A/N: Like I said, here's another chapter! Again, I had to split this chapter into another one or that would've reached 12 pages too.
Thanks to all those who've reviewed and faved this fic so far :)
Chapter 9: Questions and Ramen
Throughout another fruitless search in the ravines, Sasuke learned that not only were Sakura and Rock Lee missing, but Kiba and was missing as well. And in terms of searching for Lee, Gai was running amok and crying about the loss of such a spirited and young youth. Apparently, Kakashi had to taunt him out of his grief through mock challenges. It worked, so no one was complaining, but the fact that many were missing was still unsettling.
At the arrival of several Anbus, Sasuke had to call it a night and allowed another search party to replace him. Nodding his head in farewell to Hinata and her company, he silently left. However, not wanting to go home just yet, Sasuke headed to Naruto's apartment. A nameless Anbu stopped him before he could reach the blonde's designated floor.
Sasuke glared at this masked individual as several others surrounded him. He looked past their forms and saw that Naruto's lights weren't on anyways, so he grit his teeth and turned away. It would probably be better to not cause a disturbance, and Sasuke could deal with not seeing Naruto for one night.
By the time he reached home and slumped into a chair in the kitchen, Sasuke wanted to hear nothing but the blonde's voice.
He slouched there in the stark brightness of the kitchen, wondering what he should make to eat since for the past hour, his stomach had been growling like a beast. But then he looked across the opposite side of the empty table, and recalled the last time the blonde sat in the chair across from him.
"Wha-what's this?" Naruto asked surprised.
Sasuke glanced down at the man who wore a white wife beater and orange pajama pants. Then he gave him a smirk. "Are you stupid and blind too?" he mocked, nudging the bowl of ramen closer to the blonde. It made a small screeching sound as the ceramic scraped against the wooden table surface. Then Sasuke casually sat across from Naruto with a bowl himself. "It's the crap you always eat."
The dark-haired man watched Naruto's gaping face switch to one that scowled. "It's not crap," the other man finally muttered, avoiding Sasuke's eyes. Then he carefully brought the bowl closer to himself, inspecting it as if he was expecting it to fade away.
"I didn't poison it," Sasuke commented.
"I didn't say you did!" Naruto snapped, looking up with a glare. He cracked apart the wooden chopsticks he held nervously. "It's just that I don't usually have someone that makes this…and this is the first time you actually made me something in your own home."
"That's because you and Sakura are the ones always bringing food over—how the hell am I supposed to cook when you guys do it for me all the time?" Sasuke stated briskly. He really would if they gave him the chance. Actually, he would all the time since all Sakura could make was rice and eggs. As for Naruto, the blonde only knew how to make a good cup of instant ramen. In a lower voice, Sasuke added, "Besides, I thought I'd treat you for once. You are my best man for tomorrow."
Naruto's eyes seemed to shine when he looked up from his steaming bowl, but when Sasuke blinked, the shine disappeared as if it was never there.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Naruto asked. He lifted the ramen noodles to his lips. Sasuke watched him pause to look at him, waiting for an answer.
"Of course I am," the dark-haired man answered. He leaned back in his chair to oserve his bowl, which was missing something, but Sasuke wasn't going to complain right now. He had just seen something good, something he hadn't seen in a while. Reaching for his chopsticks, Sasuke wondered whether or not he would see it again after he married.
"Wait, wait!"
Sasuke stopped what he was doing, his chopsticks half way into his noodles. He raised a brow when he saw Naruto's wide eyes. "What?" he asked.
"I almost forgot why I really came here! Just give me a minute," said Naruto standing up from his chair in a rush. "I'll be right back—don't start eating yet!" And with that, the blonde ran into the living room.
Sighing, Sasuke leaned back into his chair and let his chopsticks rest against the rim of the bowl with a clink. Between feeling annoyance and curiosity, he stared at the empty chair across from him and thought whether or not he would like having it filled everyday from now on. He had eaten by himself for so long; Sasuke almost forgot what it was like to eat with company. Since coming back, Sasuke found that he was always eating with Sakura, Naruto, or both.
"I'm back!" Naruto announced loudly, with footsteps to match. Sasuke turned around but all he could see was the blonde's palm. "You can't look yet."
"Why not?" Sasuke asked irritably, trying to swat Naruto's hand away. Amongst their bickering, he heard the rustling of clothes, felt an arm reach around him, and then heard a splash. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto when the man finally stepped back with a huge grin. "What the hell was that for?"
"You'll see," Naruto said smiling. Then he sidestepped around the table to get to his chair.
Dark eyes slowly followed the man and by the time Naruto sat down, Sasuke realized there was something different about his own ramen. Looking down to get a proper look, Sasuke felt a small twinge in his chest. There against a monotone background of wheat flour and broth, were eight bright red slices of tomatoes floating on the surface.
"Thought your bowl was missing something, then I remembered that I brought some tomatoes—well tomato now cuz I accidently squished most of them," Naruto muttered near the end. When Sasuke didn't comment, the blonde's voice returned to its chipper self. "So eat up! You like tomatoes right?"
Sasuke didn't just like tomatoes, he LOVED tomatoes. They were his favourite vegetable/fruit or whatever you wanted to call it. There was something about their roundness, their brightness, and when they were sliced, he couldn't understand how they could look so perfect.
"They're…ok," Sasuke managed to say through tight lips. Not wanting to look overly happy or sounding too giddy, Sasuke tried his best to be his usual calm self. He secretly wondered how a few sliced tomatoes could make his stomach flip and his heart skip a beat. Sure, they were his favourite but, he never had such a reaction before.
Naruto scoffed. "Only ok?" Sasuke glanced at the blonde whose face appeared slightly disappointed. "After all the trouble I went through—well, never mind," said Naruto picking up his chopsticks.
It was unusual for the blonde to look such a way, but when Sasuke carefully took a bite out of one of the slices and felt his tongue tingle, he understood why. No wonder Naruto was upset. "Did you grow these dobe?"
Naruto raised his head, startled. "How did you know?"
"No other tomato in the market right now tastes like these," Sasuke answered carefully, and he would know of course, since he tried all that there was available. Naruto's was by far the sweetest, and Sasuke liked that a lot.
"So you do like tomatoes!"
"…Yeah," Sasuke finally agreed. He gave the blonde a questioning glance, "How did you know?"
Naruto raised a brow at the other man, as if it was obvious. "You always eat your tomatoes first and I like to eat my favourite foods first, so of course you have to like it too right?"
"It can also mean I don't like it and I want to finish it first, dobe," Sasuke countered.
"Hey, I know you like it! You buy a couple tomatoes almost every time we go to the market," the blonde argued. "You just don't like the way Sakura cooks it."
"…Now how do you know that?"
To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto quieted down and turned his attention to his ramen. "Cheh, it's not that hard to figure out…now let's eat! I'm starving!" And with that, Sasuke watched his friend dig into his meal with an enthusiasm that Sasuke had come to admire. He used to think it was disgusting, hearing all the slurps and loudness the blonde generally made when he ate. After a while, after years of not hearing it and growing older, Sasuke realized that Naruto enjoyed the simplest things. The man wasn't picky and he was always grateful for food.
"Hey."
Naruto glanced up, with noodles hanging from his mouth. "Wha?"
Sasuke allowed himself to give a small smile at such a foolish sight. "Thanks for the tomatoes, dobe."
In response to words so rare, Sasuke watched once more as Naruto's enthusiasm just shone brightly in his eyes and in his wide smile, minus the noodles. Sasuke's stomach fluttered seeing his best man being so happy, and this time, he knew it wasn't because of the tomatoes. It was Naruto—Naruto made his heart skip.
The longer he stared unblinkingly at the empty seat across from, the more Sasuke's eyes began to sting. Then he closed his eyes, recalling the last bits of his last meal with his best friend. He didn't know he had been in love with Naruto, even though it was so clear to him now. If only he had realized and acted upon it sooner…
Pushing back his chair and standing up, Sasuke walked away from the table. He didn't feel hungry anymore.
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It's Christmas Eve in Canada right now, so happy holidays everyone!
