Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter Twenty-One: Winter Break, Day Fifteen, New Years Day
Sasuke blinked when a loud beeping noise interrupted the very nice dream he'd been having about Naruto. He wiped his eyes and sighed as he sat up and stared at the tent in his comforter. Having a wet dream better mean he'd get a lot of sex the coming year. He turned off the alarm and was relieved to see that Naruto hadn't been woken. He gathered his clothes and shuffled to the bathroom, yawning.
He locked the door and grimaced when he flipped on the lights. He put his clothes on the counter and grabbed his towel and put it on the toilet lid and started the water. He stripped and hissed when his boxers rubbed against his erection on their way down. He glared down at his naked member and scowled at how it just seemed to smile back up at him. Stupid thing. He checked the water and pulled the faucet tab so that the water came out of the shower head. He stepped into the stream and shivered slightly as hot water ran down his sensitive cold flesh. He sighed and trailed a hand down his chest to his lonely member and started easing its pain.
When he was done showering, he brushed his teeth and got dressed. He grabbed a smaller towel for his hair and went to wake Naruto up. He shook the blonde's shoulder and only got a sleepy grumble. He poked the spine that was faced to him harshly and got a hiss and flailing hand. He smirked and crawled onto the bed and leaned over to Naruto's ear.
"Naru-kitty," He whispered, and smirked wider when the blonde stiffened. "It's time for your bath." He watched the light brown eyelashes separate to show the hiding blue skies.
"I'm a cat. I don't like water." Naruto mumbled.
Sasuke grinned and caught the tan ear lobe between his teeth. And bit down. Naruto yelped and shot up, away from Sasuke, cupping his ear.
Sasuke sat back and stared at the dobe. "Start liking water. Now." Naruto glared at him before he got up, got his clothes, and disappeared into the bathroom. Sasuke settled on Naruto's bed and smirked as he dried his hair. Revenge was nice.
Ten minutes later Naruto came back out, fully clothed in jeans and a shirt Sasuke had never seen before. It was white, with a faded red graphic of a sun on the bottom right with block beams of red sprouting off to the rest of the shirt. It was very Japanese New Year.
"Nice shirt."
"Thanks." Naruto glared at him mildly then yawned and grabbed a cup and the salt and cotton balls and gestured for Sasuke to follow. "I got it when I was sixteen at some fall sale, this will be the fourth year I've worn it for New Years."
Naruto mixed the water again and handed Sasuke a soaked cotton ball and put his own against his nose and sat on the toilet lid.
"So…anything else you want to do besides hatsuhinode and hatsumoude today?"
"Not that I can think of."
"Man, I so did not sleep enough last night." Naruto yawned. The barbell clicked against his teeth and Sasuke twitched.
"I slept fine. You were right about the alcohol making me sleepy."
Naruto nodded. "Baa-chan would get caught taking naps all the time at work because she'd drink just enough sake to get sleepy before she went."
"What does Tsunade do?"
"She's the head doctor at the hospital that's like twenty minutes away."
"Wow. Wait, she drank sake and then handled patients?" How irresponsible!
"She's good enough that it didn't matter." Naruto shrugged.
"Hn."
"Does your mom do anything but mope around the house?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke frowned. "She does not 'mope'. She does ikebana and things like that."
"Tch, typical Japanese house wife."
"I come from a very strict traditional household, remember?"
"Sucks for you and Itachi. I bet he would have turned out just fine like you if it weren't for your father."
Sasuke was speechless for a moment. Then, "You think I'm normal?"
"I bit randomly violent, but yeah."
"My acts of violence are never uncalled for."
"Then why the hell did you bite me like that, teme?!"
"It was revenge for attacking my ear and neck the other day."
"Alright. Besides holding weird pointless grudges, yeah. I think you're normal." Naruto smirked. And Sasuke frowned.
They were silent for a couple more minutes until Naruto pulled the cotton ball away and Sasuke mimicked him. Naruto rubbed under the stud almost boredly and tossed his ball away and grabbed his mouth wash and walked out of the bathroom, yawning again.
Sasuke made his bed and pocketed his phone, wallet, and keys. He watched Naruto stuff some water bottles and his mouth wash into his riding bag and grab his wallet and phone. He rose an eyebrow when Naruto paused, turned back, and dug in his drawer. He pulled out a few pieces of jewelry and attached them to their respectable holes in his ear. Hm. Sasuke hadn't seen his ear piercings yet. Two small glittery orange studs like the one in his nose were in the centers of his ear lobes, and a translucent orange bar ran from one hole to the next in his cartilage. So those were his three visible piercings. Naruto shot him a thumbs up and gestured for Sasuke to go first.
"Um, actually, can I borrow a jacket? Mine aren't very thick." Sasuke asked softly.
Naruto blinked. "Oh! I was totally about to forget my jacket! Thanks! Of course you can borrow one!" Naruto ran into their closet and searched for a jacket for Sasuke. "Black's fine with you, right?" Naruto teased.
Sasuke smirked. "Hn."
A large black hoodie came hurtling towards Sasuke. He caught it awkwardly and wormed his way into it. It was a size too big but it was certainly warm. And despite that he'd only seen Naruto wear a couple times, it smelled like the dobe. Naruto came out, pulling on a fleece and denim army green jacket. He draped his messenger bag over his shoulder and grinned at Sasuke.
"If you say I look cute, I'll pull your tongue piercing out." Sasuke warned with narrowed eyes.
Naruto bit his lip and chuckled. "Mean teme. I have earmuffs if you want them."
"No thanks."
"But they're black, too…No one will notice."
Sasuke considered. "…sure."
Naruto grabbed something from inside their closet and Sasuke was relieved to see they were the headband sort. Naruto wiggled them onto Sasuke's head and smiled. He kept his cute comments to himself wisely.
"Let's go! A new year is beginning!" Naruto led the way out the room, to the car, and to the shrine.
Sasuke looked up at the gate and felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. Naruto led him up the steps and to the small temple.
Sasuke paused when Naruto stopped.
"I'm not a Nazi." Naruto said, dead serious, in Japanese.
Sasuke looked at the blonde in surprise and followed his gaze to the side, where he saw an old man in a wheel chair glaring at Naruto, holding a Japanese lamp.
"Mitte o kudasai," Naruto said, still in the Asian language, and pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to the old man. "Boku wa Uzumaki Naruto desu. Kyoto de umaremashita. Natsi janai."
Sasuke almost died. He'd never heard the dobe talk so formally! "Boku"?? And Sasuke hadn't had any clue Naruto had been born in Kyoto!
"Oh! Father!" A woman in her mid thirties ran up to them and bowed to Naruto. "I'm so sorry you have to do this every year, Uzumaki kun! I don't know why he always forgets you!"
"It's fine, Kawaguchi san!" Naruto smiled brightly "I took care of it before he could ask!"
"Oh!" The woman took the paper from her father and handed it back to Naruto. Sasuke glimpsed it. A copy of Naruto's birth certificate. She laughed, a little nervously. "You're here awfully early! Usually you and your aunt get here mere moments before the sunrise!"
"Ah, but I didn't come with her this time. I'm in college now so I brought my roommate, it's his first new year away from the homeland." Naruto stepped back so the woman could see Sasuke better in the dim light of the Japanese lanterns and candles.
"Ah! Pleased to meet you! I'm the head of the Japanese Society and head miko at this shrine, Kawaguchi Alice!" She smiled and bowed.
"A pleasure as well, Kawaguchi san. I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Please treat me kindly." Sasuke bowed as well.
"So polite!" She glanced at Naruto. "Nothing like kinpatsu kun."
"Don't be mean to me, it's New Years!" Naruto protested.
"Gomen, gomen, old habits die hard."
"So why does your father think Naruto is a Nazi?"
The woman laughed nervously and shrugged. "I have no idea. Naruto's shown him his birth certificate every year since he was fifteen, but my father always confronts him. It's probably just because of how he looks."
The woman laid a hand on her father's shoulder and smiled down at him.
"How about you come away from the doors, tousan? We don't want you getting sick again." She moved to the back of the wheelchair and grasped the handles. "The tea should be ready in a few minutes. If you two want to stop by and get some, we'll be in the main room." She smiled and walked her father down the hallway.
Naruto grinned. "That old man scared the shit out of me when I came back from Germany, because sometimes I'd slip and say something in German, and he'd try to beat me with his cane." Naruto chuckled.
"I didn't know you were born in Kyoto."
"Huh? Oh, yeah…where were you born?"
"Tokyo."
"Of course." Naruto shook his head. "So, you wanna go pray, grab some tea, and wonder around?"
"Sure."
"It's this way." Naruto nodded to the side and led Sasuke behind the main building.
Sasuke smiled to himself and followed the bright blonde hair that shined in the dark.
:break:
Thirty minutes later Sasuke was standing on the other side of the shrine, staring at the horizon past the slowly waking city. He heard Naruto slid the door closed and a moment later the blonde was handing him a coffee cup full of tea. Sasuke nodded and took it like it was a real tea cup. Naruto shook his head and sipped his like coffee.
"It's beautiful." Naruto whispered. The air was crisp and clear and the sky was dark indigo violet, and the last of the stars were starting to fade.
"It always is." Sasuke sipped at his tea and felt warmed immediately. They stood there for twenty minutes in silence as more people joined them, talking quietly, watching the horizon as well.
"Ah, here it comes." Naruto whispered as the horizon lightened slightly. Everyone held their breath, and Sasuke smiled into the folds of his borrowed hoodie when he felt Naruto's strong hand attach itself to his own. He laced their fingers without a word, and just then the light of the sun spilled over the horizon and started washing everything in its golden glow. "Ake mashite omedetou gozaimasu, Sasu." Naruto whispered.
"Ake mashite omedetou gozaimasu, Naruto." Sasuke whispered back.
"Ake mashite omedetou gozaimasu!!" A small child cheered from the back of the crowd. Everyone chuckled and chanted back.
"For those who wish to join us, we're having ozoni and otoso for breakfast, along with a normal Japanese breakfast." Sasuke turned towards Kawaguchi san's voice and Naruto followed him, never letting go of the slender hand in his grasp.
:break:
"I think this has been the best New Year's I've ever had." Sasuke sighed contently against his tea.
Naruto glanced over and smiled. "I'm glad." Sasuke looked at the blonde, who was driving so Sasuke could enjoy his tea while it was still hot. "I'm going to stop by baa-chan's real quick, if that's okay?"
"Sure."
Naruto nodded and changed lanes. Sasuke grabbed his iPod and went through the lists for something suitable for his mood. He smirked and clicked it. Naruto froze in surprise and glanced again at the raven.
"You listen to Michael Jackson?"
Sasuke smiled teasingly. "You do too?"
"Well, yeah, the man's a musical genius! I didn't have you pegged for a 'Butterflies' kind of guy, though."
"You'd be surprised at how much of a romantic I can be." Sasuke murmured.
Naruto grinned. "I wouldn't say that." The blonde would consider waiting for the other to make a first move, and kissing said other while he was 'sleeping' was very romantic indeed. Silly teme. "Ah! She's not home!?" Naruto pulled up in front of an empty driveway.
"There's something on the door." Sasuke pointed out.
"Hm." Naruto undid his seat belt and exited the car to stalk up to the door. Sasuke watched in interest as Naruto glared at the paper and walked back to the car.
"What's it say?"
Naruto handed him the note and redid his seat belt and did a u-turn. Sasuke clutched his tea close and read the note.
'Dear Naru tan,
No doubt you think you can just swing by and say hello and that will make up for you not coming by on Christmas when you were apparently snowed in all day.
You seem to forget that I live twenty minutes from you. The weather is basically the same, and the snow was melted by mid afternoon. Therefore, I am gone. Don't try to find me, gaki
Ba-chan.'
The note was ended with a doodle of Tsunade sticking her tongue out and pulling her lower eyelid down.
"Nice."
"That old lady is so childish sometimes!" Naruto growled at the stoplight.
"Hn. Guess we know where you get it, then."
"Quiet, you."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the much tamer than usual request. "Let's go to a park."
Naruto glanced at him. "A park?"
"Yeah. It's supposed to snow in a couple hours. We can built a snow man."
Naruto grinned. "Can we make him anatomically correct?"
"Children will be around, you perv."
"So? The boys will get it, the girls will learn something." Naruto reasoned.
"I sort of hate it when you almost make sense."
"Cuz it makes you want to agree with me! Admit it!"
"I will not!"
"Heh, that's okay, I know it's true." Naruto chuckled. "Can we make a snow woman, then? If she's anatomically correct, no one would really care. Unless we put like grass at the bottom or something."
"You're so straight sometimes."
"Aw, you jealous?"
"As if."
"We could always make two snow men making out. Now that would fuck with the minds of the wee children."
"We could probably get arrested for that."
"What?! That would totally be discrimination against gays!" Naruto cried out in outrage.
"Let's just forget the whole thing."
"I'll stop talking."
"No, I forgot my gloves in my jacket back at the room, and I don't want to drive all the way back. Let's just pick up some stuff to eat later and hang out."
"…okay."
:break:
Sasuke tapped his fingers against the keys of his computer, bored now that Naruto had gone to the other dorm to visit Gaara and Lee and offer them their left over sushi from dinner. He set his laptop to the side and grabbed the book Sydney had bought him. He glanced at the door before he looked in the chapters list and turned to the section about sex, since he was hoping to get a lot this year.
He settled back in his pillow and started reading the drab and monotone explanation of how two men get intimate.
Half an hour later he jumped, surprised out of his enthralled reading when the door banged open loudly.
"TEME!!"
"What?!" Sasuke twitched at Naruto's volume and slipped the book back into its hiding place.
"Lookit!" Naruto entered the room and held up a miniature snowman. Sasuke blinked and stood up and approached him. "It's you!"
"I can see that, dobe." Sasuke stared at the snowman's spiky hair and large black eyes and frown. "Why don't you put him in the fridge? We'll take some pictures."
"Okay!"
Sasuke grabbed his camera from the top drawer and kneeled next to Naruto and focused the camera on the little snow Sasuke.
Naruto was grinning like an idiot as they went through the pictures, picking the best ones and deleting the rest. He laughed and stared at his little snow creation.
"He's cute! Not as cute as the real teme, though!" He said to himself.
Sasuke stared at the blonde from the corner of the eye and almost gasped when Naruto's body language changed completely and the blonde turned to stare at him intensely, thinking the raven was still looking at the camera. Sasuke suppressed a shudder at the look in those eyes. He couldn't tell if it was evil, contemplation, or just a more intense version of the flirty dark gazes.
Whatever it was, he got the feeling that those eyes were planning something.
Tsuzuku
Kinda short, but I also wrote it at three in the morning so...