Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!

Summary: COMPLETE (new chapter up everyday - total of 29 chapters!). Some people are assholes. Some people are kind. It's when those are the same person that things get real confusing. Minor character death. A fic about grief, healing, and hope. Modern AU (office AU), Sasunaru/Narusasu.

A/N: A little update today - hope you guys like this one! You'll get a longer one tomorrow (which I'm suuuuper excited about.) I hope you are too!

Something Good

Chapter 14: New

Sasuke remained firmly of the opinion that the only reason he texted Naruto through Saturday night—and all morning so far—was that he needed to keep in contact with him. He was checking up on him. Never mind that he was continually talking to Sa—Haruno, and likely any number of his other friends—this was purely for Naruto's benefit. And the buildup of anxiety and excitement when his phone went off (or didn't go off) was just an extension of worry.

That was it.

And any other superfluous things were just an extension of that—distracting Naruto helped him, and Sasuke was a distraction. So it was perfectly reasonable to send him whatever stupid thing Sasuke happened upon—like his old sketchbooks, full of—

'Even my dreams are made of darkness…'

Terrible, terrible poetry.

Sasuke let out a breath. The sketches weren't half bad, but Naruto would absolutely lose it at the writing. And his most recent message had been quiet and neutral and dulled along the edges, so the phone was already in Sasuke's hand—

'Thought you'd appreciate this.'

And there it was—the strange anxious bubble in his chest as he waited for a reply. It wasn't the first time he'd had this feeling around Naruto, but he hadn't remembered it being this often—or this strong, or this...warm…

'HOLY SHIT'

Sasuke snorted.

'"My shackles are built from my own bone" sasuke you ok?'

Sasuke bit down on the smile. The phone buzzed in his hand, yet again—

'PLEASE tell me you had a melody for this. It rhymes omg'

And then, a moment later—

'Did you scream it? Was it screamo?'

Sasuke snorted. He could barely eve—

'"Like the ice, aching around my heart" SASUKE'

Sasuke sat back down onto the chair and waited for the barrage of messages to finish.

'I didn't know you could draw though?'

He put a hand over his smile.

'This is the best thing you've ever sent. Is it a book? Can I see the book?'

Okay, surely now he'd be able to—

'I'll do whatever you want.'

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and waited a moment longer.

'Please?'

Sasuke let out a breath—that wasn't a laugh—and finally replied.

'It's a book that will never leave this apartment, let alone make it to my office. My brother has enough blackmail material on me, thank you very much.'

He barely had the chance to stand before he received a reply.

'So in your apartment is fair game?'

Sasuke blinked.

'I'd say so.'

It wasn't as if Naruto hadn't been here before. Why not? It wasn't as if it was anything new, or special—

'THANK YOUUUU'

Sasuke rolled his eyes. His phone buzzed in his hand—

'Do you not still draw? You were so good!'

Sasuke absentmindedly flipped through the book.

'I was hardly an artist.' But then...Sasuke tapped his fingers along his phone— 'I've been thinking about picking it up again.'

'Do it!'

And then—

'You need more hobbies. Did you just sketch?'

Sasuke let out a breath.

'Mainly. Sometimes painted.'

He didn't know where any of his things went. He'd kept them all together, usually, but then...he didn't know what happened to that folder...or had it been a box? He didn't remember what he'd done with everything...

'Oooh, do it! Right now!'

'I don't even have anything here, moron.'

'Then leave your cave, batman. Didn't you need to get groceries anyway?'

Sasuke was about two letters from refusing out of spite, but...he glanced back at his fridge.

Damn it.

Naruto had a point.

…

Sasuke grabbed his coat.

It was a weird-ass rollercoaster that Naruto was on.

He'd go from the worst he'd ever felt to walking on fucking air in the span of seconds. He'd have hours of feeling normal—feeling like himself—and then plunge into the pits of despair for no fucking reason. He was being slingshotted between emotions and it was a damn good thing that he'd spent most of this weekend alone; he didn't know how anyone else would be able to deal with Naruto's completely random moods—

'No, only in high school.'

Naruto smiled a little. It was a lie, he guessed—that he'd been alone this weekend. He should've gone to bed hours ago.

'So what happened? I saw you eat meat at lunch.'

But he hadn't. And he hadn't yesterday, either. They'd both stayed up way too late. He'd fully expected Sasuke to tell him to fuck off ages ago, but…

'I transitioned to very extreme vegan, very quickly, with absolutely no plan to monitor my nutrition. It would have been fine if I hadn't been so stupid about it.'

But Sasuke had just...been there. Nothing even phased him. Naruto would be laughing one moment and crying in the next—

'Wait, did Itachi not like, keep track of that?'

And all Sasuke would do was bring up his favourite brand of eyeliner to bring that laughter back.

'I'm a genius, Naruto. I didn't tell him.'

And here he was, laughing again.

'Sasuke! You're as dumb as I am!'

That was the weird part, though.

'Was. I was as stupid as you currently are.'

He didn't know why talking to Sasuke made him this happy.

'Nice try, asshole! I already know you think I'm super smaaart.'

He'd always pissed Naruto off.

'And yet, you still manage to be a moron. Incredible.'

He'd never hated him or anything—

'A moron you're somehow beating in reckless childhood shit. I think the worst thing I did was try a dumbass bike jump.'

—but the guy had been cold and impassive and unaffected and emotionless.

'Please don't tell me you have a legitimate head injury.'

It had rubbed Naruto the wrong way since the moment he'd met him.

'Nonono, just broke my arm.'

The highlight of Naruto's day had been when Sasuke would turn and glare at him (not past him, but at him, right at him), eyes flashing and angry and—

'Great. I was about to never open my mouth again.'

Open.

'Don't worry, my head was fine. It was my nuts that weren't.'

He loved it when Sasuke opened up.

'Thank you ever so much for that.'

(Naruto dissolved into giggles.)

'Gotcha! What'd Itachi do when he found out you went secret agent: vegan on him?'

Had it just been that, all along?

A/N: Short, but this was a bit of a set-up chapter. So much fun to come! Let me know what you thought :)

I have another travelling day tomorrow, but it'll be my last one before it's time to go home! Thanks for being so sweet about my weird, inconsistent timing ;P

See you in Kyoto,

- Kinomi