"There aren't even any fireflies out here..." Little Sasuke mumbled kicking a stone into the koi pond. He stared into its dark depths for a moment before he shut his eyes. This was stupid. Naruto was stupid. He turned back towards the house. He stuck his hands into his pockets. "...let's go back."
Mini Naruto frowned at his friend. No. Not yet. Sasuke still seemed really down. He thought the fresh air and a little mindless treasure hunt for some cool bugs would lift his mood, but his plan wasn't working. He dropped the rock he was holding and rushed in front of his friend. He stretched out his arms and blocked his way. "Uh, uh! They're out here! They're just hiding!"
"What?" Sasuke squinted at the blonde in a mixture of annoyance and exasperation, head tilting to the side. "You loser," Sasuke leaned forwards toward Naruto. "Fireflies don't hide. They glow in the dark. It's impossible for them to disappear at night for more than a blink." He leaned forwards to brush past Naruto shutting his eyes as he went. "Obviously, there are no tiny twinkling lights whizzing around right now."
"Maybe your crap mood is what's keeping them away." Naruto insisted, raising his chin.
"Whatever." Sasuke replied, back still turned, still walking away, once again not taking the bait for a fight. "I'm going back inside."
"What?" Naruto felt that same hurt he felt sitting at the table. His eyebrows crumpled in concern. "Your quitting? That's so not cool." Even more so it was so not like Sasuke. Why was he acting so put off? Naruto didn't understand it. "Cmon, Sasuke...I know you're more fun than that."
"You don't know anything about me!" Sasuke rounded on him, nose scrunched as he snarled in anger. "Back off!"
Naruto's lower lip quivered, so he pressed it tightly up against his top lip. Hurt was swimming in the ocean blue of his eyes. But there were no signs of tears. The hurt he felt wasn't for himself. The jinchuuriki was used to getting yelled at. Was used to all the evil glances the adults gave. That look in Sasuke's eyes, that anger in his tone, Naruto knew it wasn't for him. Not really. And also, the look that Sasuke was giving him...it wasn't like the villagers gaze at all. There was something else there. Something that Naruto couldn't rightly name.
He didn't remember the right word for it. Maybe there wasn't even a word that could describe it fully. But...he felt it before. He felt it when he would stand in the village center and people would walk around him clustered in small groups. He felt it when Sakura and Ino would whisper something and he wouldn't be allowed to hear. Like the feeling of being alone even though there are a bunch of people with you.
"Tch." Sasuke stubbornly looked to the side, away from the blonde's saddened face. He couldn't bear the sight. He looked like a kicked kitten. Sasuke hadn't meant to snap. The words that were used were just so much like that of the blonde's older self, that hearing them again, now, when he and his own older self had been wrong about everyone noticing his pain and caring about him...it was too much.
Sasuke's shoulders sagged as he turned around towards the door again. The dewy grass cold against his bare feet. "Let's just go. Dinners gonna get cold."
"So what?" Mini Naruto challenged hands balling into tiny fists. His upper torso twisted. Blue eyes peered at the retreating crested back. "It's not like you were eating it."
Tiny Sasuke froze. His obsidian eyes widened imperceptibly. Naruto had noticed that? His finger curled up ghosting against the edge of the bandage ribbon. The tiny burst of pain scared away the majority of his fear at being caught. Though the nursling Uchiha was still very aware of his heart quickening in his chest. "I...I was about to before you tugged me out here..."
"Yeah?" Naruto challenged once more eyes narrowing at Sasuke.
"Y-Yeah..." Sasuke replied, swallowing an uneasy breath.
"I think you're lying."
"Well...I think...you're stupid..." Sasuke struggled for a real comeback as he was in fact lying. Trouble was...Sasuke was typically a pretty honest soul unlike his elder brother. Fortunately, with how often Itachi tried to pull the wool over his eyes...Sasuke knew sprinkling in a little truth would help his deceit. "...you have to mix the rice and everything in the sauce first so the taste of the veggies gets masked and it's um better. We should get back inside, and you can try it. It's good."
"It's um crap!" Naruto replied, he stepped forwards and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. "Why aren't you-"
"Ah!" Sasuke's hiss of pain cut off Naruto's words.
The little blonde's eyebrows shot up. "You are hurt..."
"You idiot, I'm fine!" Sasuke shoved at his shoulder with his free hand. Not that Naruto was letting go or that Sasuke was putting any real effort into shoving him away.
"You aren't."
"So what?" Sasuke bit out with a growl. "What do you care?"
"I..." Naruto searched his heart for a response. "...I'm your friend."
"I never asked you to be." Came Sasuke's stubborn reply.
"Yeah, but..." Naruto's grip slowly slid from his wrist to Sasuke's hand. "... you didn't have to. You're super cool, Sasuke. I really like you. You're an awesome friend to have. Your kind of a bastard a lot of the time, but that's okay. Else you wouldn't really be you, you know?"
Sasuke grit his teeth. Even though his eyes flicked away, his fingers curled around Naruto's hand accepting and reciprocating the hold. Sasuke had caught Naruto's fist in his hand loads of times, they often got paired up during classroom spars, but holding the other boys palm in his own like this felt different than that. There was that same electric feeling shooting through him like with every spar but it was more than a mere tingle. He always thought when their hands connected that was pain...but this wasn't that. It was warm, and...and strangely securing. Which was weird and yet, not because it seemed kind of right to Sasuke. Not that Sasuke got why. It was Naruto afterall. It felt like he had fallen live wires dancing around in his stomach. As if some electrified fire breathing dragon had decided to nest in his chest and do a tap dance to his heartbeat. Certainly that dragon had to be the reason for the spark of heat he felt inside him as well as the heartbeat he heard in his head.
"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Naruto asked slowly. He didn't know what possessed him to hold Sasuke's hand like this. He wasn't even sure why he was still holding on, but he was and really Naruto didn't want to let go. Sasuke didn't seem to mind it. He would say something or push him away if he did. Naruto, he didn't get to touch a lot of people. Not all soft like this. Not without getting smacked or punched or something in retaliation. For some reason Sasuke seemed to be worth that risk.
"There's nothing to tell." Sasuke denied. "I just..." Sasuke awkwardly slid his hand back due to their palms growing sweaty in the summer heat. The tingle followed his hand as it clutched at one of his long sleeves. "I just had a lot of bad things happen today."
"That's why you're not eating? Cause of bad things?"
"More or less..." Sasuke shrugged. "...I don't expect a loser like you to understand."
"I get it." Naruto protested. "I don't like eating when I'm sad either, but I'm usually eating ramen so that cheers me up enough to scoff it down most days." Naruto beamed.
"Hmph." Sasuke's lips quirked up minutely. "Of course you do."
"That still doesn't explain this though..." Naruto tugged at the ribbon poking from Sasuke's sleeve.
"It's part of my kunai resistance training...it's nothing...don't worry."
"Huh." Naruto peered around Sasuke in surprise.
"What?" Sasuke looked at him in confusion. Wondering if Naruto was going to call his bluff again.
Naruto slung an arm around the Uchiha's neck.
He spun Sasuke around to face the back door his mother and brother were setting up a picnic of sorts on the back porch. Their older selves assisting. "I think dinners coming outside to us!"
"Oh." There was a beat of silence from Sasuke. "Cool."
He still wasn't in the mood to eat anything.
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Aaand that's where this chapter ends guys! Next chapter is consoling little Sassy. Baby needs an apology from his fam. Though little Naru gave it a good shot he's not too good at his talk no jutsu yet but props to him for trying. Anywho I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one! I'd love to hear what you thought of it so don't be scared to leave a comment!
Also if you have any extra time here are some more questions!
1. What are your thoughts on how I'm portraying the characters? Am I doing okay? Or no? Be honest. If my characterization is getting sucky I want to know so I can fix it if any of them need fixing and I honestly can't tell if it's tilting one way or the other on my own.
2. Follow up question, are there any words, actions, or phrases that I use in this story that you think the characters wouldn't say or do? Cause I just recently read a Sasunaru fic where the fic Sasuke said something he wouldn't really say in my opinion and it just totally turned me off to the fic. So like any turn offs so far?
3. Do you have any Sasunaru fics that you'd recommend reading? Any faves? I'm sick of searching and clicking on fics and them being a let down. I'm betting you all know a good one or two I can binge when my brain just wants to get lost in a good fic instead of trying to create my own. So like pls guys help a starving sasunaru fangirl out.
4. I've got another sasunaru sexy time chapter coming up real soon. I'm indecisive on the exact location. So help me out and Pick a desk. Choices are: Fugaku's. Itachi's. Little Sasuke's. The third hokage's, or Iruka's teacher desk.
