Wilting
Amarxlen
Maybe he kept them too long, he thinks as he frowns at the bouquet sitting on the nightstand in his bedroom.
Absentmindedly his fingers caress the red blossoms as he stares past them and contemplates when one should throw out their roses, despite the sentimental value.
Because they're not completely red anymore. They're wilting and the petals are separating from each other. The edges are turning black, like a flame is licking at them and he winces as the dried out rim crumbles under his touch.
Gingerly, he pulls his hand away and assesses the flower that collapsed, before sighing and wiping the rose dust onto his floor.
And again he's brought back to his dilemma.
When does one throw out their flowers?
"You still have those?" Startled, the blond falls off his bed with enough force to make the vase on his nightstand rattle.
"Sasuke!" he says as he rises from the floor, because he knows that voice anywhere. Without a word, the raven hops into the room, automatically sitting upon the bed. Naruto watches as Sasuke reaches out a pale hand to mimic the blonde's earlier actions of stroking the petals.
"You still have these?" He asks again, frowning slightly, his gaze moving from the wilting flowers to the now blushing blond.
"Obviously," Naruto snaps, becoming irritated. The Uchiha says it like he shouldn't still have them. And for a moment Naruto stares defiantly at Sasuke, while Sasuke stares back with an undecipherable expression. Then Sasuke turns his attention back to the roses, where the edge of another flower has turned to dust.
"But they're wilting," he points out, holding his hand out to Naruto to show him the blackened powder that rests in his palm. Slowly, the blond reaches up and scatters the residue across the raven's hand with his forefinger.
"I know that," he says, looking up into Sasuke's face.
"But," he turns towards the roses, and somehow they're holding hands as Naruto maneuvers to get more comfortable, back resting against Sasuke's legs.
"I'm not sure if I should get rid of them yet." He tilts his head up to look at Sasuke and finds the raven staring down at him.
"I don't want to get rid of them," he confesses and barely gets the sentence out before Sasuke's free hand is gently repositioning his face and his lips are covered with the raven's own.
He thinks he could have stayed there forever, drowning in the Uchiha's warmth and never needing to breathe, but eventually Sasuke pulls away and rests his forehead against blond spikes and tan skin.
"If you care about them that much, I'll just have to get you more," he promises.
"Really?" Naruto asks, and he can't help the grin that spreads across his face. The raven doesn't answer, just gives him one of his rare and sincere smiles and that's all the assurance Naruto needs as he gets up, grabs his flowers and with a deep breath relinquishes them to the trash can.
"I'll hold you to that," he says with a serious expression before rushing back to Sasuke's waiting arms.