Watching the Storm

"Please open the door, Naruto," Sasuke repeated yet again, having lost count of how many times he'd asked. No matter how much he knocked though, the door never opened and Naruto never even acknowledged he was there. The other side of the door was completely silent and Sasuke was starting to become paranoid that the other had slipped out the window.

"If you're waiting for an apology, I'm not going to say it until you come out of there. I want you to actually see me when I say it, to know I'm being honest." He put his forehead against the door, as though that might transport his feelings through the barrier. "Please, Naruto."

The door didn't move. And, if Naruto was still in there, neither did he. With a swear and a kick of frustration, Sasuke limped off to the kitchen.

Naruto indeed was still in the room, sitting on the floor in front of the bed. He wanted desperately to open the door but simultaneously, he was afraid. The words of Tsunade unwillingly came back to him and he remembered that she'd called Sasuke a "loose cannon". He certainly didn't think of Sasuke that way…did he? The fact that he couldn't give a straight answer absolutely scared him.

So, even though Sasuke pled and begged, he didn't get up. Eventually, he heard Sasuke wander off to what sounded like the kitchen. With only his crutches to support him after such a long time of not moving, Naruto could tell he was having difficulty getting around and finding something to make, but even then, he didn't come to help. He even heard Sasuke picking up the groceries he'd dropped when he'd rushed in earlier. After a considerable about of time had passed, he heard uneven steps outside the door again.

"I made grilled cheese sandwiches," Sasuke announced, and Naruto could hear him shuffling his weight as he sat down against the hallway wall. "I recommend eating it while it's hot. Cold grilled cheese is disgusting."

Nothing but quiet.

Sasuke was getting tired of the waiting and a part of him would've simply burst through the door but that'd do nothing but scare Naruto even further. The point was to foster trust, not demolish it. Swallowing his bite of food, he gave a loud but authentic sigh. "Fine. You win. If you're not going to come out, then I'll just talk."

"I said some shitty things earlier. Not only did I yell at you, I…hit you. Even before we were dating, we had a volatile relationship. Our personalities are like oil and water and this moment right here probably could've been seen years ahead of its time. I don't know what I can do to prove to you though that that's not who I am, other than say I'm sorry. But I know that's not enough."

And yet to his amazement, the door creaked open. Sasuke was too slow getting to his feet but Naruto instantly fell to his knees in front of him, pulling him in. "It is enough," he whispered, both tired from fighting and elated that once more, he could feel Sasuke's warmth with him being conscious. "I don't care what Tsunade or anyone else says, you're not some monster. Just like I'm not." He paused for a moment though, and thought that over. "Or, we're both monsters which makes us even more perfect for each other."

Sasuke's face cracked a smile while an unwitting tear fell. "Why is it always you who makes me cry," he laughed, but his hand shook as he wiped it away.

Naruto helped him by brushing away another as it fell. "Because, no matter what you say, you know you've always loved me," he said boldly. He started to lean in but Sasuke held him back, his face becoming guarded.

"I don't waste my emotions on those that aren't going to return them," he said cautiously, but Naruto easily saw through to the fear.

"Of course I love you too. I wouldn't have done all of this if I didn't," he said shyly.

"Are you sure? Even after…this?" The Uchiha asked.

If Naruto had any doubts before, they were instantly cleared. It should've been him that was hesitant to share his deepest feelings after the day they'd just had, but as always, whenever Sasuke was feeling vulnerable or unsure, he couldn't resist giving of himself until the other felt secure and strong again. Moving slower, this time their lips connected and he focused on putting all of his thoughts behind it. "Yes, Sasuke. I'm definitely sure that I'm in love with you."

This time, it was Sasuke who leaned in to finish the kiss, holding on to Naruto with a desperation that terrified him, but he was even more scared to let go. He felt though when Naruto took over, pulling him in close and wrapping his arms around his back. The control he'd fought so hard to hold on to finally slipped away and he knew then that he'd found someone that he wouldn't have to hide away from. Naruto had already seen him at his worst and at that moment, he was overcome by just how undeserving of him he was.

~.~.~

The shadows grew long as they sat there on the hardwood floor, still huddled together. Naruto felt Sasuke's soft breathing, knowing he'd cried himself out and was sleeping once more. He wanted to move, to maybe even take a bite of the (definitely cold) grilled cheese sandwich that'd been all but forgotten, but doing so would wake the raven and he was reluctant to do that, even if Sasuke had already slept for days.

In the end, it was his aching knees that made him decide. Standing up painfully, he braced Sasuke to keep him from falling, then scooped him up in his arms. He carried him into the only bedroom and, once again, tucked him into the covers. Going back into the hall, he retrieved the crutches and put them beside the bed within easy reach.

He then cleaned up the food, though not before sampling a bite; Sasuke was right, cold, melted cheese was gross, though the bread was still a bit crunchy. And besides, he'd never had food to just waste so he opted to eat both of their food as he sat on the porch watching the sunset.

Just as the sky turned a deep blue before complete nightfall, he heard the stumping of the crutches, announcing Sasuke was awake. The Uchiha sat down in one of the rocking chairs that'd come with the house, quietly pushing back and forth with his foot. Naruto's only reaction was to reach over and take his hand, enjoying the silence in the descending dark.

At least until Sasuke spoke.

"We still need to talk, Naruto."

"Yeah. I figured as much," Naruto conceded.

"No matter how you feel, we can't abandon Konoha," Sasuke said, causing Naruto to look at him. Sasuke already saw the retort being readied but he kept his own voice calm. "Yes, I'm aware of how the village feels about me. But I promised myself to protect the Leaf. They're scared of me because of who I was and if I walk away and never go back, that's all they'll ever know about me. It's not enough for me to just say what I'll do; I have to actually prove it. You know that better than even me, right Mr. Nindo?" Sasuke coaxed.

But Naruto wasn't going to let it go that easily. "Let's also not forget that the only reason we found you was because they wanted to keep tabs on you. They wanted to make sure you weren't causing trouble, not ensuring you weren't in danger."

"Am I supposed to be mad at that?" Sasuke actually laughed softly, chuckling again when Naruto grunted at his reaction. "No matter the reason, it led you to me." In the quiet darkness, those words rang with a profoundness that made him blush. "If anything then, I have Tsunade's suspiciousness to thank for saving me."

"Yeah, well, I think the old bag's gone a bit senile," the blonde huffed, childishly folding his arms. Still, he knew Sasuke was right. His shoulders slumped as he dropped his arms. "It's just that…I love Konoha. I truly don't want to hate the village, but never in a million years did I think they'd be the type to still turn their backs on you, even after proving yourself during the war. It just seems completely cruel."

Sasuke nodded, his outline just visible in the now rising moonlight. "They have legitimate reasons though. Still, that doesn't mean I have to remain static. I'm able to reshape myself so that they can see me how I want them to. I mean, it did work for you so I guess I'll just have to do the same, right?"

Never in his lifetime did Naruto expect to receive inspirational advice from Sasuke, but he certainly wasn't complaining. It was getting lonesome being the wild dreamer out of everyone he knew so it was endearing to know Sasuke could have such hopes and dreams too. "So, what do we do about our current situation?" They might as well get down to the tough talks.

"We need to go back," Sasuke said quietly and he didn't miss when the blonde let out a long breath. "Konoha's in danger. If we stay here and people die…you know you wouldn't want that on your conscious."

A stab hit Naruto's heart. While ensuring he didn't lose Sasuke was extremely important, so was his hometown. For as much frustration he felt right now, the people of the village didn't deserve death. 'An eye for an eye' wasn't how he was going to become Hokage. And that way of thinking certainly hadn't aided him in uniting nearly the entire shinobi world.

Continuing, Sasuke told him, "I also have information to give to Tsunade about those people who kidnapped me. Besides, there's a chance they might still come after me. Which is actually fine as I want my reven—ouch!"

Naruto had pinched his arm, giving an almost comical glare. "Last time you did something in the name of "revenge", you were gone for three years!" he yelled, snatching his hand back. "You can get your revenge, but we do it together. None of that running off to take on everyone by yourself, got it?"

"Whatever, idiot," Sasuke grumbled, rubbing the sore spot. "If what I heard when I was in the village is correct, sounds like you still need to take your own advice on that."

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't have anything to say to that as, once again, he was right.

For a long while, they sat and said nothing, watching as the sky darkened further with the stars being blotted out by clouds. In the summer heat, a lightning storm began with soundless flashes tucked away in the sky. Naruto closed his eyes to the warm wind that fluttered his hair and clothes, loving the sound of the trees and the grass and felt as though he could almost understand their whispered secrets. All of it made him feel a small ache and he knew he was already getting homesick.

"So…when do we leave?" He asked to Sasuke, who'd also closed his eyes, tilting his head up in the breeze.

Sasuke blinked a few times, coming back to himself as though having forgotten he was on the porch. Naruto wondered curiously what he'd been thinking about. "As soon as possible, I'd recommend. It shouldn't take me long to recuperate, maybe a week at most. I'd say once I'm able to walk, we can leave." He watched in interest as a bolt of lightning traced across the sky, the electricity resonating with his own lightning chakra. It made him feel powerful, like he could walk right then and there.

In fact, he decided to give it a try. He stood up, his legs already wobbling a bit and managed to make it two steps before he knew that he was close to collapsing. Naruto sprang to his feet, helping to support him until he got the crutches under his arms. Sasuke stood there for a moment, breathing hard as he ensured he had his balance. "Can't blame me for at least trying," he tiredly grinned.

Naruto kissed his cheek sympathetically. "An 'A for effort' as they say?"

"Mm, something like that," he murmured. Sasuke returned the kiss with one on the mouth, and he took a moment to envision what that must look like, their profiles lit for only brief seconds as though the entire sky was a strobe light. There were no neighboring homes within sight that he could see and emboldened by their relative seclusion, he held the kiss longer. As his tongue slipped across the threshold of Naruto's lips, his body reminded him that it'd been much too long since they'd been intimate.

For a moment, Naruto couldn't help kissing back hungrily, sensing Sasuke's obvious desire and feeling rather neglected himself. However, Sasuke was injured and no matter what their bodies wanted, anything too…strenuous would likely cause more harm. He ended the kiss, having to put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder to hold him back when he attempted to continue. "I didn't know thunderstorms made you horny," he snickered, the joke helping him to feel less tense.

For a moment, Sasuke thought about still pressing the issue; there was no mistaking that want in Naruto's eyes. But his body did hurt, an aching he'd been ignoring since he had first woken up. Even the smallest things took a great amount of effort so there was no way he could see himself being…ahem, satisfactory…in his current condition. To Naruto's comment, he shrugged and admitted, "My chakra sort of resonates when there's lightning in the air, and it's almost like I feel stronger when there's a storm."

As it was getting late, Naruto guided them back inside, making his way to the kitchen to fix a snack for them. "If actual lightning makes you stronger, I wish it worked that way with me and wind chakra. I've never felt a breeze and just felt more powerful," he laughed, digging in the cupboard.

Coming to sit at the dining room table, Sasuke shook his head at him. "Well, lightning is uniquely its own thing," he said with just a hint of superiority. "However, in terms of fighting, it's always been recommended to use the elements around you and infuse your chakra with it to be more powerful. Why do you think I usually wait for lightning to use Amaterasu? If I didn't, it would otherwise take too much energy. Have you ever thought of capturing wind to use for your Rasengan?"

Naruto paused in measuring rice for the rice cooker. "How the hell do you capture wind? Wait…isn't that pretty much the Rasengan anyways?"

Sasuke looked into those confused blue eyes and laughed. "You tell me, it's your technique. But I'd say that it's partially about that. You're making wind take physical form, which is difficult on its own as unlike the other chakra elements, you can't see wind in most cases. But it might be easier if you used the act of wind naturally blowing to aid in swirling the chakra to form the Rasengan sphere. Maybe you should study wind patterns or something to help get a better idea."

To that, Naruto snapped the lid of the rice cooker down, looking over his shoulder with a grimace. "I graduated the academy so that I wouldn't have to do homework anymore! Please don't recommend studying to me."

A piece of Sasuke wanted to inform him that just because they were out of the academy didn't mean they'd never need to study but he figured the argument would fall on deaf ears. Instead, he grinned as he held his hands up in surrender, showing he would drop the issue.

They finished the night eating his favorite rice ball snack which Naruto had made as a form of reconciliation. Filling Sasuke in on everything he'd missed over the last few months, Naruto dared to feel optimistic that at last, everything was starting to move in the right direction.

Chapter name inspired by the beautiful instrumental music of the same name by U137.