I know this chapter is super late! There's a lot of reasons, most contributing to the fact that my word processor stopped working. I wrote this chapter before I wrote the rest of the story but I tweaked a lot of things. I was unsure if I wanted to continue this story...it's turning out a little differently then I imagined. But thanks to your reviews asking for more, I've decided to keep writing it. So thank you for your support!

Oh by the way, just in case for some reason you haven't seen/read the 6th Harry Potter, this chapter contains spoilers.


Heart pounding and thoughts racing through his mind, Sasuke jumped in his car and sped toward the movie rental store. He had no clue what to expect from Naruto tonight but he was excited nonetheless. It was natural for him to be nervous, after all, he'd never "hung out" with anyone in his life. He'd never had a friend in his life. Countless parties he'd been invited too and dates he'd been asked on, but he turned them all down. But Naruto mattered in a way that no one else did.

He ghosted through the front door of the store, his thoughts crowding together like cattle in a cage. He scanned his options with glazed eyes.

The world seemed to revolve around this one tiny decision. A romantic movie would probably just make the mood awkward. He didn't want to freak Naruto out with something scary. And he personally found comedic movies boring. Finally he picked the latest Harry Potter movie. It looked like it'd be a good blend of different kinds of genres.

He grabbed the movie off the rack and restrained himself from running to the register. The woman at the desk gave him an odd look; Sasuke knew he probably looked like a madman, he was so nervous. When she handed him the movie, he rushed out without saying a word.

In the car he calmed himself by focusing on the music drifting through the speakers. He concentrated on finding the apartment building from earlier that day. Before he knew how it happened, he was walking up the steps to the door numbered 108. Gathering all of his courage, he took a deep breath and knocked.

Naruto answered quickly, almost as if he had been standing right next to the door. Sasuke's breath caught at the blonde boy's appearance. He was garbed in a bright orange shirt entitled 'No Rain, No Rainbow'. Underneath the long shirt was a pair of dark blue pajama pants. His incredibly spiky hair hung in his eyes oppressively.

"Hey," he breathed, and though a toothy smile appeared on his face, he didn't exude his usual cheeriness. "Come on in."

Sasuke stepped over the threshold and surveyed the room. He knew Naruto's only source of income was his job at the ramen shop, but he didn't expect his living situation to be this bad. The whole apartment was about the size of Sasuke's bedroom. It consisted of a single bed in the corner, a table with two mismatched chairs, a kitchen (if it could be called a kitchen, it consisted solely of a microwave and a sink), an antique TV sitting on the floor, and a door presumably leading to the bathroom. Naruto had made a futile attempt to tidy the room; clothing was piled in one corner and the trash can was overflowing with cups of instant ramen.

Sasuke took all of this in, but the one thing he noticed most of all was the smell. It smelled just like Naruto. Like some kind of sweet scent mingled with beef broth. The smell hit Sasuke's nose and filled him with warmth and comfort. Naruto's voice broke his reverie:

"Well, this is my home. What's mine is yours…" He blushed with embarrassment at the thought that the wealthy Sasuke Uchiha would ever want any part of what he had.

"Thank you very much." Sasuke smiled genuinely and his eyes sparkled with contentment. Though the apartment was small and untidy, it felt more like home than his house had in months.

There was an awkward silence between the two and Sasuke worried that Naruto might regret having invited him over.

"I picked up a movie…do you have a DVD player?" Sasuke glanced timidly at the TV on the floor.

"'Course I do, who doesn't? What movie'd you get?" Naruto looked at Sasuke eagerly, like a child on Christmas morning.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Sasuke replied. Naruto's eyes sparkled and his mood instantly perked up.

"Yes! I really wanted to see that! You're the best!" Naruto grabbed the case out of Sasuke's hand and ran to the TV. Relief washed over Sasuke that he had chosen a movie Naruto would enjoy.

"You can sit on the bed if you want, or the floor." Naruto chattered as he hastily removed the movie and shoved it into the player. Sasuke turned toward the bed. He sat on the end and watched Naruto bustle. He felt happier than he had in months. Watching his friend so energetic made his heart swell. Naruto stood up and skipped toward Sasuke. He threw himself down on the opposite side of bed. Sasuke was comfortable with this arrangement, but something deep inside his heart twanged. He ignored it.

The opening credits rolled and Naruto faintly hummed along with the theme song. Sasuke had never seen any of the previous movies, so his friend took the liberty of explaining who every character was in extensive detail. But for most of the movie they sat in silence.

Sasuke had trouble paying attention to the movie. When the kissing scenes began, he was reminded of all the dreams he'd ever had kissing Naruto. Here they were. Sitting together on a bed. Alone. In the dark...

For the hundredth time that day, Sasuke angrily shook his head and blocked the thoughts from his mind. So maybe he thought kissing Naruto would be nice. So maybe he could see the two of them as more than just friends. But he refused to do anything about it unless he was absolutely positive that Naruto felt the same way about him. And right now he just wasn't sure.

Suddenly he heard a sniffle. He turned to see tears streaming down Naruto's cheeks. Shocked, he looked around the room. Then he noticed the image on the screen. Apparently the old, wrinkly wizard named Dumbledore had died. He almost chuckled at the fact that someone could cry at the death of a fictional character, but he didn't want to hurt Naruto's feelings.

The sobbing continued and Sasuke wondered if the tears were just for the old wizard, or if something else was bothering the boy. Tentatively, he reached out a hand and placed it on Naruto's shoulder. Suddenly, he was blinded by a flurry of blonde hair. Naruto had grabbed him around the middle and was sobbing into his chest. Shock erupted through his senses and he froze. Then, slowly his body began to move on its own. He did what felt natural. He placed a hand on Naruto's head and stroked his hair gently. His other arm enveloped the shaking body and provided a stronghold.

They stayed in this position well after the movie ended. Sasuke shakily ran his fingers through the blonde hair while Naruto continued to sob. Finally the boy began to calm, and his cries became soft sniffles. Quiet surrounded them as they sat.

The silence was broken by a soft whisper coming from Naruto's lips, "Do you miss them?"

Sasuke understood immediately what Naruto meant. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Of course I do."

Naruto turned his neck so he was still laying on Sasuke's chest, but they could now see each others faces. His wet eyes gazed into Sasuke's. He whimpered, "I miss them so much it hurts. It hurts so much, Sasuke."

Tears welled in Sasuke's eyes at the pain that was clear on Naruto's face. His hand trailed through the blonde hair and onto the boy's face. He stroked the scarred cheeks with the pads of his fingers, warmth spreading through his arms at the touch.

"I'm right here. You're not alone," he crooned softly, eyes glued to Naruto's face.

Something clicked in his mind at that moment. Naruto was more than a friend to him, he always had been. Their relationship was more than just that. He wanted to touch Naruto in this intimate way, the way that lovers do. He really loved Naruto. He loved the tear-streaked face resting on his body. He loved the goofy, cheerful boy that never failed to brighten his day. His sole desire was to protect that smile and wash away those tears. The only thing that mattered in his life now was Naruto.

With this realization came a new confidence. Carefully he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist and pulled him up so they were sitting side-by-side, backs against the wall. Naruto seemed comforted by this; he rested his head on Sasuke's shoulder.

His breath tickled Sasuke's neck as he spoke, "Today would have been my mom's birthday. I really wish she was here." His voice cracked and more tears cascaded off of his face. Now Sasuke understood why the boy had been so depressed all day.

He tightened his grip and whispered, "It's okay. You don't have to be sad. You don't have to cry."

Naruto's voice shook, "Why not? I'm so lost. I'm so alone. I'm so scared..."

"You're not alone," Sasuke murmured into the thicket of blonde hair, "You have me."

Naruto's sobbing stopped. He lifted his puffy red eyes and examined Sasuke's face carefully, his expression hopeful. Their eyes met and a small shadow of a smile broke into the blonde's face. And then they weren't looking into each others eyes anymore. Their eyelids had shut as their lips tentatively made contact. Sasuke's heart was bursting, his happiness was almost painful. The kiss was broken, but the bodies still remained in a tight embrace.

Neither of them seemed to regret their actions. There was an unspoken agreement that they wanted to be together. The bond that had so quickly developed between the two of them was now sealed by one small kiss.

Contentment enveloped the two of them and they drifted together to sleep, to the world of dreams.


I know what you may be thinking: Gah! This is all happening so fast! Well, if the two most important people to you in the world died, you would probably be in search of comfort too. In this case, they serve as each others comfort. I think a lot of their relationship is silent, especially since Sasuke is not very outspoken. They connect through their emotions, mainly their grief.

A couple of notes: In case you didn't know, the number 108 holds much significance in a lot of religions. I'm not a religious person, but I find people's obsession with the number fascinating, so I snuck it in.

Also, "No Rain, No Rainbow" is a song by Home Made Kazoku that was used as the ending theme for the Shippuuden movie, Bonds. I used this song name because rainbows=gay pride :)

Thanks for reading and putting up with my slow updates!