Thank you for reading, and thanks to edenforest1, loveless, Nivell, Magical Reality, and Alteegry for reviewing.
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Chapter Four
Four days ago, shopping would have been the last thing on Sasuke's mind. He didn't like it. Naruto shared the sentiment. They both acknowledged it was part of the process that came along with taking responsibility for the kid, but neither of them held any particular inclination to take that step.
Doing laundry asserted the kid not only needed clothes but something more along the lines of a wardrobe. Including the clothes the kid was wearing when he arrived on the doorstep, three days worth of shorts, a week's worth of shirts, even less underwear than Naruto had, and a pair of sandals didn't count. The extra white toothbrush that used to be in the cabinet under the sink didn't count, either. Now it sat in the toothbrush holder on top of the sink, in between Naruto's yellow one and Sasuke's blue one, and was among the continually growing list of necessities Naruto and Sasuke had compiled the day before.
It was by sheer luck the clothes Sakura had given them managed to fit. Unfortunately, they were also tailor made. As well, the clothes the kid was originally wearing had no tags or anything that indicated size. It left Naruto and Sasuke with no choice other than taking the kid from store to store. The three of them would probably raise more questions than Sasuke admittedly would care for. However, their only option of finding the kid's size was through trial and error, having the kid try on clothes, and spending time indulging in the kind of activity both he and Naruto tried fervently to avoid.
Sasuke simply had an aversion of crowds and didn't have the patience to deal with too many people at one time. Naruto found the idea of being seen in public shopping for a kid too embarrassing. His argument, which was little more than a feeble attempt to deny the inevitable, was that they were supposed to keep the situation about the kid as much of a secret as possible until things were further situated.
Going shopping meant bringing the kid along and therefore meant not only disclosing the kid but possibly Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, as well. Naruto's plea was a desperate effort not to go, compelling if Sasuke actually cared about what people thought of him and if they hadn't already made a commitment to raise the kid. But while he did understand why Naruto had given up what little self-respect he had left and was practically close to being on his knees and pleading not to go shopping, Sasuke absolutely refused to suffer alone, and eventually managed to persuade Naruto to go with the promise of getting the kid to sleep in the guest room tonight.
The initial plan was to leave early in the morning when stores first opened in order to avoid most of the casual shoppers; it would be easier not to draw too much attention with less people. But the kid, being a kid and therefore being even more unpredictable than Naruto, chose this particular morning not to listen.
The day began with failed attempts by both Sasuke and Naruto to wake the kid, followed by the kid's nonstop crying when they wouldn't let him go back to sleep. Trying to get the kid dressed and making breakfast, somewhere in between was the smell of burnt eggs and eye watering smoke from the oven mitt that caught on fire because Naruto left it on the stove. And while Naruto tried to apologize and assure Sasuke the important thing was that he didn't burn down the house, Sasuke struggled not to give into the urge to strangle Naruto for being so careless and putting the kid in hysterics when the smoke detector went off.
Fortunately, there was no damage done and the house was still intact when they finally did manage to leave. Unfortunately, it also seemed the majority of the village picked this day to be out, and after spending two hours roaming through stores and weaving in and out of throngs of people, Sasuke found himself more than ready to go back home.
It was midday, when the sun was at its peak, and far too hot for Naruto to be walking so close to him.
"People are still staring at us," Naruto whispered, bumping his shoulder into Sasuke's.
"Your point being?"
Naruto snorted. "That we've been going up and down the same place for the last twenty minutes and people are still staring at us."
"And obviously you're not helping the situation," Sasuke hissed back, rubbing the palm of the small and sweaty hand holding onto his fingers.
"Well," Naruto said anxiously, "is it us or the kid?"
"I don't know. Both—probably you," Sasuke answered, trying to ignore the way Naruto's arm kept sliding against his. For someone who seemed so concerned earlier about people discovering their relationship, Sasuke didn't think Naruto could get any closer to him than he already was.
It was bad enough he and Naruto were being seen together, and holding hands with a kid who looked uncannily like Naruto at first glance was even worse. Though, it wasn't being seen with Naruto and the kid that Sasuke minded. People in this village tended to be annoyingly presumptuous when it came to him, even Naruto to a lesser extent, but Sasuke knew he sometimes brought out the worst in people. Coupled with the stares, the pointing fingers, and the incessant whispering that was really too loud to be called whispering, today was an experience Sasuke could have done without; however, he was more worried about what kind of effect it would have on the kid.
"It's not like anybody can see he has my hair, right? Because that'd be kind of hard to miss," Naruto said, leaning closer to murmur into Sasuke's ear. He had no sense of tact whatsoever. "You should have let me dye it black or something."
"We are not going though this. Again." Sasuke nudged Naruto away, trying to put some distance between them. The kid had already made himself an extension of Sasuke's right side. He didn't need Naruto attached to his left. "It doesn't matter. People can't tell, anyway."
"I guess…" Naruto said, although he didn't sound that convinced. "Or do you think it's because the hat's too cute?"
Sasuke opened his mouth, ready to denounce such an inane idea, but then found himself actually beginning to consider it. That the black and white character hat with the ears on top that barely concealed the kid's blond hair had something to do with the attention they were receiving. Sasuke wouldn't go as far as calling the hat cute, but it was certainly distracting enough that other people may have thought of it as cute. Cute in a way that endorsed sickeningly sweet cooing noises and indiscernible sounds from adults who temporarily regressed mentally at the sight—maybe it was just enough to draw attention from how much the three of them gave the impression of being a family.
While Sasuke continued to dwell on the possibility, Naruto said slowly, "You know I wasn't being serious." He was staring at Sasuke with both eyebrows raised, as if he could somehow tell Sasuke was actually mulling over the cuteness of the hat and the consequences because of it. "…right?"
Lips pursed, Sasuke pointedly ignored the question. He didn't want to admit Naruto hadn't been too far from the truth. "The two of us are shopping. I'm holding hands with a kid, and you're practically breathing down the back of my neck. Why do you think people are staring at us?"
"Hmm..." Naruto looked at Sasuke thoughtfully, closing the small gap between Sasuke and himself once more. Knowing Naruto, despite hearing what Sasuke said, he was probably doing it on purpose. "Good point."
"It's not as if you can do anything about it." Sasuke nudged Naruto away for seemingly tenth time today. "Even if they are looking, just ignore them. They'll stop eventually."
"Yeah, but—"
"Naruto," the kid interrupted, stopping Naruto and Sasuke in the middle of the street. Clutching a small bottle of water to his chest, he let go of Sasuke's hand and tugged on Naruto's shirt. "Can we go home now?"
Eyebrows raised, Naruto looked at Sasuke but didn't say anything. Unlike Sasuke, he hadn't heard the kid refer to their house as home, and Sasuke realised it had taken Naruto by surprise. "You're ready to go...home?"
"Un." The kid nodded. "I'm tired."
"We're leaving now. Let's just…" Naruto began. His voice trailed off, and he broke into a grin when something behind Sasuke caught his eye. "Hold these for me, would you?" He handed Sasuke the three large bags he was carrying, letting go before Sasuke had a chance to give them back.
Already holding two bags of his own in one hand, Sasuke grunted at the additional weight. "What do you mean hold these? What am I holding these for?"
"I want to get something before we go." Naruto's hand brushed across Sasuke's, giving it a light squeeze before Naruto kneeled down and placed his hand on the kid's shoulder. "I'll be back. Just wait for me, okay?"
The kid looked doubtful and hesitated to answer. "…okay."
"Naruto, where are you going?" Sasuke asked, frowning when Naruto stood.
"It's a surprise," Naruto called out, already running in the opposite direction.
Sasuke sighed when he turned around and saw Naruto heading in the direction of a yakitori stand. He didn't see the purpose in Naruto running off like that; why couldn't Naruto just say he was going to buy food?
"Come on." Resigned, Sasuke held out his other hand and waited for the kid to take it. When the small hand took hold of his fingers, he led the kid across the street and headed toward a bench in front of a bookstore that was in the process of being renovated. He couldn't exactly go chasing after Naruto, not while trying to balance five bags. He had a kid to look after.
When they took a seat on the bench, the kid peered at Sasuke with questioning eyes. "Sasuke, is Naruto…?"
"He's coming back."
"Oh." The kid took a sip from his water bottle and wiped his mouth. After placing the bottle into his lap, he leaned into Sasuke's side. "Then we can go home?"
"Sure." Sasuke let himself fall against the bench. The surface was hard and the bench itself pressed awkwardly into his back, but it was still hot and the two hours they'd been here had been prolonged long enough that Sasuke didn't care.
Despite his initial reluctance from this morning, the kid was the one dragging Sasuke and Naruto through the crowded streets. The kid took them from store to store excitedly, as if it was his first time being out like this, which Sasuke surmised it probably was.
They ended up grabbing the first thing that caught the kid's eye, basic necessities like pants, shirts, socks—all questionable in colour, though Naruto and the kid obviously thought otherwise when the kid tried on that inexcusably bright green and orange jacket in front of the mirror—and two pairs of shoes that were refreshingly non-descript in comparison. They bought toothbrushes, too, smaller ones the kid could actually hold in his hand; alongside more toothpaste since the kid didn't like the taste of what they already had; bubble bath that smelled like apples the kid almost ran out of the store with; blue soap in the shape of flowers because it was on sale and they needed soap no matter how much Naruto tried to argue using it would be a slight to his masculinity; among other things Sasuke lost count of but he was sure five large bags were beyond the scope of what was on the list.
Their budget was already tight. Sasuke didn't have his family name to depend on, those assets seized not long after he left the village, and the money he had saved over the years wasn't money to spend carelessly. Working at the Academy paid roughly enough to get by, and while Naruto made more than him, it wasn't by much. Between the two of them, it was enough to live comfortably, but with the kid in the picture, they'd probably have to cut back on a few things.
Starting after today.
When the basic necessities were taken care of, they spent the rest of time sightseeing. The kid was still wary of people he didn't know, namely anyone who wasn't Sasuke or Naruto, but managed to put his normal apprehension aside in favour of poking around an old toy store, where the kid developed an attachment to a stuffed turtle he wouldn't let go of that Naruto caved in and bought for him even though the kid gave it to Sasuke to hold as soon as the turtle was paid for; and staring in awe at the lavish cakes in a bakery, where the kid received a free sample of the cake he wanted to try but ended up spitting out into a napkin and—
"Hey, Uchiha Sasuke!"
The kid shifted into Sasuke's side at the voice, and Sasuke groaned when he turned and saw Kiba coming towards them. Although, for once, Akamaru wasn't in sight, and Sasuke was glad he didn't have to deal with the possibility of the kid's less than enthusiastic response to Kiba's dog.
He and Kiba weren't necessarily on good terms. However, they weren't necessarily on bad terms, either, and it made trying to avoid Kiba that much more difficult. Kiba was crude most of the time, painfully frank to the point of being insensitive the rest of the time, and while he had in fact moved beyond the stage of denial to acknowledge, if not accept, Naruto and Sasuke's relationship, Sasuke really wasn't in the mood to deal with trying to explain the kid currently resolved to find some way to burrow into his side.
Rubbing his forehead, Sasuke said, "What do you want?"
"I was—whoa, what's with the kid?"
"Is it any of your business?"
"Well, you know," Kiba began, crossing his arms, "if you're running a baby-sitting service or something like that…"
Sasuke didn't bother to respond. It was an attempt to provoke him that hadn't worked the first time, and the only reason Kiba continued to try was because he personally found it hilarious that Sasuke worked under Iruka with the younger kids enrolled in the Academy.
"I can't believe you're so touchy." Kiba smirked, a look that wasn't becoming on him. "Really, you'd think after all these years you'd eased up by now."
"Why are you still here?"
"Actually, I came looking for Naruto." Kiba blinked and uncrossed his arms. "Wasn't he here just a minute ago?"
A reply on the tip of his tongue, Sasuke paused when he felt more movement at his side and looked down to see the kid was pulling at his shirt. He frowned. Sasuke knew the kid was only sociable when he wanted to be, but he didn't have any problems being around so many people earlier. He wasn't sure what it was about Kiba that was making the kid uncomfortable.
"Sasuke, I don't want…" The kid frowned, unintentionally mirroring the expression on Sasuke's face as he buried his head in Sasuke's shoulder, which made the hat fall off his head and into Sasuke's lap. Naturally, it didn't take long for Kiba to react.
"What the…" Kiba stammered. He jumped back and raised a finger at the kid, his mouth opening and closing in an exaggerated fashion.
Quickly, Sasuke put the hat back on the kid and tried to cover the few traces of blond hair sticking out. It may have been pointless considering Kiba had seen the kid's hair, but Sasuke had no intention of causing an even bigger scene. A few people had already stopped to stare. Thankfully, it didn't appear as if they'd seen why Kiba had recoiled.
"Before you—"
"Look, I know it's already pretty intense between you guys, but seriously, man—what the hell?"
Sasuke sneered. For a moment, he'd forgotten exactly how tactless Kiba could be. The kid didn't need to be subjected to that kind of reaction, and Sasuke didn't want to draw more attention than Kiba was apparently trying to. "Are you really—?"
"Naruto," the kid cried, letting go of Sasuke as Sasuke and Kiba turned to see Naruto walking toward them.
Naruto was carrying three skewers in one hand, each with pieces of grilled chicken stacked close together and wrapped in parchment paper. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Kiba…"
Kiba lowered his finger slowly. Eyes wide, his gaze went from the kid to Naruto, back to the kid, and finally settled on Naruto.
"Kiba…" Naruto took a tentative step forward, standing beside Kiba. "It's not what you think, all right," he said tightly. "Just let me explain."
When Kiba didn't respond, Naruto poked him in the shoulder with his free hand. "Um...Kiba?"
"I…I—I guess I came looking for you at a bad time."
"I know it's a lot to take in right now, but—"
"Shut up, Naruto. I'm trying really, really hard not to freak out right now, okay?"
"…okay," Naruto said oddly. Pushing the shopping bags aside, he took a seat on the bench, the kid sitting in between him and Sasuke.
"Naruto?" the kid said, looking at the food Naruto was holding. He extended his hand to Naruto. "I want one."
"Smells good, right? I figured since you don't like sweet things, you'd like this." Naruto gave the kid a bright smile, able to ignore the fact that Kiba seemed to be the only one who felt out of place. "It's yakitori."
"Yakitori," the kid repeated, removing the paper wrapped around the chicken. "Is it good?"
"Meat on a stick is always good. But it's hot, too, so blow on it first," Naruto said, handing Sasuke one of the skewers while he made sure the kid blew on the meat before he took a bite.
Accepting the food, Sasuke made a noncommittal noise in thanks. He began to eat the chicken nonchalantly, which, judging by the look on Kiba's face, was just as alarming as Naruto offering yakitori to the kid as if it were an everyday occurrence.
"Did you get napkins?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto nodded, digging into his pocket to pull out napkins to give to Sasuke. "Here."
"Um…" Clearly not at ease, Kiba licked his lips, and Sasuke had to commend him for being able to keep his composure so far. "He looks like…"
"Yeah, about that…it's complicated." Naruto laughed nervously. "I mean, you should have been there when I first saw him."
Kiba turned from Naruto to Sasuke. Sitting down with Kiba standing over them, Sasuke didn't appreciate the vantage point but was enjoying the turn of events, taunting Kiba with the apparent normality of the situation.
"Is this really what I think it is?" Kiba asked Sasuke.
"Depending on what you think this is," was the bland answer.
Taking a bite out of his chicken, Naruto snorted. "You're not helping, Sasuke."
Kiba looked mortified, just short of having a nervous breakdown. Then, to Sasuke's amusement, Kiba closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and murmured something incoherent. Exhaling, he opened his eyes and faced Naruto again. "Oh…okay…so, u...uh, what's his name?"
Before either Sasuke or Naruto had a chance to admit they didn't know, the kid said something muffled by the mouthful of chicken he was chewing, words jumbled among the bits of meat falling onto his shirt.
After swallowing the food in his mouth, the kid tried again. "Hotaru," he said, pronouncing it so easily, so assertively, that it couldn't have been something fabricated on the spot. The kid had to have known and simply chosen not to say anything despite Sasuke and Naruto asking repeatedly.
Stunned, Naruto shared a glance with Sasuke before turning his attention back to the kid. "You knew your name all this time?"
Truthfully, "all this time" only translated into four days, but Sasuke and Naruto had already fallen into the assumption that the kid didn't have a name. It was only fair considering the kid would talk about anything and everything that didn't pertain to his name, his age, or where he came from. But Sasuke wasn't bothered by the fact the kid had purposely elected not to disclose that particular piece of information. No, it was the fact the kid could suddenly say it to Kiba that Sasuke found offensive.
He found it even more so when Kiba leaned closer to the kid—to…Hotaru—the shock from earlier traded for confusion as Kiba tilted his head and asked, "Isn't Hotaru a girl's name?"
...
So maybe the bright orange shirt did clash with Hotaru's hair, like Sasuke said. And maybe the even brighter red shorts weren't exactly helping, just like Sasuke said. But Hotaru was the one who picked out the clothes in the store, dressed himself when they got home, and Naruto thought Sasuke was making a big deal out of nothing…even if Naruto was the one to kind of persuade Hotaru towards those colours, which, despite what Sasuke also said, did not make Naruto colour-blind.
Of course, all Naruto had to do was bring up the disaster that was Sasuke trying to dress Hotaru in Naruto's old clothes, which was enough to shut Sasuke up.
Still, the red and orange really weren't so bad at night. Kind of fitting really, the way it made Hotaru stand out against the sky.
It was only a little after six o'clock, but it was getting darker earlier now, tomorrow longer and colder than yesterday as fall continued to gradually fade into winter, although it was still warm enough to lounge under the stars before it got too dark. There was this nice feeling that came with the three of them together, spread out on a blanket stretched over the grass and watching the fireflies that Naruto could only remember seeing when he was a kid. It was a feeling he could sink into, one of those moments that made the world around him go slowly until it eventually seemed to stop altogether.
Romantic, he wanted to say, did say, but only got a strange look in response from Sasuke, who rolled over on the blanket to face Naruto with a raised eyebrow.
"You really don't have any sense of wonder, do you?" Naruto said.
Covering a yawn, Sasuke closed his eyes and then folded his arms beneath his head.
"If you're that tired, go to sleep."
Sasuke peered at Naruto with one eye. "Aren't you the one that dragged me out here?"
"Well, it's not like you had to come."
Sasuke scoffed, and yeah, maybe Naruto forgot about how he and Hotaru had taken Sasuke outside against his will not too long ago, Hotaru pulling on Sasuke's arm and Naruto none too gently prodding Sasuke's back. In Naruto's defence, however, Hotaru was the one who wanted to get a closer look at the fireflies he'd never seen before. During dinner, Hotaru had caught a glimpse of them through the kitchen window, fireflies gathering in the clearing between the side of their house and the edge of the forest that continued beyond the borders of Konoha and into the country's neutral territory—except it seemed that Hotaru didn't want to go near the fireflies now that he was out here.
"Still won't change your mind, huh?" Naruto ruffled Hotaru's hair, the corner of his mouth lifting when Hotaru tried to push his hand away. "You can't really see the fireflies from all the way back here, you know."
"…I know," Hotaru said.
"What if I hold your hand? Would you want to see them up close, then?"
Hotaru shook his head, tightly clutching the blanket with his fist as he scooted closer to Sasuke. Any further and he probably would have been sitting on top of Sasuke.
"They're not scary," Naruto said softly. "I promise."
"But what if they bite me?"
Naruto pretended to think for a moment. "Well, I'm pretty sure fireflies don't bite, but even if they did, someone's going to have to protect Sasuke, right?"
Sasuke opened his eyes and sent Naruto a look that was far from agreeable. "The fireflies won't hurt you, Hotaru."
Trying not to laugh at Sasuke's expression, Naruto winked at Hotaru. "Don't worry. Sasuke's just trying to pretend he's not scared," he said loudly. There was no point in whispering when Sasuke would hear anyway, and he knew Sasuke wouldn't deny it if it helped Hotaru get over his fear. Other than muttering something Naruto couldn't hear, probably about inflicting bodily harm on Naruto in some shape or form, Sasuke was an empty threat for the time being.
Letting go of the blanket, Hotaru put what was supposed to be a comforting hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and Naruto knew if it had been anyone else, Sasuke would have reacted violently. "Then I have to protect Sasuke," he said with a firm nod, his voice steadier.
"Good." Naruto uncrossed his legs and stood, holding out his hand for Hotaru to take. "Because I don't think I can do it on my own."
Hesitantly, Hotaru removed his hand from Sasuke's shoulder and took Naruto's hand. He began to stand, peering at Naruto with a shaky smile but with large eyes so full of trust, and when their fingers touched, it just about caused all the butterflies in Naruto's stomach to burst.
That was when it hit him, when Naruto realised how hard he'd fallen for Hotaru and accepted there wasn't a chance of him being able to turn back.
He and Sasuke may have made the conscious decision yesterday, but there was something about calling the kid something other than…kid that made the whole situation seem more permanent, as if this was now something that couldn't be taken away from them, that Hotaru was someone that couldn't be taken away from them. Maybe because it was still so new, this ache in his chest that made him kind of giddy and why Naruto felt like he was caught in a moment he didn't want to end—and then there was this almost desperate need to keep saying Hotaru's name, to say it over and over again until he could trust himself not to forget it the next day.
But if they hadn't run into Kiba, Naruto wasn't sure if he and Sasuke would have ever learned Hotaru's name, if they would have ended up naming him something else entirely that didn't fit nearly as well as Hotaru did.
And despite what Kiba had thought at the time, Hotaru wasn't a girl's name. It was more uncommon for a guy, sure, but that didn't mean it was restricted to one sex, which Hotaru had been quick to let Kiba know by kicking him in the shin.
Naruto understood Hotaru being upset about Kiba pretty much implying that Hotaru was a girl. It was upsetting, and Kiba shouldn't have been so direct in his thoughts anyway. Naruto would have felt the same in Hotaru's shoes and would have done something in retaliation, too. He wasn't quite sure what that would be, but the kicking thing Naruto blamed entirely on Sasuke. When Kiba had howled in pain, Naruto could only wince in sympathy. He still had phantom pains on his arms and legs from when Sasuke let him know just how much he didn't appreciate Naruto calling Hotaru a brat, and seeing that Hotaru had usually been present when it did happen, it only made sense that Sasuke was setting a bad example.
Unsurprisingly, Sasuke didn't agree when Naruto had told him. Ignoring Kiba's moans of pain in the background, Sasuke didn't see any need to apologise to Kiba, claiming Kiba shouldn't have been inconsiderate, and any hope of getting an apology out of Hotaru, who had found a safe haven sitting close to Sasuke, was useless. Seeing that neither Sasuke nor Hotaru would budge, Naruto had no choice but to beg forgiveness for something he hadn't even done because he was associated with the kinds of people who refused to take responsibility for their actions. It was an apology Kiba didn't accept, and Naruto was only partially assured their friendship was still intact when Kiba hobbled away on one foot with what was left of his dignity.
But other than that slight misfortune, Kiba had taken the subject of Hotaru pretty well. Because he didn't know about Hotaru beforehand, Naruto could assume his earlier reservations about Sakura mentioning Hotaru were misplaced. Naruto couldn't be so sure what Kiba would do about the information, although he supposed it didn't really matter considering Hotaru wasn't just a not so well-guarded secret between him and Sasuke anymore.
They were like a family almost or maybe even more than that since it wasn't blood that tied them together. Lopsided in some ways, too, since they weren't traditional in any sense of the word, but if it was enough for strangers to see the three of them as one, Naruto wasn't going to disagree.
"Look, Naruto," Hotaru said softly, letting go of Naruto's hand as they came closer to the fireflies. His mouth was open in awe, eyes full of wonder as he watched the fireflies light up the sky. "…they're dancing."
"What'd I tell you?" Naruto smiled and reached to cup a firefly in his hands. "They're not scary at all."
Hotaru looked at him in excitement, and Naruto kneeled down to let Hotaru peek at the firefly through his fingers. "They don't hurt?"
"Nope." Naruto opened his palms and released the firefly. "Not at all."
"You let it go. Naruto, why…?"
Naruto laughed. "You can't keep them, you know."
"Why not?"
"Because if you keep them, that means they can't go home."
"Oh." Hotaru turned away, a longing in his eyes as his gaze wandered in the direction where Sasuke was. Naruto narrowed his eyes in concern, but before he had a chance to say anything, Hotaru looked at him with an ear-splitting grin. "Will Naruto teach me how to catch a firefly? I'll let it go home again."
Naruto was caught off guard by the quick change in mood but decided it was better not to bring it back up. He couldn't when Hotaru had that kind of pensive expression on his face. It wasn't something Naruto wanted to see again. "Okay," he began, "first, you have to pick out the one you want to catch. Do you see one?"
"Un…I found one."
"The next thing," Naruto continued, slowly moving to stand behind Hotaru, "and this is where you really have to concentrate, is to not take your eyes off it. All fireflies are bright, but you have to make sure yours is the brightest firefly you see, okay?"
Hotaru nodded his head absently.
"Because if you blink, you'll miss it."
"Okay."
"Then, when you want to catch it, you lift up your arms."
"Like this?" Hotaru asked, raising his hands in the air.
"Just like that," Naruto said, extending his arms toward Hotaru. "Open your hands…"
"Uh-huh."
"And when you're ready…" Naruto paused and quickly said, "You bring your hands together and hold on to the firefly as tight as you can." He wrapped his arms around Hotaru's waist, spinning the two of them around as he lifted Hotaru into the air.
"Naru…Na…" Squirming, Hotaru dissolved into a fit of gurgles and high pitched squeals. "Naruto, I'm not a firefly."
Naruto grinned. "Caught you, anyway, didn't I?"
Hotaru laughed again, pressing his cheek against Naruto's. "Naruto is silly."
"I may be silly, but you know what?" Naruto whispered.
"What?" Hotaru whispered back.
"I don't think I can let you go."
Hotaru grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt, holding on to it tightly. "I'm already home, Naruto."
...
"Is this a bad time, Sasuke?"
"It's always a bad time when you come like this."
"I thought that since you appeared to be more…content, lately—"
"And what does my behaviour have to do with you being here?"
"Nothing you would care to know. You just seem to be adjusting rather well given the circumstances."
"So, you're a voyeur now?" Sasuke said, letting the water out of the sink. His eyes travelled to the figure standing outside of the kitchen, partially shadowed by the lack of light in the hall.
"Occasionally," was the calm response. "I can be a casual observer, too."
"The kind of casual observer who lets himself in without a key?"
"You left the door open."
Sasuke snorted. "Try another one."
"Or I let myself in," the figure said, walking into the kitchen. With a slight nod, he passed Sasuke and headed towards the small round table positioned beneath a large window. "Whichever one you prefer."
"I'd prefer it if you left me alone and stopped taking it upon yourself to invade my personal space whenever you felt like it."
"I'm afraid that wasn't quite what I had in mind."
Sasuke dried his hands on a dish towel and draped it over the sink. "What are you doing here, Kakashi?"
It wasn't the first time Kakashi invited himself in and wouldn't be the last. Since Sasuke had come back, Kakashi, while not officially signed to do so, felt an unwarranted compulsion to keep an eye on him. Whether the habit was some sort of lingering guilt or the result of Kakashi minding him as he had done in the past, Sasuke didn't know. It was an irritating habit all the same, an invasion of the privacy he thought he'd finally earned, and under no circumstances did Sasuke want Kakashi to feel compelled to treat him as a responsibility.
Perhaps, it was more frustrating that Naruto knew about it, too, that Naruto made himself scarce whenever Kakashi was around in order to push Sasuke to speak to someone other than Naruto on a weekly basis. Naruto didn't believe him when Sasuke said his encounters with Kakashi weren't ones that he enjoyed.
Kakashi pulled a chair from under the table, turning it around before sitting down. He crossed his arms and placed them on the back of the chair. "Have a seat."
"I'd rather stand."
"Fair enough." Kakashi shrugged. "So…his name is Hotaru, is it?" he began conversationally, and Sasuke refrained from asking how Kakashi knew about Hotaru's name. "I suppose it's a good thing that means he's no longer simply 'kid'. Maybe even something more by now?"
"You're really trying my patience—especially when I'm telling you something you're already fully aware of doing."
"Can you fault me for being curious about the child I regard as my nephew?"
"Yes," Sasuke said shortly, unable to tell if Kakashi was being serious or not. "And that offer was never extended to you."
"Ah, so it wasn't." Kakashi took Sasuke's comment in stride, deliberately digressing into the more mundane exchange they went through every time Kakashi decided to drop in unannounced. "Aren't you going to offer me tea?"
"You don't like the tea I have." Sighing, Sasuke leaned against the counter. "Why'd you come by this time?" he asked, not expecting a straight answer and surprised when he received one more forward than usual.
Kakashi rested his head against his palm, his gaze inscrutable. "To remind you that your mission is in two days."
Sasuke looked at Kakashi sceptically. However flippant he may have appeared to others, Kakashi was decidedly an objective man and someone who was rarely without an ulterior motive. It wasn't something Sasuke could easily forget. "Is that all?"
"Among other things possibly, though, in truth, I'm wondering how the scroll is coming along. More specifically, I suppose you can say I'm wondering if you've had an opportunity to make sense of it or not."
"That was voluntarily and not part of the mission I was assigned—or so you told me."
"Then, I can safely assume that you've finished translating it?" Kakashi asked lightly, although, to Sasuke it was more of a statement than a question.
As of yesterday, Sasuke had finished translating the scroll. It didn't take long, no more than two of the six days he was allotted to do so. Yet it was strange to see that Kakashi was so intrigued with something that turned out to be no more than an abstract piece of fiction, written in an obscure dialect Sasuke vaguely remembered seeing when he was younger fromthe title of a book sitting on top of the shelf he never had the opportunity to reach in his father's study.
He didn't remember enough to interpret the scroll from memory alone and had found time between taking care of Hotaru and dealing with Naruto to visit the old library in the Uchiha compound. Due to lack of attention, it was poorly maintained, overgrown with weeds and infested with insects, but Sasuke had found a few pieces of source material that made translating easier.
The scroll, Sasuke had soon realised, was no more than an unfinished fable disguised as a hastily scribbled children's tale. With no obvious significance, it chronicled the story of a boy abandoned by his family and his attempts to find his way back by capturing a firefly in a jar each night in the belief that it would eventually lead him home. The narrative suggested the story followed the boy through the course of one week; however, the last three days were missing. It ended on fourth day with the boy falling asleep and didn't continue further.
Initially, after translating the scroll, Sasuke had become conflicted, wondering if delivering a children's story to an important village such as Kusagakure, with whom Konoha was trying to reaffirm its political ties, was simply another excuse to mock him. He thought it was another way of reinforcing the notion that he wouldn't become anything more than an expendable messenger for Konoha, but then Hotaru had come into the picture. Hotaru had appeared the day Kakashi gave him the scroll, and Sasuke was beginning to have his misgivings about the coincidences he'd once been so quick to brush aside.
Because they made him feel him uneasy, discomfited in every way possible, and Sasuke frowned when he heard Kakashi call his name, bringing him back into the conversation. "You also said I wasn't allowed to discuss what I read if I did translate the scroll. Wasn't that one of the terms of the agreement? Or was it that you never expected me to be able to read it in the first place?"
"Hmm…that's not the easiest question to answer."
"A yes or no will do."
"It's more complicated than that."
"How much more complicated can it get? It can't mean—"
"It doesn't necessarily have to mean anything."
"Then why can't you just tell me what's so important about what's in the scroll and what it has to do with me?"
"Because I care," Kakashi said simply and without faltering. But there was a hidden meaning, an implication Sasuke didn't care to look into, and if weren't for the listless expression on Kakashi's face, Sasuke would have been able to assure himself those three words weren't just a convenient lie. Kakashi did care, but the statement was so ambiguous it could have been taken to mean a host of things.
Sasuke snorted. "You can't come up with a better excuse?"
"Does telling the truth still make you that uncomfortable?"
"Damn it, don't—" Sasuke gripped his hands on the edge of the counter; he could feel his knuckles beginning to bruise against the hard surface. He knew better than to think of Kakashi as someone who would pity him, but he couldn't stand the way Kakashi was looking at him now, couldn't stand that Kakashi was one of the few people who could read him so well. "Don't stare at me like that, Kakashi."
"Whatever it is that's eating away at you, you need to resolve it before you leave for this mission. I'm not staring at you any differently than normal, and if you can't see that, well…"
Sasuke closed his eyes.
"The onus is on you."
"…get out," Sasuke whispered harshly.
"Suit yourself." Kakashi stood and pushed the chair back under the table. His footsteps were soft against the floor, light taps that grew louder as he approached Sasuke and quieting when Kakashi stopped beside him. "But Sasuke…"
Sasuke flinched at nearness of Kakashi's voice and the subtle reprimand hidden beneath the shrewd tone.
"Don't you want to know how the story ends?"
...
Sasuke hadn't managed to convince Hotaru to sleep in the guest room after all, not that he even tried, but considering the three of them were already in the bed, Sasuke and Hotaru asleep, it was a little too late for Naruto to complain about Sasuke not coming through on his promise.
Other than the lack of warmth, the sharp elbow digging into his neck, the stuffed turtle pressed against his face, and the small foot trying to indent itself in his stomach, Naruto had somehow managed to get comfortable in the bed. If comfortable meant sharing Sasuke with Hotaru curled up between the two of them, tight hold on Sasuke's shirt and hogging the blanket from Naruto, sadly, it was probably the most comfortable he would be in bed for a while since Hotaru sneaking into their bed in the middle of the night was becoming a routine.
It hadn't started like that, of course, and tonight, as Sasuke said in order to persuade Naruto to go shopping, was supposed to be the night with the just the two of them. After coming back inside, Naruto had given Hotaru a bath. This time there were no mishaps in the bathroom but rather in the guest—Hotaru's—bedroom. Having forgotten Hotaru's clothes on the bed, Naruto had carried Hotaru, helping him pretend to fly, into the room where Naruto then spent fifteen minutes trying to get Hotaru into the new pyjamas he and Sasuke bought earlier. A considerable chunk of those fifteen minutes was spent making sure Hotaru didn't take the clothes off.
Initially, Naruto suspected Hotaru simply wasn't used to wearing a shirt with buttons but quickly dismissed the idea when, as soon as he was dressed, Hotaru unbuttoned the shirt and proceeded to pull off his pants with no hesitation. Dressing Hotaru then became a battle of determination, not so threatening glares, and a test of endurance to see who would blink first. Two and a half minutes into it, Naruto was convinced he had the upper hand. It was only when he saw Hotaru biting his lip and trembling, the kid on the verge of crying, did Naruto concede. A petty tactic, it was a low blow, but it worked; the kid probably knew Sasuke would walk in to see what happened and immediately place the blame on Naruto. So, instead of the pyjamas, Naruto helped Hotaru into one of Naruto's old t-shirts, which he couldn't remember placing on the bed, and Hotaru was more than content to let Naruto tuck him in, even giving Naruto a hug that was more or less rubbing salt into Naruto's wounded pride.
However, as soon as Naruto had tried to leave the room, before he made it through the doorway really, he heard movement coming from the mattress and turned to see that Hotaru had gotten out of bed to follow him. After three more attempts to tuck Hotaru in bed, one of which including turning on the lamp in case Hotaru was afraid of the dark, Naruto eventually settled on lying down with Hotaru, deciding a little nap wouldn't hurt.
Two hours later, wiping the drool from the side of his mouth, Naruto had woken up to see Hotaru's chest slowly rising up and down and bit back a curse when the clock told him how long his nap was. He removed himself from the bed carefully, doing his best not to wake Hotaru, and made it to his own room, where Sasuke had already fallen asleep. It was disappointing to see that Sasuke hadn't even bothered to stay up for him, but Naruto slipped into bed and fell asleep, too.
Not too longer after, Naruto had again woken up but to someone tugging on his hair. He opened his eyes to see Hotaru staring at him, somehow keeping a straight if not somewhat accusatory face while gripping the sheets with one hand, his stuffed turtle in the other, and pulling himself onto the bed.
And really, staring into those eyes, it was during this moment Naruto could identify with how Sasuke felt that first night with Hotaru, when Naruto hadn't yet been aware of Hotaru's sleeping habits or the fact that Hotaru was so set against sleeping alone.
Three days of crawling into their bed in the middle of the night was apparently enough for Hotaru to believe it was okay to do it the fourth day, which Naruto didn't exactly challenge when Hotaru crawled over him—Naruto didn't exactly challenge the misplaced foot in the crook of his shoulder or the finger that almost took out his eye, either—and rested his head on Sasuke's pillow. It was probably because Hotaru was used to the idea of Sasuke or Naruto sleeping with him, but Naruto had tried to explain the benefits of Hotaru having a room to himself with a bed that would more than accommodate Hotaru's strange ability to take up the space of someone three times his size. While Naruto and Sasuke's bed wasn't the biggest bed, it was a bed that had always been roomy enough for them. Yet, with the addition of someone like Hotaru, sleeping comfortably was becoming a thing of the past.
It was okay for tonight and most likely would be okay for a few more nights in the future (no more than two or three times a week would be ideal, although Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke would be as resolute), but ten years down the line, there was no way Naruto was letting Hotaru get away with sleeping with them. He and Sasuke would be—well, he didn't want to think about how old he and Sasuke would be then, but Hotaru would definitely be too old for something like this, and Naruto figured ten years would be more than enough time for Hotaru to grow out of this stage.
Hopefully, that would be the cut-off line. If not, then…
As much as Naruto liked Hotaru, to the point where he was willing to sacrifice any assured possibility of alone time with Sasuke for the next decade or so, it didn't mean he liked the feeling of being confined to the edge of his own bed nor did it mean he liked the pain associated with discovering how much of a liability Hotaru could be in it.
Because being smacked in the nose by the back of Hotaru's hand was why Naruto woke up for the third time tonight, and the throbbing that still continued somewhere around ten minutes later why he was still awake. The lack of warmth was a factor, too. And while Naruto realised getting another blanket would at least solve one of his problems, he also realised getting said blanket would require moving and getting out of the bed. Being semi-conscious, Naruto wasn't actually that far from drifting back to sleep. Plus, getting up would also risk him tripping over the turtle that had fallen off the bed, cloaked in darkness and waiting for his foot to take the wrong step—or so Naruto told himself.
It would definitely take time getting used to the way Hotaru slept. In some ways, Naruto could have argued sleeping with Hotaru was a safety hazard. Taking now for instance, when he felt Hotaru reaching for his face, small fingers roaming over his cheeks, one almost finding its way into Naruto's nostril, it was even more hazardous because Hotaru wasn't aware he was doing it. But when the hand continued to wander, brushing against the sideburns on Naruto's face, and fingers tickling his throat just before an arm wrapped itself around his neck—that, Naruto didn't think would take long to get used to.
So even if Sasuke hadn't kept his promise, even if being dangerously close to falling off the bed wasn't the most comfortable position or if Naruto could only lay claim to the corner of the blanket that barely covered his ankle, even if the pain from being hit in the face was still a dull throb—it wasn't that bad.
And when he felt Hotaru snuggling into his shoulder…
Yeah, Naruto could get used to that, too.