Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!
Summary: COMPLETE (new chapter up everyday - total of 35 chapters!). Sasuke's a writer whose been writing the same words for years. He's tired, he's annoyed, and his money situation is...pretty messed up, even by student standards. Enter Naruto. Modern AU (College/University), Sasunaru/Narusasu. Posted for Sasuke's birthday!
A/N: Ahhhhhhh, here we go, friends. Here we go.
Enter Naruto
Chapter 21: Calm
The next day, Sasuke was back in his apartment. He hadn't wanted to leave—he really hadn't. But he was afraid that if he hadn't left today, he might have stayed forever.
Besides, his present for Naruto was still here.
He grabbed his broom and dustpan. Somehow, the mess he'd made didn't look quite as bad as he'd remembered. The apartment looked a little brighter, too—less like the dull, dreary place it always seemed to be. And a few days away from Naruto, well, that really wasn't so bad, was it?
Naruto stared at his phone in horror.
10 missed calls. 10 missed calls from Sasuke.
He shoved the door to his room shut. This really didn't look good.
"Naruto."
"Sasuke? What the hell—is everything okay?"
"Naruto—what did you get for your parents?"
"What—huh?"
"For Christmas. I'm going to be there." There was a shuffle. "Do they need kitchen supplies?"
Naruto let out a surprised laugh.
"Sasuke—you don't need to get my parents anything. Did you get your parents anything?"
There was a pause.
"That's not the same."
Naruto shuffled on the spot. He was always so nervous about bringing Sasuke's parents up.
"Okay. When are you going to see them, anyways?"
"I'm only seeing my mother. It's the 24th."
Naruto paused, eyebrows furrowing.
"But I thought—aren't you coming here?"
"Yes." There was another shuffle on the other end. "How about a movie?"
"No—Iruka has no impulse control with movies. We have everything. Um," he tried to think, "do you want me to just put your name on what I got for them? Like it's from both of us?"
There was another pause. He heard Sasuke let out a breath.
"Would that be okay?"
"Of course it would be. Is that why you called?"
"…Yeah."
Naruto grinned.
"Where are you right now?"
"…The mall."
"The mall?! You went all the way to the mall?!"
"I took the bus," Sasuke defended.
Naruto laughed.
"What did you get for your parents?" Sasuke asked after a moment.
Naruto surreptitiously peered out into the hall before answering.
"Iruka's been going on about this new sewing machine for ages, but he kept saying he doesn't sew enough to get one. I know he really wants it though—Kakashi and I bundled for it, but I also got a ton of fabrics as stuff. I could put your name on those? And then I got Kakashi his favourite book series right now—it finally finished, so they were selling it all fancy in a box set. He has all the books anyways, but this one has a special author's note at the start."
"It'll be pretty obvious that the presents are from you." He could practically hear Sasuke's frown.
"Sasuke," Naruto said seriously, "I guarantee you they will not care."
"Mm." Sasuke didn't sound convinced.
"Okay—well—what about an ornament or something?"
"An ornament?"
"Yeah, for our tree. It's something small and you can make it as personal or impersonal as you want."
Sasuke seemed to mull over the idea.
"Okay?"
"…Alright."
It was ironic. Usually, time moved the slowest when Sasuke was on break from school—when he had nothing else to distract him, the days seem to drag on for ages. But the one time he actually wanted his break to last longer, it seemed to fly by.
And now, it was Christmas Eve. He was going to see his mother today. For the first time in two years. For the first time since she...since his father…
He shook his head.
Revisiting that fight—the resentment and bitterness that went along with it—was not a good idea right now.
He felt Naruto's touch on his arm. He knew he must look like a nervous wreck.
"Want to go for a walk?" Naruto asked gently.
Well, it was better than sitting here, waiting.
He nodded.
"C'mere, teme," Naruto grabbed his arm, pulling him until they were holding hands, "how much time do we have?"
"A couple of hours." He studiously ignored the knots in his stomach.
"A couple of hours," Naruto repeated. "Okay. This way."
He pulled Sasuke forwards, leading him down the street. Sasuke breathed out slowly, the steam evaporating into the cold winter air. Something about it seemed to clear his head, if only a little.
He hadn't really gotten a chance to appreciate how much quieter this area was than anywhere near the university. The houses were few and far inbetween, and each front garden seemed to be competing to be the most colourful...there was no one else on the street, and barely any cars to avoid...
"So when I was little," Naruto started, "like—after Iruka and Kakashi adopted me, and we got the house, I had three favourite places."
He grinned, tilting his head back to look at Sasuke.
"One of them was the ramen shop."
Sasuke snorted.
"It's called Ichiraku's. I know the owner and everything." He squeezed Sasuke's hand. "We have to go sometime. It's been too long since I've been there."
"What, a day?"
Naruto laughed.
"Nearly a week. It's too long!"
Sasuke fought a smile.
"You're such a moron."
Naruto rolled his eyes, but his grin only grew wider.
"The other place..." he paused for a moment before looking back at Sasuke, "so that road?" He pointed down the path. "It leads to the school I went to."
"Is that where we're going?"
"Nah, not today. I'll show you it later—but it had this swing set in the yard that I liked. I went there sometimes. Just to think, y'know?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Come this way." Naruto turned off the path, letting go of Sasuke's hand as he proceeded to go...into the woods.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Relax," he grinned, "it's like an unofficial trail. C'mon."
He gestured forwards, before heading up the hill. Sasuke grimaced, but followed suit.
The 'trail' was awfully steep—and awfully thin. There wasn't enough room to walk beside Naruto, but he stuck close behind. The blonde was actually being decently careful about not letting the branches swing back at him.
"Almost there," Naruto called back.
Sasuke grunted in response, wishing he had worn any shoes other than the ones he was currently wearing. The grip was terrible, and they hardly provided protection against the snow. He tried to not make his heavy breathing too obvious, but it was getting harder and harder to hide—
"Here," Naruto breathed. He grinned back at Sasuke and held out his hand.
Sasuke took it, and let himself be pulled forwards into—what looked like a field.
A field that ended rather abruptly.
"I hope you don't mind heights," Naruto laughed, panting a little. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one that was winded from the climb.
Sasuke preferred to keep a healthy distance from edges where you could fall to your death.
Naruto, apparently, had no such qualms.
"Come on," Naruto pulled him forwards, "just a little."
Sasuke followed him, reluctantly. He felt much better when Naruto brushed the snow off a couple of the boulders with his sleeve before pulling him to sit down.
"Isn't it great?" Naruto beamed, looking out over the view.
Sasuke blinked, and looked out past the cliff's edge. He hadn't appreciated it the first time he'd looked out, but it was…beautiful. Sasuke sucked in a breath, looking over the rooftops—the snow they had gotten this morning had dusted the town just enough to really make it glisten.
"You can see everything from here," Naruto said. "There's the school—the one I went to."
Sasuke scanned the buildings, searching for one that looked like a school—
"…The one with the flat roof?"
"Yup," Naruto squinted, "I think you can even see the swings from here. Look—see that tree?"
Sasuke nodded.
"They're right there, underneath it. And—look, you can see my house, too."
Sasuke smiled a little. If he squinted, he could actually pick out Kakashi's car in the driveway.
"I'm gonna drag you back here in the summer," Naruto said, sighing happily. "It looks totally different."
There was a pause. The certainty in Naruto's voice—it hit Sasuke harder than it should have. He stared at the blonde—his serene smile, windswept hair, cheeks rosy from the cold—
He breathed in.
This feeling—this calm, this strength—this was what he needed today.
"Naruto."
"Hm?"
"Come with me."
Naruto blinked.
"Like—to meet your mom?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Sure," Naruto beamed, "of course I'll come."
Something in Sasuke's shoulders uncoiled, and he looked back out at the view.
Maybe today would be just fine.
"Itachi," he greeted, opening the door.
"Sasuke," his brother responded, glancing behind him briefly, "Naruto."
"Hey Itachi. How's it going?"
"Just fine, thank you," he muttered—obviously automatically—before turning back to Sasuke. "Shall we?"
Sasuke sighed, resisting the urge to say no.
"Oh, are you leaving already?"
Iruka shuffled into the hallway, spotting Itachi.
"Ah, you must be Sasuke's brother!" He gave him a warm smile and reached out a hand—Itachi shook it stiffly. "It's nice to meet you; I'm Naruto's dad."
"One of them!" A voice called down the hall.
Naruto snickered and Iruka smiled sheepishly.
"One of them," he corrected. "Did you need a ride back here? When will you be home?"
"Uh," Naruto answered, turning to Sasuke in question. Sasuke had no idea.
"I have no idea," he answered honestly.
There was a pause.
"…Is Naruto coming with us?" Itachi asked.
"Yes," he answered immediately, before Naruto had the chance to say something stupid—like something that would end up with Sasuke going alone—
Itachi looked surprised—well, his blink lasted just a moment longer than it needed to, and then he eyed Naruto with a speculating gaze. It made Sasuke uneasy.
"Come on, usuratonkachi," he muttered, grabbing Naruto's hand and pushing past the doorway.
"Ah—okay," Naruto pulled on a hat, turning to Iruka with a quick, "I'll text you, okay?"
"Okay." Iruka squeezed Naruto's shoulder, and Sasuke had to glance away. He waited until Naruto closed the door before he looked up again.
"Alright," Naruto gave them a tight nod, hand squeezing Sasuke's, "let's do this thing."
It wasn't all that surprising.
Itachi tilted the wheel just so, turning smoothly as the GPS instructed him to. His eyes flickered up to his rearview mirror.
His brother caught Naruto's eye—looking up from his phone—and rolled his eyes, turning to look out the window. Something about that was obviously a signal to the blonde.
Naruto shifted a little closer, resting his fingers on the back of Sasuke's hand, and the creases in Sasuke's face seemed to soften just a little.
No, it wasn't all that surprising.
The light turned green, and Itachi continued to drive.
Maybe it was a bit faster than expected—and while Itachi wasn't necessarily surprised by Sasuke's orientation, he had expected more of a…build up to it.
Then again, Sasuke had always been good at keeping things quiet.
He bit down on the sadness at the thought—Sasuke's need for privacy was a consequence of their childhood, he knew. He was the same; it was nothing personal. And, really, Sasuke had proven to trust Itachi far more than he had ever expected over the past few years…but, still…
He looked up into the rearview mirror again—this time, his brother seemed to sense his stare. Their eyes met—and there was a moment where Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then back to Itachi, before he turned back towards the window.
His fingers intertwined with Naruto's.
Itachi let out the breath he hadn't know he was holding, feeling some sort of warmth settle in his chest. It seemed today had been a bit of a test for himself, as well. He wondered if Naruto and Sasuke had planned it—or if Naruto had just known that his brother would need something to settle his nerves.
He flicked his turn signal, smoothly changing lanes in preparation for the coming turn.
He had to admit that Sasuke had certainly changed, recently. His once bitter, volatile brother had been growing…calmer. Happier. More open—both to listening, and to speaking up for himself. Unless, of course, it was Naruto speaking up for him.
He smiled a little, as he remembered Naruto chasing after him outside of Sasuke's apartment.
It was good that Sasuke had someone to look out for him. A bit of a relief, really; Itachi had always hoped Sasuke would find a good friend—but in spite of the way he seemed to attract the attention of others, no one had yet managed to hold his. It was part of the reason he had been so surprised to see someone else at his apartment—which had been a first, for all his time visiting Sasuke. He couldn't even remember Sasuke inviting anyone home during high school. And then the easy camaraderie they had seemed to have…well, Itachi had definitely felt as if he was missing something.
He supposed it all made sense, now.
And the fact that he had brought Naruto along today spoke volumes—not to mention the fact that he had picked him up at Naruto's family house. On Christmas Eve, just as well—and, presumably, they would be returning there tonight.
He stifled a sigh as his mood dampened.
He wondered where he would end up spending this night.
"We're here." Itachi's voice came far too soon. Naruto felt his nerves instantly spike—with how twisted his own stomach was getting, he could only imagine how Sasuke felt.
He squeezed his hand again. Sasuke threw him a tight, bland smile—if it could be called that—and then moved out of the car.
Naruto looked up at the house…well, mansion. There was no point in making it sound anything less than it was. It was pretty damn huge. It hit Naruto, harder than it ever had before, just how unreasonably loaded Sasuke's parents had to be, and he felt his insides start to heat up.
He took in a deep breath, trying to control his anger. It wasn't his place to be angry at Sasuke's parents.
Well, not yet, anyways. He'd see how the night went.
Sasuke was infinitely grateful that Itachi took the lead. He wasn't sure he would have the will to open the door, if left to his own devices.
Naruto squeezed his forearm for a moment. Sasuke glanced at him.
Then again, he supposed he wouldn't really have been on his own.
Itachi pressed the doorbell. Sasuke let out a breath, looking around. The house seemed…smaller than he remembered. A bit less well-kept.
Maybe he was just more critical now.
The door clicked open, and Sasuke closed his eyes.
"Itachi!"
"Hello, mother."
Sasuke's mom had kind eyes, Naruto noticed. He also noticed how they dimmed as they turned from Itachi to Sasuke, and how she seemed to pause mid-step—as if holding herself back from moving closer to her younger son.
"Sasuke." Her voice was quiet. Naruto thought he might have heard it shake, but it was impossible to tell.
Sasuke nodded. To his credit, he did an incredible job of remaining impassive—but Naruto saw him swallow, saw his hands twitch as if they wanted to curl into a fist…Naruto had to hold himself back from holding Sasuke's hand. Itachi was one thing, but there were a lot of things Sasuke needed to work out with his mom before they got to their relationship.
Sasuke's mom—who was looking directly at him.
"Uh," he said, very wisely.
"This is Naruto," Itachi said. "May we come in?"
Naruto gave her a little wave. Honestly, he wasn't sure what else to do.
"Ah, of course." She quickly moved aside.
They stepped through the entrance, and Naruto's stomach dropped to the floor.
A/N: If you got Long Enough vibes during the hiking up the mountain/looking out over the view scene, it's because I had just finished writing this one when I wrote that fic. So I don't blame you!
And I'm so excited! We're in the 20s! So much happens now! Aahhh
See you tomorrow,
- Kinomi