Chapter Three
A month had passed since their agreement to cooking lessons. Naruto, so far, learned how to make salad and soup. Now he was learning how to stir fry. However, due to his inept ability to chop properly, Sasuke had slowed their lessons down to let Naruto get use to it. Even now, he was slowly chopping cabbage as Sasuke watched from the sideline.
In the background, he could hear Himawari laughing along with Sarada. Ever since Sasuke started coming by, Sarada came along with him and, maybe because Sarada was a girl, but Himawari seemed happier than usual. It felt like she had an older sister who understood her more than an older brother could. And because Sarada was also intelligent, Boruto and her seem to finish their homework together quickly before bed time. He was amazed. Boruto definitely had his mother's brains as he wasn't as smart that when he was younger. Yet, despite being intelligent, Boruto did have his moments where he did idiotic things, like teasing Sarada and Himawari—which he was doing at the moment—and getting beat up for it. He may be a boy, but it was still two against one and Sarada was strong for a girl. Suddenly, he heard Boruto yelping in pain. Naruto shook his head. His son would never learn.
"Watch your fingers," Sasuke pointed out.
Naruto quickly curled them inward. He looked up, smiling sheepishly at Sasuke. His neighbor, however, only gave him a blank look. Seriously, Naruto had no idea what it took to break some kind of emotion on Sasuke's face. Sure, the guy showed them every now and then—to his daughter and the kids and sometimes crack a smile at him—but there were those times when he would look at him with this blank stare that left Naruto wondering what the hell the other man was thinking. He wondered briefly if it had something do with his wife.
Forgetting about the knife, his fingers unfurled again. Naruto was still lost in thought when the sharp blade sliced into his skin. He glanced down at the sudden pain, staring blankly as red began to spill from the cut, pooling on the cutting board. "Ah."
Sasuke quickly looked over to him. His eyes widen at the sight of blood. Reacting quickly, he tugged Naruto away from the cutting board. He turned on the water to put the injured finger under. Red stained the running water, but surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much.
"This is why I told you to watch your fingers," Sasuke nagged. "You weren't pay attention were you?"
"Sorry." Naruto could only apologize. His gaze fell onto the pale hand gripping his wrist. It was a stark difference; white against tanned skin. His eyes followed the arm up to shoulder and then to the dip where shoulder and neck connected. Sasuke was wearing a loose black t-shirt, the neck hem wide, revealing just enough skin to want more. He felt Sasuke remove his hand from under the water.
"It doesn't look deep," Sasuke muttered then turned to face him. "Do you have a first aid kit?"
"Uh..." Naruto couldn't help but notice the distance between them. They were close, too close to his liking. He could feel Sasuke's warm breath on him. "In the storage room."
He finally replied, his breath stopping as Sasuke lingered, his hand still holding his wrist. A few seconds passed before Sasuke released his wrist and pushed pass him, heading toward the storage room. With his uninjured hand, Naruto placed it on his chest over his thumping heart. Calm down! What is with this 'doki doki' going on in my chest?! I'm not young anymore, I shouldn't be feeling this. So Sasuke is a little on the attractive side. I can admit that, but I still love Hinata! Shaking his head, he took a deep breath to stop his heart from beating too fast.
Sasuke returned with the first aid kit. He tended to his injured fingers, then they returned to cooking. After the mishap, the rest of the day was the same as it was whenever they had their cooking lessons. After they tried out Naruto's food, they would take the kids out to the park, followed by taking them out to lunch and then returned to the apartment where the girls played Akamaru while Boruto stayed far away as possible. Naruto and Sasuke would end up chatting with Gaara who happened to be off on the same day. Eventually, they returned to Naruto's apartment when the sun had set where Sasuke would cook an amazing dinner for them. Naruto had gotten use to seeing Sasuke wear Hinata's apron. The anger and painful ache that once came with it when seeing him in it slowly went away. Replacing the emotion was one of giddiness, an excitement to seeing him wear it more often. Naruto didn't dare to examine closer why he felt that way. After dinner, the kids would go to sleep once they washed up and the two of them would settle in the living room, a cold beer in their hands as they drank their grief and sorrows away. The two of them were so similar in that aspect. They raged at the world, at the fates for playing them such crappy cards. They cried and talked about their wives, each regretting what they didn't do, what they loved about them, and how they dearly missed them.
Naruto was a blubbering mess, his head laying sideways on the coffee table. "How old was Sarada when Sakura passed away?" He had learned some time ago that Sakura was hit by a truck and had passed. It was a quick death, nothing like Hinata, but he was sure the horrible news still dealt a painful blow to Sasuke.
"She was five," Sasuke replied, his head leaning on the couch, one knee up while the other leg lay flat. "So young..."
"...She was the same age as Himawari when Hinata died. Maybe that's why the two connect so well."
"Probably. Sarada most likely understands the most what it's like to lose a mother at that young age..."
Naruto sighed. He rolled his head, his forehead pressed against the table. Suddenly, he was laughing. He probably looked like a maniac to Sasuke. "Look at us...two grown men wallowing in self-pity."
"The damn world should let us," Sasuke growled.
Chuckling, Naruto stood up slowly, holding onto the coffee table for support. "We should head to bed. You've got an early start tomorrow for work, don't you?'
"Yeah. Working as a salesman, you would think it would be easy, but the hours they demand are crazy. I spend hours just looking over sale reports and gathering information for marketing." Sasuke stood up slowly, groaning slightly as he sat on the couch.
Naruto tilted his head. "Seems rough...uh, did you want to sleep in the bed with me?"
Sasuke flicked his eyes up to him. Again, he was giving Naruto that blank, uninterpretable stare. He didn't understand. What was Sasuke thinking with that look? It was frustrating, but at the same time it drew Naruto in. And then he realized how his question had sounded. Eyes widening, he shook his head left and right.
"Ah! I mean, I don't mean it that way! I just thought...you know, a bed would be more comfortable than a sofa. We are two guys, men, there's no problem sharing a bed. I have a king size bed anyway...I don't have any ulterior motives, not that I was thinking that." Naruto was struggling to fight for words to explain, a blush creeping on his face.
Sasuke continued his blank stare and then his lips lifted to one side. Amusement danced across his eyes. Naruto frowned. He was being teased again. He crossed his arms and huffed. Sasuke, on the other hand, huffed his usual quiet laugh—the one that always sent a tickle down Naruto's spine.
"Thank you for the offer. I think I'll take it up." He stood, stretching his arms.
Naruto saw the brief flash of pale skin. A spike of excitement ran through him. Biting his inner cheek, he whirled on his heels, leading the way back to his bedroom. He had to calm his beating heart down again, telling himself in chants that it was just sleeping and nothing more.
Soon they were in bed, the lights turned off, swallowing them in complete darkness. He could hear Sasuke breathing softly to his right, warmth emitting from his body. Naruto squirmed, blood rushing loudly in his ears. This was a bad idea. He shouldn't have suggested it, but he felt bad for always making Sasuke sleep on the couch when they had their cooking lessons. His neighbor was always helping out and cooking for them. The least he could do was offer the a nice place to sleep. He rolled onto his side, his back facing Sasuke's supine sleeping form. Shutting his eyes, he willed his brain to stop over thinking. After some time of counting backwards, he finally fell asleep, though a bit restlessly.
He woke up early. The soft morning light of dawn peeking over the horizon trickled into the room. It was warm and he loved the feeling of Hinata wrapped in his arms. Naruto smiled sleepily, wishing his dream wouldn't end. His hands drifted upward to her chest, but found it flat. He frowned, sleep lulling away as his brain began to become alert. The warmth was real and the feeling of holding someone was real. Naruto's eyes fluttered open, remembering last night when he asked Sasuke to sleep in the same bed. He bit back a gasp. He was spooning against his neighbor, his arms wrapped around his waist, fingers splayed on a flat, taut stomach, the ridges of hard abs burning into his skin. Chest to back, thigh to thigh, legs tangled easily underneath a thin sheet. His mind reeled and abruptly stopped. His face flushed; he knew before his head could even process the thousands of image filtering through his mind. Sasuke's pert, firm butt—and yes, he knew it was firm and round because he stared at it enough to know—pressed hard against his crotch. Naruto sucked in a breath, trying his hardest not to imagine anything dirty, but failing. All he wanted to do was move his hips, to feel the friction of his now aroused southern region-Fuck!
Naruto quickly, but gently, untangled himself as to not wake up Sasuke. Once his limbs were free, he scurried to the edge of the bed, tossing the sheet aside. His breathing quickened, heart pounding against his chest. He stood, telling himself not to look, but the temptation, the damn temptation, urged him. He looked over his shoulder, saw the wide expanse of smooth white skin where the shirt was lifted, and the images were back. Skin on skin, sweat glistening skin as they moved in unison. Naruto bit back a growl, swiftly whipping his head away from the sleeping body of his neighbor. He left his room, rushing to the bathroom where he shut himself inside. Naruto breathed in deeply, inhaling, then exhaling. He splashed cold water on his face, cursing under his breath with each splash. Finally, his arousal went away, but he was left unsatisfied. He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was wet, water dripped down his face, droplets falling from his chin. He was a mess. Closing his eyes, he sighed dejectedly. What he felt for Sasuke was merely lust. He told himself this over and over, even convinced himself it was nothing more. After all, it had been three years since he had any sexual gratification for himself. He didn't even touch himself. After Hinata's death, it just felt wrong to do anything. But now...now, he wanted it so bad.
A knock on the bathroom door startled him from his thoughts. Wiping his face down, he tried to look his best. Opening the door, he came face to face with Sasuke. His mind went blank.
"Good morning. Sorry, are you finished?" Sasuke asked with a tilt of his head.
Locks of black hair swayed over his face, strands going out of place. Naruto's hand twitched. He wanted to brush them away, to feel how soft Sasuke's hair was and run his fingers through them over and over.
"Are you okay?" Sasuke frowned.
"Hm? Ah, yeah...yeah, I'm good. My bad. I'll get out of the way now." Naruto side stepped as Sasuke went the opposite way. As they passed by each other, their arms brushed. A shock of heat burned him, leaving a throbbing, but delightful sting of electricity. He didn't think Sasuke felt anything, but that touch did so many things to him. Naruto had to scold himself mentally to stop his body from reacting. Damn this...I'm not some randy teenager anymore. I should be able to control myself! Sighing, he walked to the storage room where Hinata's altar was in. He entered it quietly, then sat on his knees in front of the picture to light an incense. Minutes ticked on by as he sat in silence, unsure of what to say to Hinata. Guilt was the one emotion that was thrumming in him at the moment which was making him unable to say anything. It wasn't as if he could just apologize. Even if he did, it didn't change the fact that his body was yearning for another person and that would mean he was lying to Hinata. He didn't like that at all. Another sigh left his lips. He dipped his head to his chest. He wished she was still alive, then none of this confusion would be happening. She would have been the one lying in his arms.
"Naruto?" Sasuke's soft voice entered the room before the door quietly slid open to reveal the raven haired man.
He glanced up at him, taking notice of the way how his wet hair clung to his skin. He watched for a while and then smiled slowly, patting the empty spot beside him. Sasuke entered the room, his silent footsteps padding on the wooden floor before he sat down beside him. They were both quiet, staring at the picture of Hinata.
"When I came in here yesterday for the first aid kit, I saw her picture for the first time," Sasuke whispered. "She's beautiful."
Smiling painfully, Naruto nodded his head. "So beautiful, inside and out. She was perfect. Or maybe I'm just bias...I don't care. She was sweet and kind to me and the children. Even to her very last breath, she would not shed a single tear for us to see. She passed away with a smile..."
Another quiet moment blanketed them, yet it was not the shadow of grief, but a moment of happiness, remembering the moments where Hinata was just alive and the days she spent with him.
"Your injury, may I see it?" Sasuke asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Un." Naruto held out his hand, forgetting that it was bandaged. It was now wet from when he had splashed water on his face.
Sasuke tutted, nagged him that he should be more careful before he grabbed the first aid kit again and wrapped his cut once more. He was so gentle with his hand, carefully applying ointment and new bandage. Naruto stared at his pale, long, slim fingers working over his tanned ones, calloused from hard work. "You have pretty hands," he whispered. Sasuke's hands stopped moving. Naruto, realizing what he had blurted, blushed brightly. The words hung in the air as their eyes slowly met. Sasuke's black onyx eye stared at him, blank of all emotion. "I...that is...I mean..." Stuttering for words, he felt his face become hotter.
"Thank you," Sasuke whispered, his eyes flickered back to his hands and started moving again. "You, uh, have nice hands too."
A chuckle slipped passed his lips. Shaking his head, Naruto said, "There's no need to lie. I know my hands are rough and calloused."
"I like your hands. Compared to mine, they show the hard work you've done."
"Hands don't show everything. I know for a fact that you work hard. Coming from a single parent too, I know how hard it is to raise a child. Plus, you're teaching me how to cook too." He watched and blushed as a smile slowly made its way onto Sasuke's face. "How well am I doing?"
"Cooking? Hm, I'd say mediocre." Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly.
Naruto grumbled as Sasuke chuckled. After his hand was patched up again, they got up and began their normal Monday routine of waking up the kids, cooking breakfast, and then Sasuke dropping the children off at school before he went to work. At the door, he hugged Himawari, ruffled Boruto's hair, and then hugged Sarada. His affection most likely surprised her as he felt her tense at his touch. As he released her and stood back her, he smiled brightly at her. And then he turned his head to glance at Sasuke. Suddenly feeling embarrass, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, come back safely," he said under his breath, but still loud enough to be heard. Sasuke tilted his head at him. His lips hadn't tugged to smile, but Naruto could see it in the man's eyes.
"I'm off then," Sasuke replied as he ushered the children out the door.
When the door closed with a click, Naruto let out a loud sigh, running his hand through his short cut blond hair. It was going to be difficult if he kept lusting after his neighbor. Turning on his heels, he brushed the worry away in hopes that his lust filled thoughts were only a phase and things would go back to normal. Yeah...it'll go back to normal...