong outside, ttebayo," and quickly opened the window next to him. The birds flew away at the disturbance and passersby turned in curiosity at the loud commotion. A half naked Naruto rushed out the window having thrown his shirt at the roach and flattened himself against the wall and out of view from inside the apartment. Giggling from the street below caught his attention and the red hew of embarrassment crossed his face. How did he end up being the one outside he thought jumping down and rushing to hide behind some shrubbery.
Only an idiot such as Naruto would sacrifice his own house to a cockroach. He sighed and rested his hand on the bare skin of his stomach. Oh crap! He forgot his jacket he recognized and peered up at his still open window with clenched fists. "I'll get you out," he yelled with a finger pointed upward and jumped back through the window onto his bed. He searched for a tool he could use for a weapon and frantically reached for a nearby training scroll. When his eyes found the roach happily scurrying among the garbage a smirk appeared on Naruto's face. "I'v got you," he wailed while throwing numerous objects at the unaffected insect.
After some time the roach was bested and thrown haphazardly in the direction of the open window. Naruto made a confident stance and smiled victoriously. For a moment he was smug and happy at his impromptu extermination until he turned as saw his raven haired comrade crouched outside the open window. Unbeknownst to the ninja the roach was prominently displayed on his forehead protector and moving slowly downward.
"What's all this noise about, usuratonkachi?" Sasuke made his way towards the opening and quickly noticed the horrified look on the dobe's face. He felt a prick on his forehead then watched as the roach slipped down onto his nose and planted itself right between his eyes. Panic struck him to his core and for a moment he was frozen in place. Once reality came rushing back Sasuke jolted backwards and shook the roach off of himself.
Naruto made no effort to hide his laughter and howled at the sight. Tears began to form when suddenly he was struck with Sasuke's fist and sent flying across the room. "What the hell was that? You fucking idiot. I'll kill you," Sasuke screeched with clenched fist raised and ready to pounce.
"Sas… uke…" Naruto mumbled while slowly sliding down to rest on the ground. In his travel he had flown through his kitchen table and dumped its entire contents onto the floor, as well as his hot pot being chucked and broken against the wall. He came to his senses and noticed the shattered machine by his side. "Teme! What have you done? You can't just break my things," he said as he cradled the broken pot. Sasuke spat back, "You just assaulted me with a cockroach! I owe you more than a broken hot pot Dumbass," and made his way to stand over a disgruntled Naruto with fists ready to offer another pounding. He stood there and waited impatiently as Naruto picked up the pieces and held them closely to his bare chest, and noted the sweat dripping down his back and steadily swelling cheek. A twinge of guilt spread through Sasuke's mind and he bent to offer the man a hand but found his shoes stuck to the floor when he lifted them. The sharp tack sound it made sent willies up his spine.
The Dobe turned to see the outstretched hand slowly curl back into a fist, slightly shaking, and nervously searched Sasuke's face. Eyes pinched closed and teeth clenched and bare in an obvious attempt to not explode in anger. Reflexively Naruto put up a hand in defense and tried to hide the panic brewing up inside him. He knew he should expect another hit, but instead Sasuke's expression relaxed over time and he let out a shaky sigh. He straightened himself and took a deep breath before saying, "Okay. One thing at a time," and forcibly wretched his shoes out of the sticky mess on the floor. Naruto looked on as Sasuke began digging through his cupboards, "It's not nice to go through someone's stuff, y'know," he said with squinted eyes. Naruto stood back up and pouted his way to the kitchen where his comrade was.
Finding a garbage bag was a harder task than Sasuke thought. Endless stashed ramen cups and miscellaneous broken items took up the majority of what he had to sift through to find a single garbage bag. Who keeps a bag of broken deodorant in a cupboard Sasuke asked himself, but then he remembered whose house he was in. He pulled the bag out and expected it squeamishly. Never had Sasuke seen someone live in such a grotesque disarray. The bag was snatched from him and Sasuke watched the Dobe stuff it quickly in his pocket. Disgusted he asked, "How do you live like this Dobe-" their eyes met for a brief second then Naruto turned slightly away and rested into a pout, "I've been busy Teme".
The broken pot clattered into the counter where Naruto pushed items away with a sweep of his arm. Miscellaneous items fell to the floor. Disgust turned into anger as Sasuke flinched at the clatter of broken plastic, "Really? Too busy to clean up even a little? It's touching the ceiling and busting through the walls, you idiot! There isn't even a walk way to get in," he motioned with an open hand towards the avalanche of ramen cups now blocking the front entrance way. Naruto ignored the remarks walking through the piles and kicking his way back to his bed.
Sasuke turned a shade of red, pitched his voice an octave higher, and yelled, "Are you even listening to what I'm saying, Usuratonkachi," which fell on deaf ears as Naruto climbed over his bed to close the open window. Sunlight shone brightly on an unchanged face that reflected the neutral haze of depression stuck within him. This ticked Sasuke off even more. He hadn't meant to push the blond so far as to fall deeper into despair. The feeling that overwhelmed Sasuke then was indescribable and he clenched his teeth in response to the redness spreading down his neck.
In an effort to bring Naruto back from his stupor Sasuke charged through the mess and grasped him by the shoulders to force him to look Sasuke in the eyes. Still Naruto's held his neutral tone, which set Sasuke off, "Do you even care how this could be affecting you," he spat in Naruto's face. Naruto seemed to briefly recoil from the offending statement and looked past Sasuke's raging form to survey his decimated home. Shoulders tensed at the realization that made Naruto drop his gaze. Slowly, Sasuke released his hold of him, a pained expression appeared on his face at the response that echoed through his ears.
"No…" Naruto had answered. His expression regressed back into its previously neutral tone and he slipped back to rest against the headboard of his bed. Eyes downcast to avoid his comrades gaze. He knew that this was not what Sasuke had expected, but there was no reason to lie to his best friend.
A loud crunch began Sasuke's rampage to get to the front door. If Naruto doesn't care then Sasuke won't care. He made his way through the entry way, gave his shoes a once over in solidarity, and then decided to hell with it and chucked them off into the abyss of the wrecked apartment. The door slammed behind him and he walked barefooted back to the Uchiha compound.
Once there he attempted to settle his nerves with a cup of tea but holding the kettle in his hands reminded him of the hot pot now shattered because of his recklessness. This brought him to ponder the state in which he had left Naruto. Upon his arrival the man had been full of energy and attempting to help his situation, though ridiculously, by evicting one of the invading pests. Sasuke had charged in and ruined that happy mood by creating more damage and knocking him down. Usually this banter between them would have ended in a bonding moment, as that was how they mainly communicated, but ever since the meeting of his parents before the war Naruto had become depressed.
Sasuke thought back on their first real fight at the Valley of the End where he had told the blond that he had no idea what it was like to lose the bonds of family. Obviously Naruto did not live the same life that Sasuke had. He knew that in those moments, when Naruto had experienced the fleeting moment of bliss in the company of his parents, he had already made a bond with them.
That's what Naruto does. He instantly makes friends with anyone he meets and immediately creates bonds. Even in the few short moments that he was able to be with his parents there was a bond created. A bond that quickly broke at their dismissal back into the afterlife. Some would see this as a cheerful moment that they were able to finally meet their loved ones… for Naruto it was the triggering point that reminded him of what he could never have again. The universe had offered Naruto a single moment where he could have everything that he had missed in life. Reality rushed back in and crushed him. Sasuke could not replace that wholeness that Naruto craved… but he could help him see the brightness again! He jumped with new energy and found an old pair of shoes that still fit and grabbed his wallet, often left at home during missions to avoid any loss during the chaos of fighting and travel, and quickly left in the direction of the shopping center that rested between the Uchiha compound and Naruto's apartment.
He made his purchases then ran into Sakura on the road to Naruto's. Her annoying coos still made him irritated. After everything he had done the village had accepted him back, with Naruto's approval, and the endless attraction of various woman made his head hurt just like it had before he left. They were so shallow to take him at face value and proclaim their love for him based on his looks and mysterious demeanor, but none of them could offer Sasuke what he needed. Only one was able to make him feel fulfilled and valued as a companion. So Sasuke made a quick dismissal and rushed to get back to Naruto.
Without knocking he walked in. Setting down his purchases to place plastic bags over his shoes for protection against the unknown, then grabbing the items back up he charged through the wreckage.
He wasn't surprised to see Naruto still hunched over on his bed, but Naruto was surprised to see Sasuke come back and quickly wiped away tears that streaked down his puffy face. He noticed the red eyes of his blonde companion and a sudden and unusual feeling racked though Sasuke's ribs making his heart race. Strong urges to console the upset man surged through him, but after a few silent seconds of steady eye contact Sasuke steadied himself and placed the bags of items at the foot of the bed. He pulled out a package of rubber gloves and tossed them gently at Naruto. "What are these? Why did you come back," Naruto asked confused.
Sasuke could not answer. It pained him to know that Naruto thought so little of himself. There have been many situations recently where the idiot put himself in unnecessary danger. He had seemed to be doing better when Sasuke first returned to the village, but it was short lived. His depression consumes him on so many levels which has made him a risk to himself and the team. If Naruto would only talk with someone, Sasuke thought, maybe he could work through some of the issues that are preventing him from carrying out daily tasks.
When asked Naruto's response is always the same, "I can take care of myself! You guys worry about me too much," and the most painful to hear, "As long as you make it out alive my death would have meaning". Typically after the last statement he turns and runs head-first into the nearest enemy ambush without waiting for a plan or backup. The lack of concern for his well being is why Sasuke returned, but Sasuke could not and would not say this. Instead he reminded himself of their last mission together.
A recovery mission turned nasty and Naruto's head-first approach almost lead to a war between allied countries. Since their return Naruto has been benched until he completes certain medical evaluations and is seen as mentally fit to participate in battle again. All would be easy enough if the Hokage had not chosen Sakura as the examiner. She and Naruto both knew that she wouldn't let him off easy especially since she has witnessed the worst of his outbursts and behavior while on missions.
So here he has been for three weeks, sulking in his own filth, with little to no contact to the outside world. Sasuke had not known until only a few days ago that he had been pulled from active duty when intercepting a conversation between two ninja. Naruto has been consumed by a pain in a way that Sasuke can understand. To isolate oneself is a big indicator that what he was currently experiencing parallels Sasuke's previous behavior following the massacre of his clan. He had felt abandoned and forgotten by his peers and internalized his hatred and negative emotions instead of reaching for help.
Dumping the contents of the bags onto the bed Sasuke organized the large pile of cleaning equipment for easier access. A large roll of garbage bags, multi-purpose cleaning solutions, rags, a few scrub brushes, particle masks, and another set of rubber gloves sat neatly on the only semi-clean surface in the entire apartment. He motioned for Naruto to scoot over so he could sit and prepare himself for the job ahead of them. A stunned Naruto moved to make room and they sat side by side while Sasuke took hold of the second pair of gloves and ripped open their casing, "I only have two days off so you'll have to make this up to me-" he paused when Naruto leaned closer so that their shoulders were touching, "-so you better stay out of my way Usuratonkachi," he finished. The warmth of Naruto's shoulder spread quickly through Sasuke's arm and into his chest. Before the blush could set in Sasuke quickly assembled his gear and covered his reddening face with one of the particle masks.
The last thing he wanted was for Naruto to see his embarrassment. There were hidden feelings that Sasuke vowed to never let get in the way of their friendship. Naruto had previously shown his interest in women and had already taken Hinata out for a date. Sasuke didn't know what came of it but Naruto had been benched shortly after so he doubted Naruto had gone anywhere with her or anyone else since then.
Naruto followed suit and placed the mask over his face while asking again, "What is all this for, Sasuke?". He pulled curiously at his rubber gloves and let them snap together with widening eyes. The act was so innocent and childish Sasuke couldn't help but smile. Naruto seemed to be cheering up a little from their confrontation earlier so Sasuke decided to offer him a pat on the back while stating, "We are going to get this place livable again," then in a spurt of playfulness mocked, "Seriously it's like a bomb went off. Knowing you that's probably what happened. You leave your shit laying out all of the time and something is bound to happen". At this Naruto shot him a pointed glare and remarked, "At least I'm not a neat freak who barges into someones house with a load of crap Teme". "This 'crap' was expensive so be sure to use it all Idiot," Sasuke snapped open a garbage bag in Naruto's face which made him jump back in surprise. Naruto screeched, "what the hell Teme? You looking for a fight?" Finally Sasuke could see some emotion behind his friends eyes.
Sasuke ignored him and started picking up the fallen cup tower and packing it into the garbage bag. With so much to do he wasted little time in cleaning up the garbage strewn about to make a walkways for them to get around. He ordered Naruto to gear up and finish picking up the trash while he started in the kitchen.
The general argument went as follows: This is Naruto's apartment so Sasuke couldn't tell him what to do. To which Sasuke reminded Naruto that he obviously wasn't going to clean it himself so someone has to take charge, and he didn't buy all this stuff for nothing so they might as well use it. Naruto's response was to shout and argue that he never asked for Sasuke to do anything like this. At that point Sasuke let him vent his anger before bringing him back to task by asking for cleaners or finding another helpful distraction. Eventually it came down to the two of them cleaning in silence for a while until Naruto would ask the question again why Sasuke was doing this.
Why was he going out of his way to do this on his first days off in while and why did he care how Naruto lived? Sasuke couldn't respond with the truth that it was because he cared for Naruto, and he hated that he couldn't confront the feelings that he had for the man. He wanted to scream what he was thinking but Instead he maintained his composure and continued the task of cleaning.
Soon they had most of the garbage bagged and shoved out of the way so that they could sweep and start scrubbing down the surfaces that seemed to stick to anything they came into contact with. Even the walls had to be scrubbed, so Sasuke gave Naruto the task of finishing the garbage pickup and to start on the bathroom while he began the tedious scrubbing of the surfaces in the kitchen and main living area. Another bout of arguing ensued and it took everything for Sasuke to control his temper and not ask why Naruto won't just let him do this for him? He thought that maybe he was going too far and that this could be making Naruto regress further into his depression… There was no way Sasuke could walk away from him. His best friend living in these conditions tortured his conscious. Naruto could come down with some strange sickness due to the mold or bugs that seemed to be overtaking the apartment.
While going through all of the piles they found the few items that could be salvaged; A few articles of clothing, a handful of training scrolls, and an old picture of Team 7 in a broken picture frame, which Naruto insisted on keeping despite severe water damage and pest droppings. Everything else was too damaged to be fixed or usable again. The table from the living area had to be pitched and the bed frame, after much testing and attempts to stabilize its frame, appeared to only be held up by a single wooden crate crammed underneath. A mixture of mess, bugs, and mice had eaten through the legs so that when the crate was removed the whole bed collapsed into pieces beneath the mattress. It was the bed that came with the apartment all those years ago when Naruto was just a child, so it was no surprise to Sasuke that it was in such bad shape, but Naruto had to hold back tears at the loss of his beloved bed.
To which Sasuke made a remark to start another argument. They were at their best when they fought. The constant acknowledgement was gratifying to both of them. This moment made a thought pop into the Uchiha's head. He was alone and isolated on the deserted Uchiha compound and Naruto was now without virtually any basic living necessities. Upon closer inspection Sasuke and Naruto found the floor to be caving downward in most areas and the walls were actually raw mortar poorly coated in a single coat of paint. The paint was flaking so badly that one wrong move would completely remove the majority of the loose coating from the wall and leave huge bare spots. They also noticed a few leaks in the ceiling and Sasuke questioned the structural integrity of the building.
At the end of their inspection Naruto chuckled and scratched at the back of his head while asking, "It's pretty bad, huh? I'd never have noticed with everything lying around-" then swiped his arm to indicate the whole room "-Thanks to you I can see it's been left alone for too long. I'm an adult now so I should have noticed these things more clearly. I just haven't had the time, y'know?" The pained look resurfaced on Naruto's face and he grasped his shirt front tightly, "What is wrong with me…" he whispered to himself.
Sasuke wanted to reach out and comfort him but instead reminded himself that he needed to stay focused and not let his feelings show. He grabbed a mop and tossed it at Naruto who caught it without hesitation. At least his reflexes were still sharp despite his heart being in turmoil.
He turned to Sasuke and obediently awaited orders without a fight. It was in this moment that Sasuke recognized that maybe he could try to keep the man busy so that he could distract from the issues brewing inside. After weeks of sitting and doing nothing maybe this is what Naruto needed from him right now. Someone to keep him busy and make him feel useful. So Sasuke began to make a list of tasks for him verbally. He knew the idiot would forget and have to keep asking for his next task, so Sasuke started off small; first get a bucket of water, then the correct cleaner for scrubbing floors, next sweep the floor before mopping, but always start on the far side so you don't block yourself in or have to backtrack. Naruto listened intently at first but showed confusion as he walked to start his tasks in the direction of the bathroom. "Oh! Bring out the laundry first so you can clean it all at once," he yelled after the confused blonde. To which Naruto retorted, "Enough already Teme! You ain't gotta spell it out so much," then he gathered his things and disappeared into the bathroom, but Sasuke saw the smile that peaked over Naruto's shoulder. A warm blush returned to Sasuke's face from under the mask and the man felt himself relax. It seemed all of his efforts are working to some extent. For this he was very grateful.
They went their separate ways and Sasuke only paused to answer Naruto's questions yelled from the bathroom. In a short time he was able to conquer the pest infested kitchen drawers and cabinets. Almost all of its contents had to be chucked. Not a single regular kitchen utensil existed in the entire apartment except for one individual metal pot Naruto used for missions. By the end the whole room had basically been gutted and Sasuke made quick work of scrubbing away all of the gunk on the surfaces.
He heard a loud crash and yelp from the direction of the bathroom and went to investigate. Knowing Naruto, he knew exactly what to expect.