Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me

Ages:
Naruto: 20
Sasuke: 22

Beat The Odds
Chapter 5: We Met at...School?

October 13 2007 - 1 year and 1 month together

Talking to your parents - well guardian, about having a partner was much harder than Naruto expected. He had planned to keep Sasuke a personal secret, well aside from his friends. He was hoping his guardian would never know. Mostly because Kakashi was always saying weird things, like 'just because there is a goalie doesn't mean you can't score.'

It was casual how Sasuke was brought up, he was munching on some chips while channel surfing. He had come home for the weekend, thankful to get away from campus. It was during one of the commercials about losing weight when Kakashi decided to blurt out, "who is Sasuke?"

That's when Naruto almost choked on a chip and his mind fizzled out and died.

"A friend." Naruto quickly replied, not ready to explain a boyfriend...who doesn't live here nor has he physically met. The commercial seemed much more interesting than before.

"Really?" Kakashi's eye curved up and a smirk was obvious behind his facial mask. Yes, his adopted dad wore a mask. Why? Naruto had no clue, he had given up on finding out why when he was a kid.

"Yes." Naruto eyed him. Technically boyfriend had the word friend in it.

"Do all of your friends send you birthday gifts from the US?"

Naruto eyes widened and immediately narrowed.

"You opened my mail?"

"No."

Naruto eyed him critically. He knew that Kakashi would not open his mail - aside from it being a federal offence. The man was more respectful than he appeared. So when he pulled out a small parcel, blue eyes widened and scrutinized the package as it was placed on his lap.

"Open it."

The demand in that voice made Naruto chuckle because it was said in a childish way rather than authorative. Kakashi may be 40 years plus (his real age, also a mystery to Naruto), but had a childish side that rivalled his own.

He glanced at the address written on the box, and figured that's how Kakashi found about Sasuke. He slowly opened the brown box, removed the tissue paper that was laying in the box and pulled out a small card.

The card was simple, had a little hand drawn fox with the words "Happy Birthday" arched above the fox. Inside was a simple 'have a good day' and Sasuke's signature. Sasuke wasn't the mushy romantic type, but he did small things that were more romantic than words could describe, like the card itself. Naruto loved that Sasuke drew for him.

Kakashi watched him place the card down, and stared at the orange drawn fox probably trying to figure out what was written inside. Naruto knew that his excuse that Sasuke was a friend was being critiqued. Rightfully so, but he didn't need to know that -not yet.

He turned his attention back to the box. At the bottom of the box was just a piece of paper. Naruto slowly pulled it out, his eyes scanning over it before his jaw almost hit the floor. He paid no mind to the fact that Kakashi was now reading the piece of paper over his shoulder with a frown of confusion.

"Just a friend, huh?" the man murmured, turning grey eyes to his son. "Since when do friends give gifts like that?" he gestured to the paper and crossed his arms.

There was a no bullshit sound to the question-he wanted the truth. Naruto tore his eyes away from the paper for a second but immediately glanced back at it. It still had the e-ticket to Chicago on it. Maybe it was fake? He dismissed the thought, Sasuke would not joke about this.

Without thought he pulled out his phone, ignoring his guardians' question and holding up his index finger. He just needed a minute to process and to figure out whether this was a joke or not. Kakashi's answer can wait a few seconds.

He pulled Sasuke's text history up with ease and quickly typed out a short 'is this ticket a joke?'

He pocketed the phone and turned his eyes to Kakashi who was still waiting. He bit his lip, turning his eyes back to the paper. He had to answer the question even if he felt his stomach tumble uncomfortably.

"He's a friend...who is sort of a boyfriend?"

Might as well rip the bandaid off. He wasn't ashamed of the relationship but...how do you explain this to your parent? Kakashi had raised him since he was six, this was new for both of them. He never had a boyfriend - or girlfriend - before. All twenty years of his life, well nineteen, he had been single.

"How come you never told me?"

Guilt washed through him. He couldn't tell him the truth - that he had never physically met Sasuke so he never brought it up to Kakashi who would no doubt demand a meeting or dinner.

"It's complicated." The confidence just oozed off him.

"What do you mean?"

"He lives in the US."

"How'd did you meet then?"

Well damn. He couldn't say 'online game' and chuckle it off.

No, that would result in a grounding (even at twenty) and permanent loss of phone use. He had the online safety talk too many times to throw out, that not only did he meet Sasuke in an online game, but he also was apparently -maybe - going to meet said guy in Chicago. His heart beat and he sincerely wished this was not some sick joke.

He quickly shook his head and dismissed those thoughts. How did he meet Sasuke, what would be believable.

"School."

It was possible and reasonable. Exchange students come and go and they live abroad. Naruto mentally patted his back, it would be near impossible to prove this wrong.

"Really?" Kakashi smiled, "how'd you meet?"

"He was lost," and then Naruto mentally cursed his brain for becoming a walking cliche.

"That didn't really answer the question."

Naruto groaned and proceeded to tell Kakashi exactly how he 'met' Sasuke. It was utter shit, but Kakshi didn't know that. As far as he knew, Sasuke was lost looking for a lecture hall and Naruto was headed that way and they got to talking and enjoyed each others company on the short walk. Afterwards they exchanged emails and kept in touch. It later transformed to attraction and then a relationship soon afterward.

Naruto knew he was going to hell for lying to his father-figure but the more he thought about it the more he had no problems with it, since this was Kakashi he had just saved himself from. He could be sadistic when he wanted to be.

Sasuke stared calmly at his older brother. The man had a sinister smile on his face.

"So I heard you on the phone the other day." Lie 1, Itachi wasn't home the other day. "And I heard you were going to Chicago for a week and a day."

No point in replying to those since they were not questions and Sasuke was not about to set himself up for a trap. He could feel it, Itachi was searching for something like a bloodhound with a scent.

"Does this have anything to do with that not a boyfriend friend Naruto?"

Sasuke just stared at his brother which just made the elder Uchiha smile and raise an eyebrow in question.

"You know it's interesting that you're going to the city on the same week I will be in there as well!" Lie 2. Itachi always went into the city on the last week of the month, and in December he usually didn't go into the city at all. This had been the trend with his brother for the past six years, so logically Itachi was purposely going to Chicago the same weekend that they would be there. Now how he found out that Sasuke was going to be with Naruto that week was a mystery better left untouched.

"Hn."

"I would love to meet your not a boyfriend friend since he'll be in the city as well. He's from Canada right? I bet we could find a lot to talk about."

Sasuke felt his head start to throb and it didn't help that his phone decided to make a sound notifying him of a new text message. It would have to wait.

"Itachi." He was glad that came out less murderous than his emotions right now. "You're not meeting him."

"Why?" he innocently questioned, "he's just a friend right?" Sasuke could almost see the twinkle of a challenge in those eyes.

"If he's not?"

And there was the victory in those eyes. Sasuke pretended not to care or notice.

"Then I wouldn't dream of bothering you guys." He told and nodded his head, "although if I do bump into you guys purely by accident, that is out of my control."

It was at that point that Sasuke walked away and decided to check his phone.

Kakashi had abandoned the third degree interrogation when Naruto received a reply from Sasuke.

Not a joke. [4:10pm]