Chapter 9 – Respect
A/N: Like I said there isn't a set update day. I'm just going to post the finished chapter when I've proofread it. That being said thanks to everyone who reviewed! Shout out to Amber! A guest who went back to my Seven Stories and reviewed all of them! MVP! MVP! To all the other guests that I can't reply to thanks so much for taking the time to review. It means so much to me! Now on to the story!
By the time Naruto had gotten everything he wanted it was well past midday. Sasuke was juggling several bags of groceries and various miscellaneous items when he decided that he'd just rent a wagon to help take all their things home and since he said that, Naruto decided to buy even more things. He'd decided to make his own flower garden so that he could grow his own cucumbers, beans, potatoes and other vegetables. They'd need food somehow.
That meant Sasuke would need to properly clean out his shed to plant the shoots the blonde had bought. It was easier than growing everything from the dirt and if they were properly tended to then they would start bearing in just a few weeks. Just about the time when they would be running out of fresh produce.
"Oh! I didn't see a clothesline in the yard Sasuke so go buy some over there. And we can stop by my house and take my old one. We can set it up inside the zinc thingy. The clothes won't get any sun but it's better than nothing." Naruto thought for a minute, expertly juggling his own bags and basket of things, "better to set some clothes out now before the sun is gone for good. I'll start washing when we get home. Okay?" Naruto asked but Sasuke had learned by now that it wasn't a question. Naruto was a homemaker through and through.
Sasuke was going to remind the blonde that by the time they reached home they'd only have time to get dressed then head down to Shikamaru's, he kept quiet though and watched Naruto work. The blonde was a whirlwind in the marketplace. Using his wolf's eyes to navigate between people and letting his nose lead him to bundles of grass and smoked fish.
It took 2 hours and a gentle reminder of their dinner date to get Naruto out of the market and into the stables. They rented a small wagon and loaded everything up then Naruto hopped in the front beside the beta who he'd escort them. "I can lead the horse to my house then bring it back when we finish unloading our stuff."
"No can do sir," the young man tipped his hat to Naruto before he turned to face Sasuke. "Mom doesn't want any of the horses out right now. Don't want to keep them in the snow and dirt for too long."
"We won't take long. We just live about 30 minutes away." Naruto argued but the man shook his head adamantly.
"You can tell mom that yourself. I don't want her yelling my ear off." He faced forward as a sign that he was done with the conversation and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Of course he wasn't going to steal their horse but most farmers were locking away their livestock it was only normal that the innkeepers and such do the same too. The problem Sasuke was having though was that there wasn't enough space on the wagon to fit all three of them and he didn't bring enough gold to rent a bigger one.
He sighed. He'd have to walk alongside them. "Alright. It's fine, let's just go."
As the horse stepped off Naruto started to wring his tail in his hands. "I'm sorry I kept us in the market for so long. But I found insulators and furs for so cheap and in bundles that it was too good of a deal to not buy them!"
Sasuke snorted and smirked up at the fretting blonde, "It's fine Naruto. It was nice watching you."
Naruto flushed hotly and looked down on his tail, "Well you know. I'm good at house stuff. Chiyo said she didn't expect me to ever find a mate but she knows I'm good around the house."
That reminded Sasuke, "you're really close to her. You called her an old hag."
Naruto waved him off, "yea, she used to take care of us when I was younger. Before I could leave the orphanage she used to bandage me and Kiba up when we fought and stuff. She used to sneak me sweets and comb my hair. She loves ribbons and bows." Naruto propped his elbow up on the back of his seat and snorted as he reminisced, "I remember this one time she was taking my measurements for a dress, I was going to some school thing and I didn't have anything to wear, she said she'd make me one. It was huge. Just this big frilly thing with a million bows and ruffles! I was so embarrassed." The blonde wolf rubbed his hand over his face as he grinned.
"Did you end up wearing it?" It was nice to talk like this. Learn more about Naruto's past through actual communication rather than lurking behind buildings and pining from afar.
"No! Hell no!" he doubled over laughing, "after she left I fixed it! I took off the big ugly bows and stitched it over myself." He shook his head as he snorted. "I couldn't sew back then so it was all lean on one side. When she came back she hit me so hard." He rubbed his arm at the phantom pain.
"What did you do?"
"Ahh… she stayed the night and re fixed it. But it was different. She made it like how I wanted. My first real dress." Naruto flushed and stroked his tail. "I still have it in my things." he whispered shyly.
Sasuke felt honored somehow. "Will you show it to me when we get home?" he asked softly. There was something about the atmosphere that he didn't want to disturb.
Naruto smiled at him. "Sure, you may not like it but…"
"No, I'll love it." They stared into each other's eyes for a long time and Sasuke wondered if Naruto had forgiven him. If they were over their first obstacle as a couple. He took the chance and leaned forward to capture Naruto's lips in a brief and fleeting kiss.
It was hard to kiss and walk so when Naruto didn't push him away they shared a few more tentative kisses whenever they could.
When they reached their home their escort was a blushing fumbling mess who kept dropping their things. Naruto was too busy laughing and poking him in the arm and making kissy faces at him to actual help unload all the things that he bought but after tipping the young man Sasuke sent him on his way. "Aww! He was so cute! He was blushing 'cause we were kissing!" Naruto giggled hysterically while Sasuke shooed him into the house.
"C'mon, we need to get ready or Kiba will yell at us again."
Naruto snorted at that, "he'll yell at you. He'll hug me." Sasuke couldn't argue with that. That was what happened last time. Now that he thought about it, he was receiving a lot more attention and socializing since he'd been with Naruto than most of his adult life all summed up. It was a refreshing change.
000
Kiba did yell at him, then hug him, then tugged Naruto off so they could chat. It was a comical routine. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the pregnant man's behavior but it was also his opportunity to interrogate Shikamaru.
It had happened again while he and Naruto were walking to the couple's house. They were only a few minutes behind schedule but as it was in the winter time the dark came swiftly and soon they could hardly see in front of them. Naruto stumbled so he decided to use his wolf's eyes to see in the dark but Sasuke could see fine. Could hear everything, even the rodents in the trees. He could smell how rich and sweet Naruto was. How happy he was to be visiting his friend and he hadn't been tapping into the Uchiha power.
His deduction was that his senses were enhancing themselves somehow. He wondered if it was the Mugwort. Maybe smelling it so often was having that effect on him? But if Shikamaru was having the same effects then maybe it had something to do with him taking a mate.
"Let's step outside. I want a smoke." Sasuke silently followed the other man and grabbed his jacket on the way out. It was dark now and equally cold. He wondered if Naruto had remembered to wear his band this time.
Rather than a small smoke like he had before, Shikamaru presented Sasuke with a thick roll of leaves, wide as his thumb, wrapped in dark paper. The dark haired wolf stared at it then stared at the wolf offering it to him. "It's a cigar. Smoke is thicker, richer. Tastes better than the normal ones I roll up."
"Oh I see. No thank you. I really don't smoke. You can go ahead though."
Shikamaru reverently lit his cigar up and inhaled deeply, his chest swelling with the fumes as he held it in for a few heartbeats before he slowly exhaled. The smoke mixed and curled with the condensation as he sighed. "Kiba hid the box. This is probably my last one. I'm going to enjoy it." Sasuke smirked. Kiba was definitely a ball buster. "That aside, how have things with you and Naruto been? Yesterday seemed… tense."
Sasuke nodded, "it was, we didn't mate last night either." Shikamaru frowned at that, new mates were almost always all over each other. That wasn't a good sign. "But today was better. We're still awkward around each other but not being cooped up in the house did us some good I think. He was smiling and making jokes just before we got home."
"If it's not good how will you make it through three months of winter?"
Sasuke pursed his lips and looked out into the dark, "I have to make this work…" he whispered honestly. Through his adolescent life he hadn't pegged himself as the type who'd confide in someone enough to sit and have a genuine conversation with them but here he was putting his faith in a man he hardly knew.
Just as Kiba was easy to understand, straightforward with his feelings, so was Shikamaru. He didn't talk as much as Kiba did but it was nice to have someone to listen to him. It was helping to ease the knots in his stomach. Maybe a third head could help him figure things out with Naruto. Or at least that's what he was betting on. "You're a good man Sasuke. Whatever Uchiha thing you have that you're afraid of. Naruto will love you all the same. He's stubborn like that." Sasuke wanted to argue that he wasn't afraid of his beast powers but was that really the case? He'd have been mated to Naruto a long time ago if he wasn't worried about his children being snatched up in the night.
"Actually there's something I wanted to ask you…"
"Uhmm… if it's about sex… I don't think I'm the right person to tell you. Kiba does most of the work to be honest-"
"No! Jeez! No! It's not about sex!" Sasuke was beyond mortified. He wouldn't be confiding with anyone about his sex life! "I do not want to hear about your sex life Nara!"
Shikamaru's shoulders sagged with relief as he took another long puff. "Oh good..."
Both men's cheeks were stained pink.
"What I meant to ask was… I wanted to know if mating Kiba affected your wolf's powers. Can you see and hear better? Powers like that I mean."
The brown haired alpha hummed, "come to think about it, they have increased," he hugged his jacket closer. "That's how I knew he was pregnant you know." It felt like a ton of steel had dropped in Sasuke's gut. "I asked the doctor about it. He said it was my protective instincts that were heightening. Babies are such troublesome small things you know. Kiba's powers increased too."
"They did?"
"Yea. Not just his claws come out anymore. He can shift his whole arm, below the elbow, and his legs, below the knee. We kind of freaked out when we saw that," he chuckled to himself. "Other stuff happened. Like, his chest got bigger. Some milk came from there and his nose can smell a rodent from yards away. It's amazing."
Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to keep the dread from completely devouring him. So Naruto was already pregnant? But Chiyo said it was too soon to tell… Sasuke felt confused and helpless. "Is there anyway I can tell now if he's pregnant. I need to know."
Shikamaru gave him a long look, "I don't know what to tell you Uchiha. There wasn't really- oh wait. Yea, there was, his scent changed."
"His scent?" Kiba smelt the same to him as he always did.
"Yea. Normal people can't smell it. That's what the enhanced senses are for… for the little things. Like a scent change. It's nothing dramatic. Just… an addition." Sasuke wasn't following and Shikamaru could pick up on that. "It's a subtle change. For me it was like…" he hummed then looked away and smiled, "it was like life."
And that was even more confusing for the dark haired man. Shikamaru was terrible at explaining things. Like life? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
"Hey there. What are you boys gossiping about?" Kiba asked as he came out of the house in a long robe and bare feet.
"Hey. What are you doing outside?" Shikamaru pushed away from the post he was leaning against to hurry over to his mate. "C'mon let's go back inside."
"Not with the smoke you're not." Kiba shrugged him off. "I just came to tell you that me and Naruto finished setting the table and it's time to eat." Shikamaru looked sorrowfully at his half smoked cigar before he tossed it out into the snow. He frowned at it before he turned back to face his omega.
"Happy?"
"No. Your breath smells like smoke. I hate when you smoke those things." The dark haired omega rolled his shoulders before he turned back inside, slamming the door behind him. It was eerie how quickly Kiba could go from bubbly and cheery to irate and agitated. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck as he listened to Kiba stomp around inside.
"I thought you said you could smoke one last one."
"Did I? I lied." He shrugged and walked off leaving a baffled Uchiha outside in the cold.
Dinner was amazing, just as it was the last time, except smaller this time around. Which Sasuke was grateful for. He didn't think he could eat as much this time like he did the last time. He sat with Naruto by his side and under his arm in the Nara's sitting area before the chimney and crackling warmth of the fireplace.
They were talking about trivial things so Sasuke mentioned the stack of newspapers he had on top of his closet. "I wondered what those were for…" Naruto mused.
"For when we're tired of doing nothing all day. I've spent most of my winters alone and it gets maddening being inside day after day. So I have those papers to read. Months of them. I have a few from out of town too."
"Really? Why is that?"
"This is a pretty small village Naruto. Not much news to write about." Kiba guessed.
"Which is why I have the traveling traders bring me papers from all the towns they visit on their way here."
"That's resourceful. I should have thought of that." Shikamaru scratched at his beard. Outside the cozy house the wind was picking up, whistling past the windows and howling in the sky. Naruto huddled closer to him.
"We should go. It's almost midnight already? I didn't notice."
"Time flies when you're in good company," Sasuke commented smirking at the other couple.
"Did the great Sasuke Uchiha pay lowly peasants a compliment?" Kiba gasped dramatically and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Obviously Naruto was telling Kiba all sorts of things to get the alpha flustered.
"I would offer you my horse but I don't think he would be compliant in the night now with just you guys, but I can't up and leave Kiba alone. I'm sure you understand."
"No, no of course we understand." Naruto got up and helped Kiba out of his seat as they shared a long tight hug. The alphas, however, settled for a quick hug with several pats on the back. They probably wouldn't be seeing each other again. "I wish I could be here for the pups' birth… I'm sorry Kiba. I didn't plan to give Sasuke my wagon so soon but you know, the time was just right."
"It's okay!" Kiba hugged his friend even tighter. "I'm going to miss you so much," he sniffled, then Naruto sniffled and then Kiba was a crying emotional mess.
"I'm going to miss you too! As soon as the snow lets up I'll come see you! I promise!"
"You better!" They finally let go of each other to turn into their respective alpha's arms. They yelled 'bye' at each other until the wind was too loud to yell over and Kiba kept watch by the window until the light of his friend's lanterns were swallowed up by the dark of the night.
He cried for another 20 minutes before he exhausted himself and fell asleep curled up in the sofa under the watchful of eyes of his alpha.
Outside, trudging up to their house, Sasuke and Naruto huddled as close to each other as they could. Sasuke had Naruto under his arm with half of his jacket covering the blonde as Naruto held their lantern out, they squinted and sloshed through the snow until they could make out the dark outline of their house. "Let's enter from the back. Too much snow to pull the door open in the front." They'd been using the back entrance since Naruto had presented Sasuke with his wagon so there wasn't nearly as much snow in the back as there was at the front. Sasuke would need to shovel it away later on.
Naruto shuffled close to the door as he fished their keys from his pocket when Sasuke suddenly gripped his arm. "Hmm? What is it?" He looked back at Sasuke to see that his usually calm coal black eyes were a fiery red as he glared at the door. His brows furrowed as a snarl peeled his lips back to reveal his fangs. "Sasuke?" the wolf didn't answer instead he took a sole step back, then another and another and pulled Naruto with him, his focus solely on the house. "Sasuke- Ow!" Sasuke's grip suddenly tightened as his claws sprang out and dug into the blonde. "Sasuke your claws! Sasuke what- ahh!" Naruto cried out as Sasuke tossed him off to the side and face first into the snow. His arm flamed where Sasuke's claws left a ring, blood seemed through the rip in his jacket.
Sasuke was scaring him and his arm was burning horribly. Sasuke howled loud and harsh to his ears, "stay here!" the wolf barked at him, his skin melting away to give way to dark fur and the beastly form of his full shift.
"Sasuke…" he weakly called to his mate. The alpha ignored him as he leaped into the house, snarling and clawing his way through the small entrance. Naruto was just pushing himself up from the ground when he heard someone cry out. A voice he did not recognize.
"Sasuke Uchiha! Cease!" The man cried out as Naruto staggered to his feet and stumbled to the door.
"Sasuke…?" he called. He was just inches to the door when Sasuke howled in pain as the man hurtled the wolf from the house. Naruto screamed as Sasuke sailed past him and crashed into their shed. "Sasuke!" he rushed over, his fingers just barely touched the wolf's fur when Sasuke batted him to the side and back into the snow as the stranger rushed from their home and into the dark. Sasuke barked at him and snarled before he started to chase after the man. Kicking up snow and dirt under his powerful paws as he too disappeared into the night.
Naruto remained in the snow, staring wide eyed into the darkness, his ears pressed flat against his head and tail curled tight around his waist. He felt like he was suffocating… he was so, so cold. Gingerly he pulled himself up with the support of the shed as his whole body shook and Naruto couldn't tell if it was the snow that had seeped into his clothes or the fact that his mate had run off into the dark and left him alone.
It took all of his confidence to stagger to the house, his ears finally peaking up to listen if someone else was inside their house. He edged closer and closer, the glow of his wolf's eyes illuminating his face as he stared ahead, his ears swiveling this way and that as he listened for anything, everything. For someone in the house, for someone coming towards him, for Sasuke to come back and explain to him what was happening.
He finally reached the doorway and stared in, it was empty, but it was a mess. The stranger had been looking for something and in the midst of his search he hadn't heard the couple come back. The fight had torn down their curtains and scattered the table and chairs against the wall. The light of the fireplace was gone and the house was as cold as outside. Or maybe Naruto was just being swallowed up by his terror that he could no longer tell the difference.
As he turned in a small circle in the center of their home he spotted Sasuke's axe in the corner of the kitchen and ran for it. His claws sprang out as he gripped the wood of the handle and with a new found resolve he stomped back outside into the snow. Other than the crunch of the snow beneath his boots and the wind howling all around him he couldn't make anything else out. "Sasuke!" he yelled for his mate and listened, waiting for an answer, but none came. He wanted to go find his husband and that was just what he was going to do when he stopped.
"It's the anbu," he whispered. Orochimaru must have sent them for something Sasuke was hiding. If they had pups this was what Orochimaru would do, send someone to get them… now Sasuke was off doing his job of protecting Naruto and chasing the danger off. It was Naruto's job now to protect their house from further intrusion. If they had pups he couldn't just run of blindly into the dark and leave them unprotected.
So he turned back, locked the door, re-lit the fireplace and set everything back the way it was before he went to stand in the middle of his slowly warming house, axe gripped tight. He was still afraid. Afraid that someone else would show up when Sasuke wasn't there, but this was what Sasuke had warned him about. This was just one of many obstacles to come.
He took a deep breath and straightened his back. His tail no longer curled around his waist but stuck out behind him in determination. His ears standing tall on his head as he listened and waited.
He would wait for Sasuke to come to home, until then he would protect this place and all their precious possessions. He stood on alert there in the center of the home turning to face the back door and then front door in intervals and he continued to do so long after the midnight storm had passed and the sun was high in the sky.
A/N: Other People: Whoo! Olympics! Run Usain run! Me: *writes fanfiction*
Another chapter so soon? What? Lol but see, authors are always saying that reviews are our motivation and we really mean it. Writing for ourselves is a leisure thing that we can just take time on and roll it over in our heads over and over but when you have an audience who's looking forward to seeing what comes next then it gets our engines revving!
That being said thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review the chapter and to who went back to my Seven Stories and reviewed all of them! *cough Amber cough* I so appreciate it. Same warning as last time too: If you're going to follow/favorite or are following the story then you're required to tell me why you're doing so via review.
Once again that you guys! I appreciate it so much! And go whatever country you're rooting for this Olympic and remember to leave a review!
