Hello.
sorry for being late and all that... Also for bringing you such a short chapter after all this time. I blame it on my writers block. Have fun!
Sasuke was just about to tell Naruto these deep fears and worries he had been harbouring, when he was promptly interrupted by his mother calling the boys down for dinner. With a sigh he got up to his feet.
"We'll talk about this later." Sasuke said tiredly. Naruto nodded with a worried frown. Sasuke went ahead downstairs, a part of him was relieved at the disruption. He didn't know how Naruto would take what he was going to tell him. He didn't know if Naruto could handle it, and probably everything would change. It was probably for the best that Naruto didn't know about his family's messy history. Yes, it would definitely freak him out... Especially since his father recently had that outburst. Naruto had already seen enough unpleasantries.
When the two boys got downstairs they saw Deidara sulking on the couch.
"Trouble in paradise?" Naruto teased and wiggled his brows.
"SHUT UP!" Deidara yelled and threw a pillow at Naruto. "Itachi and I aren't even together like that, were just friends!" He added with a pout as he grabbed another pillow to hug it tight. Naruto just chuckled. Sasuke felt a smile tug at his lips. Naruto was such a dork sometimes. Teasing dealt with, the boys continued to the dining room and took their seats. Sasuke of course took a seat next to Naruto. Then a thought struck him. He would see Naruto better if he sat opposite to him... With this new insight he walked around the table and sat down. Yes, this was better. Naruto gave him a curious look.
"What the fudge?" Naruto said. Sasuke held back an amused snort, Naruto had made an attempt to watch his language whenever Sasuke's mother was nearby and now she was just in the kitchen nearby and could come in at any moment.
"This side has a better view." Sasuke answered with a slight smirk. Naruto's head whipped around. He noticed that the window was there.
"I guess you're right." Naruto said with a hum. He didn't really care about the view. He would be too busy eating to notice. After a couple of moments Deidara waltzed in with plates. He had volunteered to help Mikoto with setting the table. Naruto bit his lip. Maybe he should have helped? He felt worried suddenly. He probably should have helped. He felt stupid. What if they thought he was ungrateful or rude now? Opposite to him, Sasuke's frowned as he saw Naruto's expression turn into that of worry.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked tentatively. Naruto blinked at him in surprise. Had his face been that telling?
"Nothing... Nothing." Naruto said and have a meek smile before he frowned at the table cloth. Sasuke felt somewhat offended that Naruto wouldn't share.
Soon food was on the table and even Itachi managed to show up. He and Deidara sat opposite each other since Sasuke's had hogged Deidara's usual spot. From Mikoto's point of view it looked somewhat amusing. At her left were two pouting blondes and to her right two scowling ravens. She could only imagine what had brought on this sullen tension. She pegged it on their age. They were all teenagers except for Itachi, and she knew very well how teenagers could be. She wistfully reminisced her teenage years. Oh, they had been fun... The days spent on the beach or in clay cafés with Kushina... Mikoto's bit her lip. That had been a very long time ago. More than twenty years. Had so much time really passed? Thinking of it now it seemed almost unbelievable that so many years had gone since their worry free youth. Mikoto suddenly found her appetite failing her. What right had she to sit here when Kushina, the life loving angel, couldn't? Mikoto looked sadly at Naruto. She knew, she really did know that she needed to talk to him, to tell him about the amazing parents he had. About the amazing woman that had brought him to life. The woman who had loved him more than she had herself. An uncomfortable stinging of the eyes prompted her to stand up.
"I'm sorry boys, I just remembered I have some work to finish upstairs. Finish dinner without me." Mikoto smiled warmly at the boys and left the room, leaving her unfinished food for the maid to clean away. The boys at the table looked after her for part of a minute before Deidara sighed.
"Is your mother okay?" Deidara asked Itachi quietly with a concerned frown. Itachi put down his fork.
"What on earth is okay?" He muttered and rose from the table and swiftly left the room. Sasuke's frowned after him. He looked at the uneaten food. Naruto noticed that Deidara did as well, with a solemn expression on his face. It felt like he was missing something. Naruto knew that he could be dense sometimes, but in this occasion he felt something linger beneath the surface of the air in the room. Something sad.
"He... He's not eating, is he?" Sasuke growled sullenly and grumpily walked out. He was angry with himself, he had after all suspected as much for a while but had opted to sweep his worries under the rug. He had preferred to see himself as paranoid than admitting that Itachi was worse again. But Sasuke couldn't ignore the implications of Itachi's behaviour any longer. Naruto blinked after him as he stormed out. Something weird was going on with the Uchihas today. Or was this perhaps the norm? Naruto had after all only recently moved in so he didn't really know...
"They haven't told you anything have they?" Deidara broke the silence which for him felt too stifling. He preferred noise. Naruto's expression turned even more perplexed.
"What are you talking about?" Naruto questioned in confusion. Deidara sighed and his eyes flickered briefly in the room, somehow avoiding Naruto's blue gaze even though he was the one who started the conversation.
"... They really should have told you. Heck, they even bloody adopted you!" Deidara murmured in disbelief. Naruto furrowed his brows. He wished Deidara could get to the point. It seemed important. Naruto could feel his nerves tingle and an uneasiness stirred within him. Deidara briefly locked eyes with him before glaring at the wall.
"These fuckers aren't perfect." Deidara started and Naruto raised a brow but waited for him to continue. "When you scratch the surface the Uchihas are a freaking mess. A ticking bomb, just waiting to go boom..." Deidara revealed coldly. Naruto gulped. He had a feeling Deidara didn't just mean Fugaku. Deidara fiddled a bit with his long hair before continuing. "They... Well I suppose mostly Itachi... Have issues." Deidara mumbled and wondered of he should reveal this. He felt that Naruto was entitled to know since he was adopted by them.
"A lot of stuff has happened here and... And..."
"Will you just get to the fucking point already?" Naruto patience was wearing thin and he was worried and nervous over what Deidara was about to tell him. Especially since Deidara found it so hard to say. It was bound to be a distressing fact about to be revealed. Deidara glared at him without much force for once. "Why did Sasuke storm off like that?" Naruto pressed on.
"He realised that Itachi is... He's fucking relapsing!" Deidara admitted and buried his head in his arms that he had placed on the table before him.
"Relapsing to what?!" Naruto almost yelled. He was tired of Deidara being so dubious. He needed to know what the heck was going on right now.
"Where do I start?" Deidara's soft muffled voice sounded so vulnerable at that moment that Naruto didn't know what to say. After a couple of minutes Deidara continued. "Itachi had an eating disorder a few years ago. He had some other fucking issues too, but I'm not up for talking about it." Deidara mumbled. Naruto took a deep breath in realisation. That explained Sasuke's reaction. Naruto frowned. He recalled the times he had eaten with Itachi. He had never finished his food. So he really was relapsing? He really had an eating disorder? Rubbing a hand through his hair, Naruto felt slightly overwhelmed at the situation he had been brought into.
In a short span of time so much had happened. He had been adopted. He had a crush. He was now adoptive brother to said crush. Said crush loved him, and it was a feeling Naruto was unsure he could reciprocate. His other adoptive brother seemed to have serious issues. His adoptive father was violent. Naruto gulped. He knew that he himself was already messed up, how could he help his new family? Did he even have the right to? He wasn't really a part of it after all... Naruto felt a heavy feeling in his chest. There was so much he didn't know and it worried him, hurt him even. He wished that Sasuke would tell him more. Wasn't Naruto trustworthy enough? The emotional turmoil Naruto went through really made him wish he could speak to Iruka. Iruka always made him feel better.
So yeah, that was it. Um. Haha... I just want to let you guys know that even if I might take ages to update, I won't abandon this fic. Rest assured! Better late than never, you know? ;)
LovePeppermint
