Naruto was bored. Completely and utterly bored. Sasuke had insisted he stayed inside and away from the prying eyes of paparazzi. While Naruto enjoyed having Sasuke doting on him the blonde was never one to stay indoors for long periods of time. All Naruto wanted to do was go back to work. He knew his co-workers were handling his case load but he missed being productive, hell Naruto even missed the stacks of paperwork that came with his job. At this point he was more than happy to use his cast covered arm as a battling ram through the persistent leeches hanging around for him to leave the Uchiha sanctuary. Naruto chuckled at the idea of the Uchiha brothers using their upper floor apartment's as some kind of superhero base.
The two brother's seemed to be making some leeway into finding Madara. Nagato was taking a dive in the polls and Iruka had come to re-take his statement with another officer Naruto didn't quite like. Sasuke had despised the man all together and it had taken all of his boyfriends will power not to kick him out on his arrogant ass. Naruto swayed his leg's back and forth that were dangling over the couch that looked over into the kitchen. He observed Sasuke leaning on the counter, his phone glued to his ear and shuffling through paper work. Naruto had tried to get Sasuke to go into work but he had insisted that he could do it from home. It was a nice thought but he may as well not be around at all considering his phone never shut off. Naruto didn't mind though because Sasuke made sure to switch it off whenever Naruto suggested they spent some time together.
Naruto pushed himself up and cringed when his ribs pulled uncomfortably. He was done. Completely and utterly done. Naruto knew Sasuke meant well but he needed to get his life back together, he needed normality. Sasuke didn't look up when he left the room and went into their shared bedroom. Naruto grabbed his jacket, phone and keys before checking himself over in the mirror. He assumed he looked acceptable for work, minus the cast and stitched lip. When he went back into the small living area Sasuke had hung up the phone and was highlighting a page. Naruto cleared his throat. "I'm off to work for a bit"
"Hn" Sasuke automatically replied, not looking up. Naruto sighed, counting to ten in his head before a head of raven hair snapped up. "Wait. You're going into work? I thought we talked about this?"
"No. You decided I should take some more time off" Naruto pointed out. "I'm bored Sasuke. I need to do something!"
"What about the rodent's down there?" Sasuke walked around the counter and reached out for Naruto who took a step back. "Naruto, I just don't want you to push yourself to soon"
"Sasuke. I know you're trying to look out for me but I can't put my life on hold any longer. I have a responsibility" Naruto ran a hand through his hair "Please don't argue with me on this Teme, it'll only be for a few hours"
"Are you sure Dobe?" Sasuke frowned. Naruto knew he didn't approve but he also knew Sasuke would let him make his own choice on the matter. Naruto had agreed to staying hidden away out of embarrassment and fear but he now knew he needed some sort of normal routine. "Alright, I'll drive you. I need to go into the office anyway. I don't know how but Karen's managed to fuck up my presentation slides and refuses to send me them to fix"
"I think she's just trying to get you alone" Naruto grumbled. Sasuke smirked, he knew Naruto didn't like the red head. Karen had invited herself over one night and attached herself to Sasuke in a way Naruto did not like in the slightest. Oh Naruto knew Sasuke would never cheat on him but he didn't like how the woman blatantly threw herself at his boyfriend right in front of him.
"Naw. Is somebody jealous?" Sasuke chuckled and lifted his hand, placing it on the side of Naruto's cheek. "You know you have nothing to worry about. The only person I'm interested in is you Dobe"
"I know…" He blushed and Sasuke rubbed his thumb over his whiskered marks. "How long will you be?"
"Not sure. It depends on how badly she's fucked with it. I'll come get you as soon as you want me to though. Just call half an hour before so I can pack up what I need" Naruto nodded and Sasuke leant forward giving him a small peck on the lips. He sighed, frustrated that Sasuke was still treating him as if he was fragile.
The assault had left its mark on Naruto. He had become jumpy and anxious when someone came into a room without him knowing. Rationally Naruto knew no one was going to hurt him but the mental wound was just still to raw and it caused the logical side of his brain to be overwhelmed by the irrational fear. It didn't help that he had a broken arm and healing ribs to remind him every time he moved in a certain way. It was an agonising struggle for the both of them. On the inside Naruto wanted nothing more for their relationship to turn back into the passionate, fun loving atmosphere from before but they were both scared of pushing it too far too quickly and potentially trigger a flash back. It took a lot for that to happen but it resulted in Naruto withdrawing into himself and Sasuke was left to help him gain his footing again. It was always two steps forward one step back. A slow journey but one Naruto knew would eventually pass and he would heal.
Sasuke grabbed his hand and gently tugged him along to the entrance way. The two quietly hopped in the elevator and into the garage of the complex where Sasuke pushed the button on his keys. Naruto jumped when the car beeped and his took a breath to calm his heart. "Are you sure you want to do this? One more day at home isn't the end of the world"
"I'm sure. I need some normality back. I can't stay holed up in your apartment eating takeaway ramen and watching ninja movies for the rest of my life" Naruto smiled brightly when he saw Sasuke shudder at the thought.
"You're right, the sooner the better" Sasuke held the door open for Naruto and he manoeuvred into the seat carefully and waited for Sasuke to join him. "Last chance to back out, Dobe"
"Teme" Naruto replied. They pulled out and Naruto cringed when the metal door opened. Camera's flashed and a mob of reporters stood in front of the car holding out microphones and cameras. Sasuke's face darkened and he beeped his horn. They didn't move. "Will they ever get bored?"
"I was hoping something more interesting would have come along by now" Sasuke beeped again and security guards from inside the complex came out, shuffling the crowd aside to let them pass. Naruto waved a gesture of thanks at the two men and finally they were on the road.
….
People stared when Naruto walked through the building. He knew why, he was the hot topic at the moment and he had told his boss he wouldn't be in for a few more weeks. Naruto wasn't ready to take on his client's yet but he did want to catch up on their case files to see how they were going and monitor their progress. He was hoping next week he could take on one or two of the clients he had worked long term with, knowing they wouldn't be put off by his appearance. It wasn't until the whispers started that Naruto felt his chest tighten with anxiety. He started to doubt his decision.
"Naruto!" He heard someone yell enthusiastically and a hand slapped him on the back. Naruto let out a yelp before spinning around, glaring at Kiba who gave him an apologetic look "Sorry man, I totally forgot about the ribs"
"It's okay" Naruto rubbed his chest to try sooth the ache the slap had left "How's the place running?"
"Terribly man! Without you this place is a shit hole. Nobody smiles, everybody just stays in their offices unless they have to come out and the boss is threatening to fire anyone who speaks to the press about you" Naruto couldn't help but feel guilty at putting so much stress on his co-workers.
"Sorry" He looked at the carpet and drug his heel over the rough material "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble"
"What are you sorry about? This shit isn't your fault" Kiba went to nudge him but stopped himself "Gonna be hard not to rough house with you"
"Few more weeks and I'll be kicking your ass again dog breath" Naruto teased. Kiba let out a booming laugh and Naruto followed, not caring that it would hurt his ribs. It was good to be treated like one of the guys again. "Come on, we'll go to your office and we can catch up properly"
Naruto led the way and when he walked into his office he wanted to walk back out. He had lied to himself. There was no way in hell he could have that amount of paper work to do! Kiba poked his head in after him and let out a low whistle. "What the fuck"
"Don't sweat it. Boss has been using your office to house the auditor in. None of this is yours" His shoulders relaxed and Naruto took a seat on the couch that sat opposite his desk, preferring to sit somewhere less restricting. "So tell me. What's it like living up in that fancy tower"
"A nightmare!" Naruto exclaimed "I'm bored Kiba! So utterly bored! Sasuke has no video games and I've watched all the decent ninja movies he has! Sasuke is working from home but he fusses over me so I can't even make my own food, Itachi has Deidra babysitting me when they have to go out and I can't even look at my phone without having some dumb reporter trying to trick me into an interview!"
"Wow, rough life princess" Kiba chuckled "You're getting pampered and you chose to come back into work"
"You know what I'm like. I'm not comfortable sitting around doing nothing" Naruto folded his arms over his chest and pouted "I can't believe I'm saying this but I missed my job"
"Man, I owe Choji a twenty now" Kiba pulled out his phone and sent off a text "We had a bet running when you would cave. I had a month, Choji had two weeks"
"You guy's bet on me?" Naruto raised his eyebrow.
"No…Sakura and Ino we're in on it to…" Naruto tried to feign annoyance but he just couldn't. His friends were still being exactly the same. "Gaara kicked my ass when he found out I started it"
"You asked Gaara? Do you have a death wish?" Naruto gapped.
"Well…yeah. Afterwards he said you'd only last a few days and put some money in the pool" Kiba shrugged. "You should get a hold of him, he said he had some news"
"Why didn't he just tell me himself?" Naruto questioned.
"He said he didn't want to upset you…" Kiba ignored Naruto's gaze and bit his lip. "You should go see him and take Sasuke with you"
"Fuck, what now" Naruto groaned. He finally gets some normality back and then something else happens. The gods must hate him.
"I needa get back to my work, have a kid coming in soon. The auditors out for the rest of the day so your desk is free" Kiba left without another word and Naruto decided not to dwell on things and threw himself into his case load.
He checked over a few cases that he knew inside and out, happy that they hadn't gone backwards. One he had to call the nurse on the case as Naruto was concerned that they hadn't found a replacement caregiver but he got that sorted quickly. Then he looked over his newer cases. They seemed to be progressing well but one case bothered him. It had been a month and no one could make any headway with the young boy he had seen. Naruto knew it was a hard case but he struggled with the idea that nothing had really been done. Whoever had taken over the case had written it off as a lost cause. It wasn't unusual. You could only help those who were willing to give you something back and it may take a while for a person to feel comfortable to do that. Naruto ear marked the case and decided he would pay the boy a home visit next week to check in.
Naruto stretched and let out a yawn, realising he had been at it for a few hours and he pulled out his phone, sending a text to Sasuke to let him know he was ready to be picked up. It turned out Sasuke was already there, he had gotten worried that he hadn't heard from Naruto and had decided to come check on him. It was sweet and Naruto appreciated he didn't have to wait around. Sasuke asked about his day and Naruto happily chatted away. He felt ten times better knowing he had gotten outside and done something. His clients were progressing and now he could plan for next week. "Sasuke, do you mind if we pop in to see Gaara?"
"I was going to suggest that myself" Sasuke's brow creased and his hand's gripped on the steering wheel. "Naruto…something's happened"
"What? What's happened?" Naruto's voice started to rise and Sasuke rested his hand over his to calm him down.
"I'll let Gaara explain" The rest of the car ride was quiet and Naruto spent the time looking out the window. Gaara was waiting for them, his front door open and the two men followed him inside where he already had dinner ready for them. Naruto took the time to observe his friend. Gaara's usually neat clothing was dishevelled, his hair stuck out at odd angles and the bags under his eyes looked like someone had punched him.
"Sit down, I don't exactly have the best news" Gaara sighed. Naruto gave Sasuke a worried look and Sasuke gave him a reassuring one back. "Konoha police have dropped the case"
"What! Why!" Naruto jumped up, his eyes wild "Isn't this enough evidence for them!" Naruto yanked his arm up and ignored the pain at the sharp movement.
"It's outside of their jurisdiction since it happened in another city. I've requested for them to transfer it but the chief of police has stepped in and shut it down. Orochimaru is trying to get it thrown out altogether but with the public interest its putting the Amegakure police in a tough spot. They are trying to reject it saying that there has been police misconduct due to Iruka's involvement. Orochimaru's doing I presume but the media circus around it is making it hard for them to do it. Really it could go either way…" Gaara stopped to gauge their reaction before starting again "I want to discuss a settlement outside of court"
"You want Naruto to settle! That bastard should be locked away for what he did!" Sasuke slammed his hands down on the table "Your Naruto's friend! You're supposed to be sticking up for him!"
"Don't get my professional and personal feelings confused Sasuke" Gaara snapped back "I'm putting Naruto's best interests first here"
"Let's…let's just hear him out" Naruto whispered. He was completely disheartened.
"Look Naruto. I'm going to be honest. Not a lot of court's want to take on a case like this mainly due to the sexual orientation of the two people involved. The justice system is scared of it frankly. Either side is persecuted and with Iruka's involvement the police department can be thrown under the bus. The government has been putting pressure on the media to shut it down and quickly. Even then your chances of winning are slim, injuries or not. This isn't a male against female aggravation. It's male verse male and in this case…Nagato has the power factor. I just…I don't see this swaying in your favour anymore. The justice system is made to protect the powerful and fuck over the weak. If we do a deal, we can do this on your terms" The room was thick as Naruto let Gaara's words sink in. The red head was right of course but it didn't help that it went against everything he stood for. If he backed down what would that being saying to his clients or victims of abuse?
"What kind of deal would you put forward" Sasuke questioned. Gaara looked to Naruto who just nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"Anything really. A no contact order, a request to push the divorce through plus sale of the house so Naruto could get his investment back from the property. A public apology from Nagato, we could even request he does some community work and anger management courses" Naruto wanted to be selfish. He wanted to take the deal. All of that sounded amazing. He could put this all behind him and move on with his life without having to worry about Nagato or the press anymore.
"I…I can't" As much as Naruto wanted to be selfish he knew he couldn't. Naruto needed to make a stand, not just for his self but for others going through the same thing. He needed to put his faith in the justice system even if it was broken and swayed more towards one side. Naruto needed to fight for himself as well as for those to afraid. "I need…I need to use this to do something positive Gaara. Even if my name is dragged through the mud at least I can stand up and say no, this isn't okay. It's my job to help those in situations like this and if me, the person who is supposed to help them, encourage them to speak out doesn't do it then I'll just be a hypocrite. I need…I need to do this…not just for me but for everyone else. Even if I lose at least I can sleep at night knowing I tried to make a difference"
"I agree with Naruto" Sasuke stated, backing up his decision and making Naruto feel more confident in his choice "A plea deal is letting Nagato get away with this. If we do that nothing is going to change, he's going to think he can keep gunning for Naruto because he's above reproach. Naruto needs to do this. Win or lose"
"Thank god" Gaara whispered and placed his head in his hands "I don't think I could have let you go through with it even if you did agree"
"But…you suggested it" Naruto mumbled confused.
"It's in my professional duty as your lawyer to tell you all the facts and options. As your friend I want to see the prick strung up and quartered. I don't care what the odds are but if you're willing to fight tooth and nail for this case then I'm all in" Gaara slid over a piece of paper and Naruto picked it up "Don't worry about it now but that's just a form saying that I've offered you a deal and you've rejected it and want to continue with your complaint. Look it over and sleep on your decision. Make sure it's what you want and then I can begin to put pressure on the Amegakure department and get the ball rolling"
"Naruto…you don't have to do this. Even if I want you to I will support whatever you decide" Sasuke looked at him and grabbed his hand "I'm with you on this no matter what"
"Thanks teme" Naruto smiled brightly "As long as I have you by my side I know I can keep fighting" Naruto pulled out a pen from his pocket and signed the paper, handing I back to Gaara who frowned.
"Seriously Naruto. You need to learn how to read over paperwork before you put pen to paper" Gaara grumbled but took it anyway and put it in his satchel.
"I'm proud of you dobe" Sasuke leaned over and whispered in his ear before pressing a kiss against to corner of his lips. Naruto smiled and looked down at his hands. On the outside he may seem calm but he was petrified.