So, another chapter, this one courtesy of Éva who is currently visiting me. Which is very nice because she gives me puppy eyes so that I write a lot. I know you like it when the chapters are long but you don't understand. For every 100th page I switch to a new word document bc it's too much trouble otherwise, and as of 24 chapters I am now halfway through my third document with the ending nowhere near in sight. See my problem? Probably not. But at this rate, this story is going to be so long that I don't even want to think about it...
Yet, thinking about the future chapters is all I do. Ahem. Speaking of which, I know you're all dying for them to finally kiss. It's not too far away now... but before I update again I need to write an ItachixShisui smutty oneshot plus the final chapter for Delicious in time for Sasuke's birthday (one week from now). Isn't it terrible.
Oh, but if anyone's interested, I'll try to also write a smutty oneshot with a SasukexNarutoxCharasuke threesome sometime.
And I entered the smash fanfic competition! You should totally go read the entries and vote for me:D I can't include links on stupid ff though, so you can find it on ao3 and on my tumblr... or just send me a message and I'll give it to you:)
Chapter 24: Get the hint part I
xxx
Sasuke got dressed, then ventured down into the kitchen. Charasuke was already there, having entered through the front door after Itachi had gone out to see what the ruckus was all about. He didn't miss the quick glance Charasuke sent his clothes, though there was apparently nothing to comment on. He'd picked identical green pants as the ones his counterpart seemed so fond of, finding them surprisingly comfortable, and a long-sleeved white t-shirt that felt soft enough to sleep in.
"Had a nice shower?" Itachi asked, cutting a tomato in neat pieces, wearing Mikoto's frilly apron over his training clothes.
"Sure," he replied, sitting down by the end of the table, next to Charasuke.
His alter ego was fiddling with a napkin, tearing it into tiny little parts that created a pile of fluffy white paper. He looked calm apart from his quickly moving fingers.
"I hope you don't mind vegetable soup," Itachi continued, moving from the tomatoes for a few seconds to stir what had to be the soup. "I picked up a couple of gyoza on my way home, too. The lady selling them told me the recipe is the same as Ryouga-sensei uses, so I had to try them."
Charasuke snorted, rolling his eyes when Sasuke sent him a questioning look.
"Itachi and Shisui are obsessed with this cooking show, and Ryouga-sensei is the judge. He's famous for using ninja techniques while cooking."
"Really." Sasuke wasn't sure what to think of that, but couldn't exactly feel bothered to care.
"Don't look down on Ryouga-sensei," Itachi berated them, pointing at Charasuke with his cutting knife. "I've been to one of his restaurants, and you wouldn't talk like that if you had been, too."
"Yeah, whatever," Charasuke muttered, continuing with destroying his napkin piece by piece.
The rest of lunch –or maybe it was more like an early dinner– passed without incident, and Sasuke was surprised to find himself almost starving. He ate more than the other two did together, letting out a pleased sigh once he'd finished. He hoped that when Orochimaru said he'd get an increased appetite he didn't mean it would be this bad, because then his grocery bill would skyrocket. It was already high enough with Naruto eating half of everything.
Itachi and Charasuke bickered a bit, and the issue of who would do the dishes might have escalated into something worse if Sasuke hadn't quietly stepped in and taken the task upon himself. He was used to doing chores, after all, and it had felt weird to not help out until now. The oldest Uchiha left with a pat on Charasuke's head and a mumbled excuse of needing to shower in time for something, and for a while the kitchen was silent save for the water sloshing around the dishes and the clinking noises of Charasuke drying and placing them back in their respective places.
When the doorbell rang, Charasuke didn't even pretend he wasn't happy about the distraction from cleaning up. Sasuke could hear murmured voices coming from the hallway, then light footsteps following his counterpart's back to the kitchen.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Sakura said cheerfully, sliding into a seat and smiling at him. "It's nice to see you're feeling better. You should have seen the look on Naruto's face when you collapsed, I wasn't sure if he was going over to help you or to kill you!"
She giggled, her short hair pulled back from her face with a red diadem. Most likely she was off duty today, since her clothes looked casual too. He'd noticed that people were less meticulous about wearing forehead protectors here, and no one had commented on the fact that he and Naruto weren't wearing any. Charasuke had taken his off as well, leaving it on the table.
"It was probably a bit of both," he replied with a shrug, giving Charasuke a pointed look and holding the plate out for him to take.
"Ugh, I hate this," Charasuke complained, but dutifully picked up the discarded towel again and set to work.
"If you think whining will make me help out, you're wrong," Sakura sang, looking rather pleased with herself as she sat with one elbow resting on the table and a clear view of their backsides. "Besides, I think I'll just sit here and enjoy the view."
"You're not even attracted to me," Charasuke argued, pouting a little as if that thought insulted him.
"Oh, I'm just relishing in knowing how incredibly jealous certain people would be if they knew."
Charasuke's face took on a pained look as he half turned towards her, pausing in his drying.
"You're a terrible person," he accused, then a grin broke through and he joined Sakura in laughter, as if they were sharing some sort of inside joke that Sasuke couldn't begin to guess. "I guess my butt is just that pretty," he added, wiggling it a bit as Sakura's laughter increased in volume.
Sasuke was starting to feel uncomfortable. It was with a slight sense of relief that he noticed there was only one glass left to clean, and maybe then he could make a quick escape somewhere. But as he handed Charasuke the glass and emptied the sink of water, Sakura sealed his fate with the conversation that followed.
"Oh, Sasuke? You and Naruto are coming to the barbeque tonight, right?"
"Maybe."
"You have to come! Everyone will be there, and we were all so worried about you when you were unconscious."
Trying to come up with an excuse to not go, Sasuke could feel Charasuke's drop in mood next to him.
"Is Menma coming? Because I doubt he cares."
Sakura's smile disappeared, and she looked at Charasuke with pity. Something must have happened between Charasuke and Menma, judging by what he'd said during their argument and the atmosphere now.
"I'm not sure," Sakura began with an apologetic tone. "And we still haven't talked things through…"
"I'm fine," Charasuke gritted out, crossing his arms, shoulders stiffening in defense. "I told you I don't want to talk about it."
"Look, I know I said you should avoid him, but you don't have to talk to him or anything. It's stupid to not go when everyone is going, I mean they'll notice something's up."
The warning tone only made Charasuke scoff, but Sasuke stood close enough to see that he was hurt more than he was angry. It was unpleasant to see that emotion on his face, because it gave off the same fragile vibe as before, and frankly it was starting to piss him off.
"Just what did Menma do, anyway?" he asked, Sakura biting her lip and waiting for Charasuke to reply.
"None of your business," was the curt answer he got.
"If I'm going to train you, I'm making it my business."
They glared at each other, and Sasuke couldn't help but think that Charasuke had to be younger than him. Or, maybe, it was just that the way he acted reminded him of his younger self.
"Sasuke likes Menma, but no one really knows about it or that they've been sleeping with each other."
"Sakura…" Charasuke growled, but there was determination in her green eyes as she continued, Sasuke's attention now focused on her.
"And then Menma started sleeping with Sai, too, and they had a fight and pretty much broke up."
"We weren't dating."
Sasuke looked between them, Sakura still determined but with a hint of sadness in her eyes, Charasuke bristling with anger.
"Sounds like pointless drama to me," he sighed, plucking at the bandage on his hand that was now moist from washing the dishes. "Either you were dating or you weren't, and now you aren't for sure. Just ignore him if he's an ass."
Two pairs of shocked eyes stared at him, speechless in their surprise.
"What?"
Charasuke seemed to struggle with himself, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for words.
"It's not that simple," he eventually said, sounding exasperated. "You don't even know what happened."
"I know you're not happy about it," he shrugged, wondering why it irked him so much to see himself this worked up over Naruto's counterpart.
"And you think I can just shrug it off and forget about it?"
Sasuke bore his eyes into Charasuke's, staring intently for a few moments before answering in a way that signaled he was done with the discussion.
"No, I'm saying you shouldn't let someone who hurt you control your life. If you want to go to the barbeque, then go. If you don't, then don't. It shouldn't matter if he's there or not."
They both gaped at him, but Sasuke pushed himself away from the counter he'd been leaning on and motioned with his head towards the garden.
"Now, go work out a bit and decide later."
It took a few seconds, but soon enough Charasuke let out a strangled sound that could be anything, really, before he stomped past him and out onto the porch. Sakura stared after him for a while as Sasuke found a cloth to wipe down the counter, wondering if maybe he wasn't so bad at dealing with kids after all.
"Are you always like that?" Sakura asked him, still facing the garden where Charasuke had now started a series of furious push-ups.
"Like what?"
She sighed, shaking her head slowly.
"Never mind. So what should we do while waiting for him?"
Sasuke was just about to tell her they weren't going to do anything, when there was a sudden glint of something evil in her eyes.
"Because if you leave him alone when he's upset like this, I will make your life a living hell."
Narrowing his eyes, he clicked his tongue when she wouldn't relent. How annoying. Though, it's not like he really had anything better to do, and he supposed there was no point in having both a pissed off Sakura and Charasuke after him, especially now that he'd taken it upon himself to train the latter.
"Whatever," he muttered, reluctantly sitting down and giving in to whatever torment she'd come up with.
"So," she said, turning on her chair to face him and leaning her chin in one palm. "What was that about you going to train him?"
Ah, interrogation it was. Well, he could survive that, he supposed.
"Just that I'm going to train him," he replied calmly, leaning back and glancing around the room, already bored with the conversation.
"Please don't quit after just a few days." She surprised him with how earnest she looked, her hand falling onto the table to draw patterns on it. "He hasn't been given the help he should have for training, he's not bad it's just… somehow there was always someone more interesting, more capable and talented… and when they noticed he wasn't like Itachi, people would just dismiss him as a failure."
Sasuke frowned, not enjoying what he heard. Was that how he would have grown up, constantly in Itachi's shadow, never taken seriously? There was a time when he'd faced the cold hard truth that simply being the last Uchiha didn't make him special, didn't mean he would automatically be better than everyone else, even if that was the expectation placed upon his shoulders.
He'd reacted by working harder, seeking power outside the village, feeling suffocated within its walls… Glancing at Charasuke, who was now working through a series of combat moves, he wondered who those people that had dismissed him were.
"We were placed in the same team, so I've known him for a long time. For Menma to pick Sai instead of him is just…"
"Is just what?"
She threw her hands out, shaking her head.
"It's like saying he's easily replaceable, like Menma was only into his pretty face and couldn't care less about him as a person. Sure, Sasuke said they weren't dating, but…" She let out a frustrated sigh, running her hands through her hair as well she could with the diadem in the way. "If only he'd tell me what was really going on!"
Sasuke waited for her to continue, observing her display of emotion passively.
"A couple weeks ago he said that this might be the first time he's ever really felt needed… I mean, there's no way they could have been just fucking if he felt that much for him. They've been going on missions together so much the past year, hell Sasuke hasn't even had actual dates with his fangirls in ages."
Rubbing her face tiredly, she glanced outside at the ninja in question. The look on her face was so different from the one usually present on the Sakura he knew from his own dimension, nothing but the honest concern of a good friend in her eyes.
"It doesn't make sense, but he refuses to talk about it, even before their fight. At first I thought they were keeping it secret because Menma didn't want to announce his sexuality or something, his mom won't stop nagging about how he and I should get together, but I don't think that's it."
"But haven't they been on the same team too?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask, confused by Sakura's explanation.
"Oh, no, we were on a team with Sai. Menma was always trained on his own, because of the kyuubi."
Frowning at the news, Sasuke nodded at her to continue.
"I don't know if it's been the same for you, but Sasuke always had so many fangirls, and he's always been teased about it. As if he's only a pretty boy who's not suited to be a ninja. At first he worked so hard to prove them wrong, but even so he never really got any attention or help. Of course, Kakashi is a pretty shitty teacher, too, but even when he tried to find someone else to train him… It would have been so much better if Itachi could just care a little."
"Care a little about what?"
Itachi's head popped into the doorway, followed by his body as he headed over to grab a glass of water for himself.
"Nothing," Sakura replied, tightlipped and giving Sasuke a warning look to stay quiet.
"If you say so," Itachi said slowly, giving her a suspicious look as he drank, then placed the glass in the sink. "Well, I'm leaving. Mother should be back soon, I guess. I think father said he's working overtime today. See you tomorrow."
With a wave he was out the door, Sakura staring after him for a long moment. Feeling conflicted, Sasuke did his best not to think too much about the whole deal. It wasn't his problem if Charasuke was feeling neglected, and he still had a big family that cared about him so he really shouldn't complain. On the other hand, there were memories from his early years demanding attention, reminding him of how he'd felt when trying to live up to his father's expectations, always feeling like nothing was good enough, always wishing his brother would spend time with him. It almost felt as if Charasuke was stuck in Sasuke's childhood, and somehow the fact that there was no massacre here meant nothing had changed when it came to their family dynamic.
"I think the final straw was when Tsunade-shishou started training me… I almost feel guilty for accepting. But I really like being a medic. It's just…" She stared down at her clasped hands, a defeated aura surrounding her. "It's so weird to think that when I was little I used to fangirl over him like everyone else, but when we teamed up, he always helped me out, and supported me when my mother passed away. If it weren't for him I don't know what I'd have done. I just wish there was something I could do!"
"Looks like there isn't, though," Sasuke told her, but stood up with a resolute expression. "Sometimes, being a good friend isn't enough. But if he wants to become strong, I'll see what I can do about it."
He might have thought of Charasuke as someone annoying, someone he'd rather not deal with, but he wasn't just going to sit there and let him get trampled over by everyone else if he could help it. He was Uchiha Sasuke, dammit, not some tragic maiden needing to be rescued by her prince.
Finding Charasuke kneeling on the ground he made his way over with determination, shoving him onto his back with a foot on a shoulder, crossing his arms and leaning over him.
"What's with the pathetic face," he asked, raising an eyebrow to accentuate his mockery. "You think you'll get stronger by praying?"
"Shut up."
"No, you shut up. Now get to your feet and show me what you've got."
"Like hell I will, what's your problem anyway!"
Sasuke moved so that he stood directly above Charasuke's chest, glaring down at him. He didn't like that he was so weak in this world, didn't like that he was so weak when it came to Menma, didn't like that look of defeat in his own eyes, eyes he hadn't seen for years.
"You," he replied coldly. "You're my problem unless you get up and fight me."
"You're just gonna win anyway," Charasuke mumbled, averting his eyes stubbornly.
"So? Is losing worse than crying pathetically on the ground without even trying?"
There was a boiling anger in Charasuke's eyes as they looked gazes, and Sasuke smirked down at him.
"Well? I don't train toddlers, though I think even a baby would have more fighting spirit than you."
"Shut. Up."
"Make me."
Charasuke lunged for him, but Sasuke easily stepped to the side. The next attack was better coordinated, but he still avoided it with ease.
"Come on, put some effort into it," he taunted, ducking when Charasuke's leg came swinging for his head.
"I said shut up!" Charasuke shouted, spinning into his next attack, making frustrated noises when no attack would reach its target. "And stop dodging all the time!"
"Do you tell that to all your enemies?"
"Fuck you!"
For a couple of minutes they simply jumped back and forth, Charasuke attacking and Sasuke avoiding, a few more taunts passing between them. When Charasuke started getting more and more sloppy, replacing aim with frustration, Sasuke had enough and tripped him. Taking a hold of both his arms he pushed Charasuke facedown into the grass, holding him in place with a leg.
"Let me go!" Charasuke complained, bucking underneath him but unable to get out of his hold.
"Why should I? You weren't fighting me seriously."
"I was!"
"Like hell you were. You gave up after ten seconds."
"So what! I couldn't even hit you anyway."
Sasuke contemplated him for a few seconds, the way his back heaved with each breath, how his neck twisted so that one eye could meet his, lips turned downwards in an angry sneer.
"Of course you couldn't," he agreed, quickly changing Charasuke's position so that they were face to face, pinning down his arms and locking eyes with him. "Even Itachi wouldn't be able to if I didn't want him to."
Suspicion mingled with curiosity flickered through dark eyes, and slowly Charasuke relaxed and stopped struggling against his hold.
"Itachi is one of the strongest ninja in the village," Charasuke hesitantly said, as if wondering if he really wanted to hear Sasuke's reply.
Lips twitching, Sasuke kept his hands firm on Charasuke's arms.
"You're the one who said I could beat Itachi in ten seconds if I wanted to."
"I exaggerated."
"You didn't."
Charasuke swallowed thickly, wetting his lips in a nervous gesture.
"Are you stronger than your own Itachi, too?" he asked, eyelashes fluttering as he waited for the answer.
"Probably."
While he hadn't been at the time of their fight, his recent powers and the hard training he'd been doing with Naruto the past year would most likely be enough to beat him.
"Can you make me strong like you?"
There was something so innocent about the request, the wide eyes and eager tone, that Sasuke almost felt sick.
"It's impossible."
When Charasuke turned his head to the side with a small, trembling sigh, Sasuke moved closer and forced him to make eye contact again.
"You see these eyes?" he said quietly, so that Sakura who was watching them wouldn't overhear. "These aren't my eyes. I stole them from my brother's corpse, and after transplanting them I destroyed my own so that no one else could use them."
It took a second or two for the words to sink in, but when Charasuke tugged at his arm he let it go, watching calmly as his fingers almost shook when they reached for his face.
"These are… Itachi's?"
Sasuke held still as Charasuke's warm fingertips brushed over his brow, pushing his bangs to the side. He searched Sasuke's eyes, or rather, Itachi's; lips parting to suck in a breath when he apparently found what he was looking for.
They were so close by now that Sasuke could feel the warmth of his breath as he exhaled slowly, as if frightened the air leaving his lungs would push Sasuke further away.
"What else did you do?" he whispered, fingers entwined with his hair now, thumb placed by the corner of his eye.
"What happened with Menma?" Sasuke countered, and was met with a frown.
"That's personal." Then he seemed to realize what he'd said, and released Sasuke's face with a sigh. "Fine, I get it. Your life sucks too. I guess I'm okay with sharing Itachi, he's not around much, but…"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, sitting up and getting off Charasuke. He could feel the other watch him in concern and possibly slight awe, but ignored it in favor of getting up and brushing off his clothes.
"You're going to the barbeque," he stated. "If I have to suffer through it, then so do you."
xxx
Done with work, Naruto took a quick shower and deemed his jumpsuit way too dirty to wear for a barbeque. He would have worn it anyway but he knew Sasuke would complain, so he resigned himself to ask Iruka if maybe he had a sweater or something without the orphanage's logo on it. The result was such a colorless combination that he had to stare at it in horror for several minutes before promising himself that tomorrow was definitely laundry day.
He looked as depressing as he felt, and figured that maybe the walk to Sasuke's house would give him time to cheer up a bit. Halfway through the village center the call of a familiar voice caused him to pause, veering off into a side street to greet Minato and Kushina.
"Naruto! I almost didn't recognize you in those clothes," Minato said, smiling while Kushina grabbed him and all but crushed him in a tight hug.
"It's so good to see you out of that hospital," she told him, holding him at arm's length and scrutinizing his appearance. "And Sasuke is still on his way to full recovery?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," he assured her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks for sending Menma over with the ramen."
"Oh, I just wanted to make sure you actually ate something! It would be bad if you ended up in bed because of malnourishment, you know!"
"Ah yeah, I guess."
She smiled at him, her pretty red hair almost glowing in the evening sun. Sometimes he still wondered if the color would have suited him.
"Well, we should get going I suppose, but you'll come over for dinner again soon, right?"
"Of course!" He grinned at Minato, accepting the friendly squeeze to his shoulder.
Kushina gave him another hug and a wink, leaning in close to his ear to whisper.
"Oh and I heard about you and Sasuke, sorry I didn't realize it before! I guess I at least have a son he could marry, ne?"
Spluttering and red-faced, Naruto watched them walk down the street arm in arm, Minato asking something that Kushina laughed heartily at. Usually seeing something like that would have caused his heart to clench, wishing for the umpteenth time that his parents could have survived and lived happily together, but right now he was too preoccupied with embarrassment.
What the hell was up with everyone and assuming he and Sasuke were dating?!
You mean you aren't? And all this time I thought-
"I am not listening to you, you damn fox!" he screeched, flailing his arms and ignoring the weird looks he got.
Maybe one day that jerk would find something better to do with his time than eavesdrop on all of Naruto's conversations.
You think I enjoy watching a brat like you stumble through life?
"Oh, shut up," Naruto muttered, though of course the fox wouldn't listen and instead carried on their banter all the way to Sasuke's front door, where he contemplated the possibilities of gagging a chakra beast living inside your stomach while waiting for it to open.
"Naruto?"
For some reason, Sakura's voice sounded so suspicious of him, when really it should be the other way around because why was she of all people opening the door?
"Uh yeah, can I come in or…?"
"Yeah sure, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't Menma."
She stepped aside to let him in, not explaining what she meant by that, so Naruto shrugged it off. He had more important matters to take care of, after all.
Finding Sasuke was simple. It was much less simple to convince him to talk in private.
"Seriously Sasuke, just come with me."
"Why."
"Because!"
"You'll just hit me again."
Sakura gasped, giving him a nasty glare before looking at Sasuke worriedly.
"Naruto gave you that bruise I healed for you?"
"Does that mean he actually is stronger…" Charasuke mused, perched on the counter and munching on a biscuit of some sort.
"I'm trying to talk here!"
"You're too damn loud, moron. Besides, can't you see we're in the middle of something?"
Of course he could see that Sasuke and Sakura were in the middle of rolling dice, apparently playing for the small pebbles that looked too decorative to be picked straight off the ground. Did he care? Not really.
"Why do you have to be so difficult," he groaned, grabbing Sasuke by the neck of his shirt and dragging him off the chair, pleased that he decided to follow even though he wrenched Naruto's hand off as soon as he was up. "Since when are you friendly with those two anyway?" he asked once they'd reached Charasuke's room and closed the door.
Sasuke shrugged, sitting down on the bed. He looked tired, but otherwise fine, through as soon as Naruto remembered his suspicions from earlier in the day he could feel his anger flare up again.
"You took something this morning."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened, evaluating how certain he was of that fact.
"Is that what you wanted to talk about? Because I don't have anything to say, really."
"For fuck's sake, Sasuke! If it was that bad you could have just let me talk to them! There was no need for you to-"
"Just drop it, Naruto," Sasuke sighed, leaning back on his palms. "It's a completely harmless drug and I've seen it used before, I knew it would be fine. Besides, do you really think they'd let you tell them what happened when you seem so intent on keeping everything about me a secret?"
Naruto stared at him for a few seconds, pushing down his anger as best he could. How was he supposed to explain that he didn't care if it was the most harmless drug in the world, the fact remained that Sasuke had felt bad enough to feel forced into taking one.
"I just…" he started, hands hanging limp at his sides but somehow he ached to feel Sasuke's warmth underneath his palms, to make sure he was there for real, alive, and giving him that heart achingly familiar raised eyebrow.
"Now," Sasuke continued calmly as if they were talking about the weather, "are you going to tell me why you've been acting all weird the past days?"
Naruto blinked at him, momentarily forgetting what he was talking about. Then he remembered punching the mirror and acting all worried, and contradicting himself and really, he wasn't sure himself because everything felt like it was such a mess and happening too fast and he was too slow to catch up to it.
"No," he blurted out, then realized that this meant he actually acknowledged he'd been acting weird, but on the other hand it wasn't like Sasuke couldn't tell already. "I mean I don't know. There's just been a lot happening, okay?"
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down again, walking over to sit next to Sasuke on the bed. For a minute or so they simply sat there in silence, staring at the opposite wall where a large painting of Konoha hung. He wondered why someone like Charasuke would have a painting of Konoha, but it was a rather nice one so maybe there was a reason.
"You're upset," Sasuke stated.
"Yes."
"Well nothing new there."
He slapped Sasuke's arm. Such a bastard. Then he sighed, burying his face in his hands and trying not to think of anything, because he didn't know what to think of anyway. Just being next to Sasuke was making him feel better, and he focused on that feeling instead of all the thoughts swirling around in his head.
"I was thinking I'll study the politics here," he started, because that was a rather simple subject.
"…I can see why you feel upset."
"Bastard!" He pushed at his friend, scowling but unable to keep it up for long because Sasuke pushed back hard enough that he fell onto the bed. "You suck," he pouted, and when Sasuke scoffed he grabbed his shirt and pulled him down next to him.
"You're the one looking like you're headed to a funeral."
"Aww, don't tell me you miss my jumpsuit," he teased, grinning when Sasuke scoffed again. "You do."
"I am not talking about that thing."
"Don't worry," he told Sasuke in mock reassurance, patting his arm. "I'll wear it tomorrow again."
"Of course you will."
Even though Sasuke's tone was condescending, Naruto instantly felt better about everything. It was strange that no matter what, Sasuke just had this super power that always made him feel either so much better about life, or like he wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again. The past year had been mostly positive though, and maybe that was why he was so scared of Sasuke leaving again, because now that he knew how good he could feel he didn't want that overwhelming loneliness wrapping around him like before.
"I could fall asleep like this," he mumbled, squirming around a bit on the bed to feel more comfortable and somehow ending up with his nose pressed against Sasuke's arm.
"Don't," Sasuke warned him. "We're going to that barbeque, remember?"
"But I'm comfortable," he whined, deciding to forget about all the crap for now, content to simply feel Sasuke's heat against his face.
"Oh really," Sasuke sighed, turning onto his side and propping himself up on an elbow, which was rather impressive considering his legs were still off the bed.
At the loss of heat source, Naruto's instinct told him that smothering himself against Sasuke's chest was the only logical solution. It wasn't far, after all, it was just that he hadn't counted on moving so fast that he all but hit Sasuke with his forehead, the slight disturbance in balance causing Sasuke's free hand to grip his bicep.
He froze, for some reason feeling his face heat up when Sasuke's grip loosened but didn't disappear. The position was slightly awkward, especially for his legs, and his hands would probably be more comfortable if he could place them too against Sasuke's chest but he didn't dare move.
"Why did you decide to suddenly start studying, anyway?" Sasuke asked, apparently acting like this was completely normal for them.
"Dunno," he mumbled, feeling his muscles slowly unclench.
"You suck at lying."
"Okay fine, I thought that if I knew how they're doing things here, it might be easier to change things for the better when I'm Hokage."
Sasuke was quiet at first, the hand on Naruto's arm holding the fabric tighter for a second before smoothing it out with gentle movements that almost had him shivering.
"And if I use my clones then I can read loads of stuff in no time," he added, trying not to feel distracted by how Sasuke's chest pushed against his face every time he breathed in.
Swallowing thickly, he tried to smother the traitorous voice in the back of his head that told him to reach out and pull Sasuke closer, lean his ear against his chest to listen to his heartbeat accompanied by that special one that was theirs alone and no one else could hear. Sasuke's hand stilled against his arm, warm and steady as if holding him grounded to the earth, when all Naruto's limbs seemed to want was to tremble uselessly.
"And," he tried, swallowing again.
"I know you can do it," Sasuke quietly sighed, tightening his hold as if he could tell Naruto needed it.
Drawing in a shaky breath, Naruto nodded. He closed his eyes, focusing on breathing, in and out, their connection beating loud in his ears and drowning out his thoughts. Sasuke shifted, letting his head rest on his arm instead of propping it up, so that they were face to face.
"You worry too much."
Naruto didn't reply, instead feeling his breath hitch when Sasuke's hand left his arm to trail light fingertips over his temple, tucking some of the longer bangs behind his ear.
"You don't need to worry so much about me," Sasuke whispered, a warm puff of air hitting Naruto's mouth. "Worry more about yourself instead."
He couldn't help but smile at that, because it wasn't really about what he needed, he just did. He couldn't help himself. Sasuke was always on his mind, and it certainly didn't help when he acted like he was doing right now. It hurt, and Naruto couldn't understand why. It just felt like his body was slowly destroying itself from the inside out and the pieces that fell off were drawn to Sasuke like a magnet, finding relief in his presence.
Curling his fingers around Sasuke's thin shirt he let out a heavy sigh, wondering if these conflicting emotions would ever make sense to him.
"Let's go back," Sasuke decided, sitting up which meant Naruto had to let go of him.
"Fine," he muttered, turning his head so that his friend wouldn't see the pout he sported.
It was rare that Sasuke allowed this much body contact, but somehow things had been a little different lately. Not that he should be thinking about it. Especially not now that he'd realized he might have a slight problem with looking at Sasuke without looking too much. Not to mention how good he smelled, or how good Naruto felt whenever Sasuke touched him…
Yeah, those were not good thoughts.
Too late he'd realized that Sasuke had stood up and stretched, and that he was running his gaze appreciatively over the muscles clearly outlined underneath the shirt. Shaking his head he stood up as well, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. One second his chest was constricting painfully because Sasuke touched him, the next he couldn't stop staring at him rolling his shoulders. He was going crazy, wasn't he?
"Come on," Sasuke said, starting to walk out of the room. "I was just about to win that round."
It took Naruto a second to remember he'd been playing some sort of game with Sakura, and again he wondered just how they'd gotten so friendly.
"So how did you guys suddenly become friends?" he asked, sidling up to Sasuke by the top of the stairs.
"I wouldn't say we're friends," Sasuke shrugged, taking two steps at a time. "But I promised to teach Charasuke some of my techniques."
"What, really?"
"I didn't really have a choice."
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, narrowing his eyes at the back of Sasuke's head.
"Did he do something to you?"
Sasuke glanced back at him, rolling his eyes.
"He's not that bad, really. Besides, I don't need you to protect my chastity."
"So he did do something!" Ignoring Sasuke's huff he ran the three steps down to catch up, grabbing Sasuke's arm and shaking him a little. "I told you he's a pervert!"
"He's just a bit touchy-feely."
"He wanted to have sex with me!"
"Well maybe you should have said yes instead of being so squeamish about it. You're the one who spent three years with someone called ero-sennin."
"Wha- I- You- Gah!"
Naruto threw his hands in the air, fed up with Sasuke's sudden I'm-totally-fine-with-anything attitude. Whatever. If Sasuke was totally cool about all of this then Naruto could be, too. Still, he squinted at Sasuke in suspicion, wondering if maybe he was having some late episode of those random emotions.
"I don't get it," Sasuke mused, hands in his pockets in that cool stance that always pissed Naruto off. "I was off training with a creep for years while you were travelling around and visiting brothels and reading dirty magazines, and you're the one who's got a problem with sexual stuff?"
"I don't have a problem!" Sasuke's raised eyebrow only fueled his frustration. "I just don't like it when everyone assumes I'm gay and keeps hitting on me! Even my parents think we're dating!"
"So tell them we're not, moron," Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, continuing down the stairs.
Naruto stayed in his spot, not sure why he didn't like how easy Sasuke took this. Did it really not bother him?
But of course not. Sasuke was only bothered by things he actually cared about, like people badmouthing Itachi. And if Charasuke had done something that made Sasuke angry, he would have the wounds to show it. Pursing his lips he made his way down the rest of the stairs, sliding his feet along the wood before letting them slip down to the step below. He hated being this confused about things. It didn't make sense that he would be so upset about everything and then be upset about the reverse, too.
But he didn't want people to think that he and Sasuke were dating, that was just… weird. Right? Like the only time he could think of when it would be okay would be if maybe Sasuke was harassed by fangirls at home and there was no other way to make them stop. Then it would make sense.
Pausing in his thoughts it felt like he was waiting for something, only to realize that Kurama had yet to say a word on the subject. Maybe he had answered his silent prayers and decided to shut up for once.
"Um, Sasuke told me to tell you that I really didn't do anything bad, okay?"
It was Charasuke, who now stood in the hallway below him, staring up at him with an annoyed expression.
"Like I'll believe you," Naruto snorted, crossing his arms.
"I was just thanking him for accepting to train me," Charasuke mumbled, glaring stubbornly to the side.
Before Naruto could stop himself, a single thought fluttered through his already messed up brain. Cute.
"Sure you did," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just tell me what you did and I'll decide if I should beat you up or not for it."
"And here I thought you were a nice guy," Charasuke complained, but then a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "I won't tell you."
Naruto walked down to join him, keeping a safe distance once he reached the lower floor.
"Why?"
"You'll get jealous."
"Like hell I'll get jealous!"
Charasuke held up a finger, clicking his tongue at him.
"It's not safe. Besides, he already threw me out a window for it."
"He what?!"
"It was an open window."
Since they had almost the same voice, it took Naruto a second to realize that it was Sasuke who said the last part, and not Charasuke.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Sasuke continued, lounging in the doorway to the kitchen but with his eyes pinning Charasuke down.
"You're no fun," Charasuke sighed, combing a hand through his hair and weighing on his heels, glancing between them. "If you wanted to sneak off and make out you could just say so, you know? Be a little considerate of us singles."
"We weren't making out!" Naruto yelled, but none of the dark-haired ninja seemed to take any notice of him.
"You could have invited me. Or stayed in the kitchen."
"Don't," Sasuke told him, rubbing his cheek, tired of their banter.
"I'm just saying," Charasuke insisted, crossing his arms, but there was an amused pull at his lips that told Naruto he was messing with them. "I mean we even warmed up and everything."
Something simply snapped inside Naruto's brain, and he stalked over to where Sasuke stood and grabbed him from behind, backing them both until they were at a much safer distance.
"Stay back," he ordered, peeking at Charasuke from behind Sasuke's shoulder. "You're a bad influence!"
"Idiot," Sasuke snapped, fighting against the tight hold he had on him, while Charasuke seemed torn between laughing and scowling at him.
The combined result was rather comical.
"What are you guys doing?" Sakura asked, still sitting on her chair since Naruto had backed into the kitchen.
"Naruto is just being silly," Sasuke explained, though Naruto wasn't pleased with his choice of words at all.
"I'm not being silly! He was perving all over you and you don't even care? Clearly you're still cracked in the head from Kaguya!"
"From what?" Charasuke asked, giving them confused looks as he walked into the room as well.
"Don't come closer!" Naruto warned, maintaining his death grip around Sasuke's chest and arms.
To his surprise, Sakura started laughing, to the point where tears gathered in her eyes.
"Oh my god," she forced out, wiping furiously at her eyes. "You should have seen them when they were sparring then! It was like taken from some romantic movie! The only thing lacking was the rain!"
Needless to say, she didn't help the situation. However, before Naruto could react to her words, Sasuke broke free and shoved a hand onto his mouth, producing some chakra wire to bind his hands and feet. Then he promptly shoved Naruto onto a chair, placing himself behind him so that he could keep his hand secured over his mouth.
"Alright," he said, voice crisp and businesslike. "Let's make some things clear. Naruto, stop freaking out over everything, I can take care of myself. Charasuke, if you want me to train you then you'll behave like you've earned it. Sakura…" he trailed off, apparently not having any specific orders for her.
"Yes?" she asked, still giggling a little into her palms.
"Just keep him out of trouble," he sighed, tilting his head towards Charasuke.
"Hey! I'm not some little kid you're in charge of!" Charasuke disagreed, and Naruto nodded vigorously.
Straining to see Sasuke's face, Naruto winced at the displeased look on it. It was the same look he'd given Naruto after he'd been asked to do a harem jutsu combo, before proceeding to give him the cold shoulder for three days.
"Then act like it," was Sasuke's snappish reply.
When the pale hand left his mouth, Naruto slumped in his seat, annoyed that Sasuke wasn't making any moves to remove the wire. Sure he could do it himself, but only a bastard would leave it like this. As Sasuke busied himself with something behind him, he returned Charasuke's sullen glare, refusing to back down.
'Watch it' he mouthed at him, pleased when he got a rise out of the other. He didn't however expect for Charasuke to come over, smirking evilly at his bound state as he sat on top of the table just next to him. He could feel cold sweat beginning to form on his brow as Charasuke's eyes raked over him, his feet dangling innocently.
"Sasukeeee," he whined, refusing to admit that it turned into a whimper by the end when Charasuke leaned in closer, trying to scoot the chair away from him.
"Can't hear you."
"What?! You bastard, I could die and you don't even care!"
"How can you be stronger than Sasuke if you can't even escape some chakra wire?"
Now that certainly got Naruto moving. He entered kyuubi mode, snapping the wires off with the flaming chakra, sticking his tongue out at Charasuke whose wide-eyed expression made him feel not a little bit smug.
"How about that, huh?" he bragged, feeling better until Sasuke slapped the back of his head so that he face planted onto Charasuke's thigh. "What the hell?!"
"Loser."
"Asshole!"
"Deadlast scaredy-cat."
"I'm gonna kick your ass so hard they'll have to feed you the meat through a tube!"
Ignoring the heated arguing, Charasuke and Sakura shared a look.
"Should we stop them before they break something?" Charasuke asked, his voice hushed even though the other probably two wouldn't listen unless he shouted.
"No, I think they're flirting," Sakura whispered back, keeping an eye on the two bickering ninja, one of them still engulfed in bright yellow flames and waving his hands around animatedly.
"Really?" Charasuke's tone clearly voiced his doubt, admiring Sasuke's calm as he poured tea from the pot they'd prepared earlier with Naruto shouting in his face.
"Trust me," she reassured him, tapping a finger against her nose. "Woman's intuition."
"…if you say so."
Yeah, not sure what to think about this, but quite a few things are gonna fall into place in the following chapters. And then I can finally write the whole Menma-Charasuke drama bc I feel like some of you have gotten it all wrong and Charasuke keeps begging me for more attention. Oh well.
Poor Charasuke didn't get to kiss Naruto though... it's okay bby, you'll kiss him in my dreams later. *cough*
Sasuke is getting good babysitting practice though. I'm sure it'll come in handy some day.