Kakashi woke up with squinting eyes. The sunlight peeked through the curtains. His head was light and he tried to remember what had happened last night.

'Iruka...'

Kakashi could remember his scent and it lingered both in his mind and on the bedsheets. He remembered his comforting voice and his warm embrace. The jonin's heart and soul warmed at the thought. 'He's is just so...amazing'. For the first time in many years he had been cared for. He realised that he had been living alone for so long that he missed having someone in his life.

He slowly got up and looked around. Iruka was gone. On the desk near the window was a note.

To Kakashi,
Please excuse me. I had to go to work early in the morning. I assure you, I've cancelled the mission. I know your sharingan drains you of your chakra. I'll ask the Hokage, so please take the day off and rest.
Also, I made you some breakfast. You just have to heat it up. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything.

Thank you for the meal yesterday. I'm very grateful and I enjoyed it. It was very considerate of you. Perhaps in the next few days I could treat you to a meal as well.
I hope you get better soon. I'll make sure to keep in touch. :)

Kind Regards,
Iruka
(P.S: Sorry for barging into your house but I felt that you would be more comfortable here)

Kakashi read the letter a few times, smiling like a teenage girl who'd just received a love letter from her crush. And he had made him breakfast! Kakashi certainly couldn't ask anything of Iruka after he did that. He chuckled thinking about how cute he was and imagining the next time they would have dinner together.

But as he looked at the photo on his desk, his expression changed and he felt anxiety crushing his heart.

'Love...never works out for me...' he thought.

Naruto couldn't sleep without cuddling something. Since Sasuke had to share the pillows and and it was way too hot for the quilt, there was only one thing left for him to hug.

Unfortunately that something happened to be Sasuke.

The Uchiha woke up half dazed, wondering what kind of heavy thing was covering his right side. He looked over and was shocked to find Naruto with one arm over his chest and one leg overlapping him. He snored softly and was in a deep slumber. He was all over him and so Sasuke panicked. But he didn't want to wake him up so he forced himself to remain calm.

Sasuke looked at him. His messy blonde hair covered his forehead and his eyelashes gently overshadowed below his eyes. It was mesmerizing. 'Since when did he have good looks? I never noticed' he thought. Then he realized what he had just pondered about and felt slightly embarrassed.

Slowly he got out of bed untangling himself from Naruto without disturbing him. He stood up and stretched going to the window to draw the didn't bother waking Naruto up. After what happened yesterday it was best to let him sleep as much as possible.

When he drew the curtains he saw Kakashi, a few inches away from his window. He waved at Sasuke and said a cheery "Good morning", though it sounded as though he was really tired. Or perhaps that was just him being lazy. He wasn't even wearing his uniform jacket.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Well...I can see that Naruto isn't quite himself, so I cancelled tomorrow's mission" he said. "His chakra is just a little unstable. He should be fine right now but it's best to let him rest. Just to be safe it'll be your job to look after him. Feed him some nutritious food and take care of him. As for tomorrow's mission just come at the same time and place in the morning. And...that's all" he said.

Sasuke's one tomoe sharingan was not so powerful. Usually it wouldn't even appear in his eyes, though Sasuke could still observe things. He looked at Kakashi and asked "What about you? Your chakra seems to have been disturbed".

"Hey you're not the only one that's dealing with emotions in life" the silver haired Hatake replied in what seemed to be a sarcastic tone. "Alright then. Take of Naruto" he said, then disappeared in a whizz.*

Sasuke turned around and stared at Naruto. He sighed as he thought 'I have to take care of him? I guess...that would be fine. After what happened yesterday. I'd like to take care of him for as long as I can'

Just as he was thinking this he realised that the 'as long I can' could in fact be forever. 'I guess...this is what it's like...when you start caring for others and having emotions' he thought.

Sasuke ignored his thoughts and focused on his daily morning routine. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, swept the floor with a broom and made sure everything was tidy and neat. After that he proceeded to take a shower.

Just as he was putting on his clothes he heard a 'click click' at the door. He immediately panicked, remembering the events of last night and wondered 'Don't tell me he's trying to...'

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto called. Hearing his voice Sasuke was relieved.

"Can you hurry up? I really need to pee" he continued saying.

Sasuke huffed and quickly put on his clothes. He grabbed his used, wet towel and his clothes then opened the door.

Naruto has just woken up. His hair was a mess and he was rubbing his eyes and yawning. Sasuke's urge sprouted once more and he lifted his hand to ruffle the blond hair. "Do you ever comb your hair?" he asked.
Naruto hummed angrily with puffed cheeks and shook Sasuke's hand away. He'd just woken up and seemed to be in a bad mood.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile. 'Cute...' he thought. Then he stopped to consider what he had just thought. 'Brotherly thoughts maybe...' he concluded, thought he wasn't quite sure.

"Kakashi's cancelled today's mission. He said to stay with me for today in case you feel ill again. Go take a shower. There's an extra towel" Sasuke informed him.

"Really? Okay" Naruto mumbled. For some reason his head was light and dizzy. He felt slightly numb and was very tired even though he just woke up. Going home by himself now was just too much.

He slipped past Sasuke to go inside the bathroom.

Sasuke kept himself busy by making the bed and preparing the ingredients for breakfast. He didn't have a lot. He realised he would have to go buy some groceries. Despite this he would still be able to make some rice, beans and spinach.^

"Hey Sasuke! I'm gonna borrow one of your shirts okay? My one's torn" Naruto suddenly called from the bedroom.
"Alright, just don't mess up my stack of clothes" said Sasuke.
"Yeah yeah, whatever" Naruto mumbled.

Naruto then went to the bathroom. He began taking a shower and cleaning himself up. He hastily brushed his teeth and used a dry, spare towel that Sasuke had left him.

As he exited the bathroom, the delicious smell of food reached his nose. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten last night. His mouth watered and he hummed in anticipation. It was the first time that he felt this way. Having someone make you food as you wake up was something he had never experienced before.

Sasuke was almost done and looked over from where he was working. He saw Naruto and chuckled.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Naruto asked. "Nothing, dobe" Sasuke replied with a slight smile on his face. "You should've chosen a better shirt" he added. Seeing Naruto wear his shirt he felt...delighted...?...The turquoise shirt was just a bit too long for him and Sasuke couldn't help but think 'He's wearing my shirt...'

"Hmph. It's not like you have anything else that I like" said Naruto. "You have a lot of black and blue. I mostly wear orange and yellow. It's not just you that's boring but your taste in everything else as well".

"Shut up usuratonkachi" Sasuke said. As he looked at Naruto he realised that he hadn't properly dried his hair. "Oi, dobe. Dry your hair properly" he said.

"Huh? But I can't dry it more than this" said Naruto.
"Yes you can" said Sasuke.
"No I can't!" argued Naruto.
The two bickered for quite a while, calling each other stupid nicknames and saying pointless things.

Finally Sasuke couldn't stand it and clicked his tongue. He quickly finished what he was doing and walked over. He pointed to the sofa. "Sit" he ordered.

"Huh? Why?" Naruto asked.
"Just do it" Sasuke said impatiently.

"Ok..." Naruto obliged and sat down. Sasuke grabbed the towel Naruto had and began drying his hair with it.

"Hey! Go a little slower will ya!" Naruto complained.
"Shut it, dobe" Sasuke said and pushed harder into scrubbing his head. "This is what you're supposed to do"

Naruto scoffed. "No one ever told me what I supposed do" he said in a sad tone.

Sasuke stopped abruptly but continued almost immediately. He wasn't surprised. The two of them didn't have to exchange any words to know about each other. They both knew that the other lived alone, barely had friends and always struggled with the allowance.

Due to the uneasy relationship between the Konoha and the neighbouring lands, as well as the other four great nations, allowances for orphaned children and salary for shinobi was lowering. The two boys could barely make it through the week, spending mostly on food and ninja tools. There was never enough to buy a few extra clothes or for snacks.

Thinking about this, both could not help but feel the overwhelming anxiety of having to live in such a society. They were shunned and looked down upon. Most of the villagers hated them for something that they could not help with.

What's more, yesterday Sasuke had seen what those men were trying to do to Naruto. Similar things happened to Sasuke when he was young. Now he could defend himself. But...that wasn't the case when he was outnumbered. And he felt that Naruto went through this as well.

Sorrow crept into Sasuke's heart. Having to go through something like that was not easy. And who would have the courage to tell someone of something like that? It was something you kept to yourself. The more it happened the more miserable one would feel. Bottling up those emotions seemed to poison the mind even more.

Sasuke put the towel aside and sighed. 'Just this once...' his heart seemed to beg to him.

Suddenly Naruto felt Sasuke's slender arms around his neck. The Uchiha rested his head on his right shoulder. Naruto flinched and opened his mouth to speak but kept it shut instead. In that moment he suddenly felt so calm...and so tranquil. He smiled and rested his head on Sasuke's head.

Sasuke on the other hand just did what he did. He took a deep breath and noticed Naruto's scent. Even when he felt Naruto rest against his head he didn't say anything.

The two didn't exchange any words. But they both understood each other. They were both alone, with Naruto needing the sensation of being taken care. of whereas Sasuke, needed to feel the presence of having someone else in his home.

"Hey Sasuke" Naruto broke the silence. He continued after Sasuke stayed silent, indicating for him to continue.

"What does it feel like...when you have a family that loves you?" he said his voice cracking with every word.

Sasuke heart was torn. His family...it was something he cherished so much. Thinking about how he felt back in the day when he had his family, always comforted him. But this boy...he didn't even have that.

"When you have a family...you won't feel afraid. You know that they'll always be on your side, to support you. You can share your worries with them and they'll listen. When you achieve something great they'll congratulate you and tell you how proud they are. At home you worry less about cooking food, having to do the dishes or leaving the stove on. There's a sense of security, and peace." Sasuke said.

"Sounds nice" said Naruto.

There was a moment of silence before Naruto spoke again. "Thanks. No one's ever- I mean I just couldn't ask anyone".

Sasuke with his arms around Naruto's neck and his head on his shoulder didn't realise he tightened his hold on Naruto.

"Hey" Naruto said softly. "Let's not get depressed. I'm pretty sure we do that all the time. Why don't you finish making food? I'm really hungry" he said cheekily. Right on cue his stomach grumbled loudly.

Sasuke lifted his head and chuckled. He just felt so...fulfilled, having someone in his home.

He stood up and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Take this towel and dry it in the sun. Make sure to spread it out. Those bandages you threw in the bathroom, gather them and throw in the bin. Once you're done sit down for breakfast" Sasuke instructed.

"Alright" Naruto said. As Sasuke was about to go Naruto called to him "Hey"

Sasuke turned around and looked at him. He was standing behind him nervously and he seemed to be trying to say something. "What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Just that...I mean we're both alone and you've dealt with what I've dealt with" he said in a low voice. "So...I was thinking, we could stay by each other's side ya know?" he mumbled looking at Sasuke shyly.

Sasuke looked at him as he said those words and suddenly his heat warmed. It was such an amazing feeling that Sasuke wondered if he was in a genjutsu. Of course he wasn't so he answered without realising he was smiling.

"Fine. I'll stay by your side. I'll protect you and I'll share what I can. I'll make sure that we're never alone and I won't let anyone humiliate you in such a way. I promise" he said, wondering how in the world those words came out of his mouth.

Regardless he didn't regret it when Naruto came up to him and suddenly hugged him.

"And I promise I'll do the same. Thanks." Naruto said. He felt so comfortable being in Sasuke's arms. He wondered why he felt like this and concluded that it was just his first time being with someone.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto, his body completely ignoring his mind He felt his heart beating a bit to fast and his mind going completely blank.

They let go of each other. Sasuke suddenly felt awkward all of a sudden. He gulped as he thought 'This...feels different. Like...like...'

'Like what?' he thought.

"Alright. I'm gonna do what I have to do. You finish making breakfast. I'm really hungry so I'll be eating a lot. Be sure to have a ton of food" he called out from the balcony with a dazzling smile on his face.

It was then that the other side of his mind whispered...

'Love'

{*Note: About the whizz thing. I don't know how to describe this. But you know, its disappearing in the shinobi style}

{^Also: I don't know exactly what Japanese people eat. If you have any suggestions PLEASE do comment. But I am Asian sooo I think rice, beans and spinach are things we all eat. Am I right or what? I'm from South Asia which has a completely different diet from Japan and similar countries. I'm sorry but I'll try my best.