09. Naturo's caring friends and the dark spot in Uchiha history
Sasuke had to know what he was doing, Naruto thought as he laid in bed later that night, staring at the ceiling. It couldn't just be a coincidence he had suddenly become all touchy-feely in the last few hours.
He sighed and rolled over onto his side, staring at the moon through the window.
Not that he didn't like it, but he had no idea what to make of it. If he had interpreted Sasuke's actions correctly, he would say Sasuke was actually interested in him the same way he was in Sasuke. And he was quite sure they had almost been about to kiss earlier, though he had started second guessing himself and pulled away. He didn't just want to assume. Sasuke might have simply tried to strengthen his apology with touches.
A huff escaped him and he rolled to his other side, squeezing his eyes shut.
He had really wanted to kiss him, though. He had been so close to leaning in, erasing what little space was left between them, and finally do what he had secretly fantasized about nearly ever since they met. But in the end he chickened out, and it left him wondering what could have happened.
It was a fitful sleep for Naruto that night and he took extra time getting ready in the safety of his room the next morning, too nervous to go downstairs and face Sasuke. He stood with his hand on the door handle, gathering up enough courage to face him again without giving in to the urge to kiss him.
He grumbled at his own behavior. This was ridiculous. He didn't usually shy away from things like this. Although, there was a lot more at stake misinterpreting Sasuke's actions than some random person's in a club or in school. Here he had his job, his crush and, first and foremost, Emi to lose, all of which he held a lot more dearly than a simple mistake he could shrug off after a day or two.
A soft knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts and he frowned, opening it. Emi stood on the other side, staring up at him wide-eyed before wordlessly raising her arms to be picked up.
"Aren't you a little too old not to speak?" Naruto asked but there was a grin on his face and he bent down to gather her in his arms. "I let it go when you were sick, but you should use your words, Emi."
She pulled a grimace at him as her arms settled loosely around his neck.
"Daddy said that I should ask if you wanted breakfast before we left because you weren't in the kitchen yet and he thought you were sleeping," she informed him in one breath while he carried her downstairs. "And I wanted pancakes today but daddy doesn't know how to make them because he doesn't like them so he told me to ask you. I liked Saku-nee-chan's pancakes. She made smiley faces on them."
"Oh, I see," Naruto bounced her a little higher in his arms to get a better hold on her. "I'll make some for you tomorrow, then."
Emi beamed at him as they entered the kitchen where she turned to Sasuke who was just popping the last corner of his toast into his mouth.
"Daddy, I knocked on Na-chan's door like you said!" she announced proudly. "And he's going to make pancakes tomorrow!"
Sasuke smiled at her while Naruto raised his eyebrows. Since when did Emi need to knock on doors? He didn't remember Sasuke telling him it was something she should make a habit.
"She needs to learn manners since she's been slacking lately," Sasuke explained once he'd swallowed his bite, as if he'd read his thoughts. "It's impolite to barge into other people's personal space."
Naruto wrinkled his nose and put Emi down in her vacated chair. She returned to scooping cereal into her mouth, her eyes moving between them.
"Well, don't be too hard on her," he said and Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "She's only a kid after all. Besides, I don't mind."
He ruffled Emi's hair, chuckling as she grumbled through her mouthful of milk and cereal.
"I was her age when I learned proper manners," Sasuke protested.
"Wow," Naruto said and sat down at the place set for him, reaching for the almost empty jug of orange juice while eyeing the tube of toast and the bag of buns, trying to decide what he wanted. "I don't envy your childhood at all."
"There was nothing wrong with my childhood," Sasuke argued. "It was different than yours perhaps, since I had to learn how to handle the media and masses of people from the day I could walk and talk, but we were still a family like any other." Sasuke stood up to refill his cup of coffee. "What, did your parents just let you run around without a care?"
Naruto froze for a fraction of a second but quickly gathered himself, ignoring the small, confused dent in Sasuke's forehead.
"No, they didn't," he muttered, forcing himself not to acknowledge the cold in his chest, which gripped his heart every time he spoke of the parents he never knew.
Technically, he wasn't lying. The patrons at the orphanage certainly didn't let him do whatever he pleased, but he never listened to them. If they told him to take the straight route home from school, he would find the longest one to explore the places he wasn't allowed to go. If he was forbidden from climbing the fence in the backyard of the orphanage and play in the forest behind it, that was exactly where they would find him in his free time. If bedtime was at eight, he would stay up to eleven, sneaking around the dark halls and pretend he was on a ghost hunt.
Of course, the times he had been caught there were repercussions, but it never deterred him from rebelling against the otherwise uncaring patrons. He'd been slapped by the more angry ones, refused food by the apathetic ones, and locked in the attic for the night by the furious ones.
And what angered most of the patrons was that he would absolutely, always, help any other child in the orphanage when they needed it; give them extra food, pick the lock of the rooms they had been banished to, and take the blame for their mistakes. That was why they never had a good word to say about him when couples came to look for a child to adopt; they were punishing him to the utmost degree for his constant disobedience by never giving him a chance to have a family.
It was something he didn't let himself think too often about, unless he was feeling very down. After all, there were many good things in his life as well.
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked and sat down again.
He realized he had been zooning out and blinked, forcing a smile and grabbing a bun.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm a little tired, I think."
Sasuke didn't look convinced but was interrupted by someone honking outside.
"Daddy, Tachi's here," Emi informed and Sasuke looked at the clock.
"He's a little late," he muttered and stood up to go meet his brother.
They watched him go in silence. Then Emi turned back to her breakfast, glancing up at Naruto from time to time. He looked at her questioningly for a few seconds, unsure what the – way too thoughtful – expression on her face meant and raised his eyebrows when she seemed to come to a conclusion and hastily downed her glass of juice. She didn't look at him and stared down into her bowl, pushing her cereal around.
Deciding not to ask, he buttered the bun, before getting up to grab the mixed berries jam from the fridge.
"Papa, I want more juice," Emi suddenly blurted.
Naruto frowned at the jars and cartoons in front of him as he searched for the jam he wanted. Emi usually called Sasuke 'daddy' so this new way of addressing him was a little weird. But then again, Emi had been acting weird the past five minutes so he ignored it as he found the jar he needed and turned around to shoot Sasuke a questioning look.
Except, there was no one else in the kitchen besides Emi and himself.
It took Naruto a moment to realize Emi had spoken to him and he blinked at her owlishly. She met his eyes with a steady gaze, holding her glass out expectantly.
"W-what did you j-just call me?" Naruto stuttered, nearly dropping the jar of jam.
A frustrated look passed her face.
"Papa," she repeated and something warm sparked in Naruto's chest.
Ignoring it, he approached her, put the jar on the table, and crouched down to her level, trying to give her a placating smile.
"Emi, I'm not your dad," he explained gently. "I'm Na-chan, remember?"
She looked frustrated again.
"But," she said, "you're not my brother."
Naruto shook his head.
"So you're papa," she elaborated simply. "Then I have two dads because Na-chan lives with us now and I love Na-chan."
Naruto bit his lip, wondering how the hell he had gotten into this situation in the few short minutes Sasuke had been gone.
"Baby, I love you too, but for me to be your dad, your father and I would have to be in love," he tried to change his approach.
Which apparently backfired since Emi's eyes widened, her expression turning panicked.
"You don't love daddy?" she asked in horror.
Naruto nearly coughed up his heart.
"No! Yes! No! Ugh!" he scrambled. Then he took a deep breath and put his hands on her small shoulders. "Listen, Emi. I like you and your father very much, but you can't call me papa."
She looked like she wanted to protest but he cut her off.
"Emi," he warned and she nodded reluctantly, which was as well since Sasuke and Itachi entered by that point.
"Is our princess causing problems, your majesty?" Itachi wondered and both Naruto and Sasuke shot him a scowl.
Naruto straightened and shook his head, caressing Emi's hair gently to show her he wasn't mad.
"No," he answered. "We just had a discussion."
He ignored the inquiring looks the brothers gave him and returned to his seat and his breakfast, praying Emi wouldn't tell Sasuke what had happened. He had felt all kinds of warm and fond when Emi had said she loved him and wanted him to be family, but he had no idea how Sasuke would react to such a thing and he would rather not risk it.
It would be nice though, he thought as he bit into his bun, to belong to a family.
"You're early," Sasuke said as Itachi stepped out of his car to greet him.
"I know," he answered. "Mother asked me to tell you Naruto is welcome to attend the family barbeque. She would like to meet him, since father mentioned he thought he was a nice young man. You do remember it's this weekend, right?"
Sasuke let out a small groan. He had completely forgotten about it. His mind had been too preoccupied with Naruto and what was happening between them as well as making sure he understood what precautions he should take when he went back to university today. Naruto had vehemently refused bodyguards, so Sasuke had given him a crash course in how to handle the general public. At least the journalists weren't allowed onto school grounds, which was a small relief.
Also, Emi had continued to ask him to marry Naruto the entirety of yesterday, although, thankfully not within earshot of him.
Itachi shook his head at him.
"Also, father asked me to see if you had that red wine he liked," his brother continued. "You gave him a bottle as a present, but he couldn't find it in any stores. And he would like to invite Naruto as well, as thanks for putting up with you and taking care of Emi."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Itachi's amused grin but refrained from taking the obvious bait and led him inside.
"I don't remember which wine I gave him," he confessed. "But he can have all the bottles in my cabinet if he wants."
They entered the kitchen to a deflated Emi, Naruto crouching before her.
"Is our princess causing problems, your majesty?" Itachi said.
Sasuke shot him a scowl and Naruto stood up with much the same expression.
"No," he said. "We just had a discussion."
Sasuke gave him a questioning look, but was ignored as Naruto only gave him a quick (and was it nervous?) glance. He turned his gaze to Emi, who stared down at her cereal, chasing the last few pieces around the bowl petulantly. Then he exchanged a look with Itachi, who shrugged and strolled over to take the seat beside her.
"So, Naruto," his brother started once he had caressed Emi's hair in greeting. "I'm sure Sasuke has already told you, but our annual family barbeque is this weekend."
A bewildered frown appeared on Naruto's forehead and he glanced at Sasuke, who had sat down again.
"I'll take that as a no, then," Itachi sighed, shooting his brother a suffering look. "Either way, our parents would like to invite you, so I would advise you to attend."
Emi's head shot up and she was practically vibrating in her seat, a complete 180 form her listless appearance two seconds ago. Sasuke nearly choked on his coffee. What was going on?
"Na-chan will come, right?" she demanded loudly, almost shouting, and all three adults jumped. "Because Na-chan's family, and then, and then you will be-"
"Emi," Naruto interrupted, voice soft but firm, and she snapped her mouth shut, her pout returning although her expression was laced with guilt as well.
Sasuke glanced between them, beyond confused. Apparently Itachi didn't understand the exchange any better because he gave Sasuke another small shrug, though his eyes were now trained on Emi in thought. Sasuke made a mental note to ask Naruto about it later.
"So," he said and Naruto looked at him. "You're welcome if you'd like to come." Sasuke shot Itachi an irritated look. "You don't have to if you'd rather not."
Naruto watched him, eyes distant with thought. Then he glanced at Emi again and smiled a little.
"Yeah, sure," he said. Emi's smile was brighter than the sun. "Why not? I've never been to a barbeque. You're sure I won't impose or anything?"
"Seeing as our parents were the ones to invite you," Itachi said, "I'd say you're going to be the highlight of the barbeque. A new, younger face among all the old farts."
An amused snort left Sasuke against his will and Itachi smirked at him. Naruto, however, narrowed his eyes and regarded Itachi with distrust, which he waved off.
"Oh, don't look at me like that," he said. "The barbeque is all great aunts and uncles, cousins who are at least ten years older than Sasuke and I, and no kids except Emi since everyone has been too busy with their careers to produce children. We need another kid."
A scowl took over Naruto's expression.
"Very funny," he grumbled.
"I know," Itachi chuckled. "Absolutely hilarious."
Sasuke sighed, shooting his brother a suffering look.
"Anyway," Itachi said, completely ignoring them. "The wine, if you please Sasuke. And we need to leave to make it in time for the meeting."
Sasuke downed the rest of the coffee in his cup and got up, bringing his plate to the sink. Then he grabbed a few bottles of wine from the cabinet above the fridge so his father could chose whichever he wanted.
"Emi go get ready," Sasuke said when he caught sight of the clock as he turned around, balancing four bottles in his arms. "The driver should be here soon."
"Okay," Emi answered and slid off her chair.
Naruto propped his mouth with the last half of his bun and followed her, swooping her into his arms on the way.
"Can I go in my pajamas?" they heard Emi ask around the corner, followed by Naruto's laugh.
Itachi chuckled and shook his head and Sasuke began cleaning the table after putting the bottles down in front of his brother.
"I wonder if Emi might be getting a little bit ahead of herself," Itachi sighed, more to himself than anyone else.
Sasuke turned to him.
"What do you mean?" he wondered.
Itachi looked up at him thoughtfully.
"Well, she's taken to Naruto quite well," he said. "Better than I would have expected. She wasn't this loving and adamant on being family with Sakura, and they were quite close, considering." Then he smirked. "I could say the same about you, too."
Sasuke would never admit he actually was on the verge of blushing.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, the cutlery clanging against the plates a little harder than necessary.
"Come now, little brother," Itachi teased. "You cannot seriously think I wouldn't notice the way you two look at each other?"
Sasuke stiffened.
He was aware he might let his gaze linger on Naruto longer than necessary at times, but he was subtle about it. At least he thought he was. Naruto certainly hadn't mentioned anything, nor had anyone else. Though, they weren't really around anyone else other than his brother and Emi, one of which was a four-year-old and not very good at picking up subtleties.
He hadn't noticed Naruto being any more aware of him than normal either. Not the way Sasuke had become acutely conscious of his presence. Although… there was that almost kiss, which he was quite sure Naruto had wanted just as much as he himself had.
"Look at each other?" he repeated. "I… don't…"
Itachi sighed.
"It's fine, you know," he said softly, misinterpreting Sasuke's hesitation. "We Uchihas have always been good at keeping our private life out of the media for the past twenty-four years. I don't think mom and dad care, and I certainly don't mind if you and Naruto become a couple."
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat and he gripped the edge of the sink so hard his knuckles whitened. He had completely forgot to consider the media in all of this. He'd been too caught up in Naruto and falling for him that he'd never even thought about the backlash he and his entire family would get if the public ever got wind of what he and Naruto felt for each other.
Not to mention Naruto.
Sasuke was protected by his family and their name, but Naruto had no one, nothing, to keep him out of the fire should it be directed at him. And it would be directed at him if it got out they were involved. He would be accused of seducing Sasuke, of brainwashing him, or blackmailing him and it could all end in something too horrible to imagine. Sasuke had seen it happen before, even if he'd been only four he remembered the terror of it, all the tears his grandmother had cried and the general fear in the entire Uchiha family.
His father's uncle had had a relationship with a man. It was the first and last time something of the Uchiha's private life had ever made it to the media and the public and it had ended with the couple dying, the lover by trying to escape the media and his father's uncle by suicide to follow him in death. It was a dark spot of their history that no one ever mentioned, not in the family and never in interviews. The journalists were too scared to ask anything because of the power the Uchihas held by now, although everyone knew they were dying to know.
But Sasuke would never let that happen to Naruto. He'd give his all to keep history from repeating itself. That is, if Naruto even wanted to be with him in the first place. He was quite certain his feelings weren't unrequited, but one could never be too sure.
Wow, he had really fallen hard for him, without even noticing.
"You're thinking about that incident, aren't you?" Itachi interrupted his thoughts and Sasuke startled. "Our company has a lot more power than it did over two decades ago, they can't hurt us in the same way they could then."
"Yeah," Sasuke muttered. "I know."
Except, he didn't care if the company got hurt.
He sighed and glanced at the clock.
"We should really leave," he changed the subject. "We're late."
"You're right." Itachi rose with a sigh of his own. "I'll wait in the car."
Sasuke nodded and they parted ways in the hallway, Itachi leaving out the door and Sasuke climbing up the stairs to go get what he needed for the day. Emi and Naruto exited her room just as he reached the door to his office and he turned to them.
"Daddy!" Emi exclaimed, her hair neatly pulled from her face and pinned at the back of her head by two hairclips with a small bumblebee on them to match her sunflower printed tunic and yellow leggings.
Sasuke couldn't help smiling at her. Trust Naruto to dress her to match his sunny personality. Although, Emi was becoming quite sunny herself these days.
"Yes?" he answered and crouched down as she approached him.
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged tightly. Sasuke swayed for a moment with the impact but managed to regain his balance and hug her back. He gave Naruto a questioning look, but he simply shrugged, looking a little wary. Once again, there was Sasuke was sure he was missing something.
"Daddy, I'm sorry you can't have children," Emi mumbled into his shoulder and he froze.
"What?" he asked, completely bewildered. He looked to Naruto again who was now shaking with barely contained laughter after letting out a strangled noise of surprise. "What's going on?"
Emi pulled out of his arms to give him an impatient frown.
"Well, daddy can't have children if there is no mom and I don't want a mom anymore," she explained, which sobered Naruto up pretty quickly.
Sasuke just stared at her, barely daring to look at Naruto.
"Okay," he said slowly.
Itachi honked outside and he sighed. He'd have to pick this up when he got home.
"I need to go now, princess." He kissed Emi's forehead, stood up and opened the door to his office. "I'll see you tonight."
She nodded and went back to Naruto, who fidgeted nervously. He couldn't be sure, but he had the nagging feeling that Emi had told Naruto something along the lines of what she kept pestering Sasuke about. Not that he really minded her telling him she wanted him to be family, but he sincerely hoped she hadn't mentioned anything about a wedding since Sasuke wasn't sure how deep Naruto's feelings ran. It might just be a small crush for all he knew.
Though, he really hoped it was more than that.
All in all, the day back at university wasn't as bad as Naruto first had thought. Paparazzi weren't allowed on the school grounds (thank god), however, people were still staring at him and whispering to each other, though no one had approached him yet since his friends had apparently come to an agreement to surround him at all times. At first he was annoyed, having been stepped on his heels by Kiba one too many times as he followed closely behind him, but he didn't say anything and let them be however protective they wanted. At least it kept most of the students away so he wouldn't have to deal with them. He barely remembered Sasuke's lecture about properly handling people and their questions.
Even though they were trying not to show it, Naruto knew how curious the professors were as well by the extra glances they threw his way in the lecture halls, when normally they wouldn't really look at a student sitting in the corner at the far back of the room like he was now doing, courtesy of whoever of his friends he had a lecture with pushing him there and taking the seat beside him.
Choji and Kiba wouldn't even let him go to the cafeteria to buy lunch and even Shikamaru said it wasn't a good idea when Naruto turned to him for backup. He gave him a betrayed look and stomped away, feeling indignant and unheard.
He found a bench in a secluded corner of the university grounds and brushed away leaves before throwing himself down on it with a huff. It was actually quite a good spot, concealed by bushes and a tree, but still in the sun. Naruto leaned his back against the warm brick wall the bench was pushed up against and let out a long sigh. Shikamaru wasn't far behind him and sat down as well, mirroring Naruto's position and closing his eyes.
"You guys really don't need to babysit me, you know?" Naruto grumbled. "I'm not defenseless."
Shikamaru opened one eye to peer at him and snorted.
"We know," he said. "But better be safe than sorry. There's an old story about someone involved with the Uchihas' private life dying because of media attention."
Cold washed over Naruto and he turned to stare at him.
"What?" he gasped.
"Yeah," Shikamaru continued. "Some journalist mentioned it in an article yesterday. Apparently most of the articles have been deleted by now, but Choji and Kiba have been trying to find out what exactly happened so we could prevent it from happening to you too."
Naruto could only gape at him, not finding any words.
"Oh," he finally managed. "Thank you."
Shikamaru closed his eyes again and shrugged right as Choji and Kiba found them, tossing sandwiches at their heads.
"I hope you like tuna, because that's all that was left," Kiba said as he sat down on the grass in front of them, Choji joining him.
Naruto stared at him for a moment, then at Choji, but they both were too busy inhaling their sandwiches to notice. He looked back at Shikamaru, who smiled faintly and bit into his own sandwich. Shaking his head, Naruto smiled back, feeling warm with the knowledge his friends cared so much about him. A small sense of nostalgia hit him with a bang as he remembered the times Gaara would stand by his side against bullies on the playground in preschool. He should really call his friend, he thought wistfully. They hadn't talked in over two months.
The rest of the day went by much the same, though Naruto now had a whole other understanding for his friends' behavior. Still, he was glad once he tumbled into the back seat of his and Emi's driver's car, exhausted by always being tense and on the lookout for any possible trouble.
The driver gave him a sympathetic smile as he pulled away from the parking lot and seemed to know Naruto needed peace and quiet as the ride to Emi's daycare was spent in blissful silence, only the hum of the engine filling the air, its vibrations loosening Naruto's muscles. He sank deeper into his seat and closed his eyes, not opening them when they stopped and the driver got out to go get Emi. Sasuke had been insistent on Naruto staying in the car since there were many parents around to pick up their own kids around this time of day, some of which wouldn't mind playing dirty to get a few moments of fame by stringing together a made up story or exposing one thing or another about the Uchihas or Naruto. Naruto would have to agree it was better they didn't know he was there, and the staff at the daycare were sworn to professional secrecy so they weren't allowed to say anything about him and his connection to the Uchihas at all.
The car door on the opposite side opened and a cheery 'Na-chan!' resounded in the car as Emi clambered inside, her process hindered by the paper in her hand, which she was trying not to crinkle.
"Hey, sweetie," Naruto greeted and leaned over to help her into her seat, gently pulling the paper out of her hands and laying it on his knees for safe keeping.
"I made a drawing today," Emi announced, pointing at the paper in Naruto's lap once she had been buckled in and the driver had started the car. "I make drawings everyday," she added as an afterthought and Naruto couldn't help the little laugh leaving him. "But I want this one in my room."
Naruto flipped the paper over and looked down at three, oddly proportioned figures standing in a cluster beside a red house with black windows. There was a quarter of a sun painted in the upper right corner, it's rays squiggly but all the same length. On the other side of the figures was a pond with one fish in it and a large, pink flower by its edge.
"It's very pretty," Naruto complimented and Emi beamed.
"It's me and daddy and Na-chan," she said proudly.
Naruto's heart swelled and he couldn't keep the fond smile from his face. He let Emi chatter all the way back to the house and she gushed about the family barbeque, which she had also apparently forgotten until yesterday, and told him all about which the best aunts and uncles were and what food they usually grilled and the presents she always got and all the sweets they could eat.
He listened to all of it, nodding at the appropriate times and ooh-ing or aah-ing when it was required of him, catching the amused glance of the driver every now and then.
Emi didn't stop talking until they waved goodbye to the driver and entered the house. She went suddenly quiet as the door shut behind them, staring down at the drawing in her hands as if she was seeing it for the first time.
"Is something on your mind?" Naruto asked and kneeled down beside her.
Emi wrinkled her nose and shook her head.
"No," she mumbled. Then she looked up at him. "I love you, Na-chan."
He smiled at her and caressed her hair, pulling her into a hug.
"I love you, too." He blew into her neck and she squirmed, laughing at the ticklish feeling. He pulled back and stood up again, holding his hand out for her to take after they both had pulled off their shoes. "Let's go make some burgers. You wanted them before you got sick, right?"
She nodded fervently and tugged at his hand pulling him towards the kitchen. He laughed and scooped her into his arms, putting her on the counter before turning to put on the radio, starting to sing along as music filled the room while he washed his hands and got all the things he needed from the cupboards and fridge. Emi watched him, swinging her legs in beat to the music as he danced around her, her laugh reverberating in his chest and leaving a nice feeling in its wake.
He made the burgers from scratch after cutting up the vegetables they would need and putting sliced potatoes in the oven to roast. They were placed in the pan just as Sasuke came back. Naruto didn't notice him at first, and neither did Emi apparently, since they were both too busy singing to each other and making funny faces. It wasn't until he made a little pirouette for her that his eyes landed on Sasuke, who had taken a seat at the table, chin in one hand as he watched them, a small, amused smile playing on his lips. Naruto's steps faltered and he came to an awkward stop.
"Daddy!" Emi said once she noticed him and Sasuke stood up, approaching the counter. "Welcome back!"
"I'm back," he answered and picked her up, supporting her weight on one arm.
He looked at Naruto, who smiled back at him.
"Welcome back," he echoed Emi's words and Sasuke's smile widened, sending Naruto's heart into a stuttering frenzy.
"What are you making," Sasuke wondered and peered into the pan.
Naruto spun around, praying the burgers hadn't burned. Had he flipped them already? He didn't remember.
"Burgers," he answered as he used the spatula to lift one up halfway and inspect if he needed to flip it or not.
"Na-chan promised to make them before," Emi said.
Sasuke nodded.
"Yes, he did," he answered.
Naruto huffed in fake indignation and ruffled Emi's hair.
The dinner went by peacefully, Emi doing most of the talking. Naruto caught Sasuke looking at him a few times as if he wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure how. Naruto himself wanted to ask about what Shikamaru had said earlier that day. And who better to ask than an Uchiha? He didn't want to do it in front of Emi though, since it wasn't something he wanted her to hear or worry about.
He got his chance when he was doing the dishes. Emi had run off to do her new favorite thing, which was trying to read, and Sasuke returned to the kitchen after he had followed her up to help her find the book she had left somewhere in his office. They worked in silence for a few seconds, both trying to come up with a way to start the conversation they wanted.
"So…" Sasuke finally said after drying his third plate. "Did you have any problems today?"
Naruto's insistent scrubbing on the pan paused momentarily and he chanced a glance at Sasuke, who looked at him intently.
"No," he answered and laughed a little. "My friends were very effective in keeping people away."
Sasuke frowned but nodded.
"But…" Naruto trailed off, his eyes returning to the pan in his hands. Sasuke waited quietly for him to continue. Naruto took a small breath and blew it out slowly. "They mentioned something about… someone involved with the Uchihas… dying…"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke's hands still around the plate he was working on.
"Oh," he said slowly.
Naruto chanced another glance at him, taking in his small frown and his thinned out lips.
"They were worried about me and tried looking it up but almost all of the articles about it were removed," Naruto continued, then hesitated. "So, I was wondering… what happened to that person?"
Sasuke stared down at his hands, which were gripping the plate so hard by now Naruto worried it would break. Then he took a deep breath and put it away, dropping the kitchen towel on the counter and turning to him, arms crossed.
"My father's uncle had a lover," he began, "and the media found out it was a man."
Naruto's breath caught in his throat and he stared wide-eyed at him.
"Journalists pestered his lover, followed and stalked him to the point he nearly went insane," Sasuke told him quietly and Naruto quietly turned the water off, drying his hands as he listened. "He tried to escape them on his motorcycle when he was going home from work one evening. But they just wouldn't give up and chased after him in cars and buses and whatnot. He ended up losing control of his motorcycle on the highway and running right into a truck going the other way." He swallowed. "He died on impact and my father's uncle was so deep in grief and self loathing he committed suicide a month later."
Naruto reached out, almost unconsciously, and grabbed Sasuke's hand.
"I was only four years old," Sasuke continued, looking down at their hands. "But I remember how everyone was lost and afraid and sad. It's the reason everyone has worked hard to make our family company the strongest in the world, so no one can hurt us in the same way again." Naruto squeezed his hand gently. "Once we had enough power we took down all the journalists and articles we could find, erasing their spite and hate from the memory of those two."
Silence fell and Naruto watched Sasuke's jaw working, fighting back emotions he clearly didn't want to show. He hung his head to keep his face out of sight and Naruto wouldn't force him to look up. Instead he moved closer and wound his arms around Sasuke's waist, pulling him into a tight hug.
Sasuke stilled and for a moment Naruto thought he would be pushed away. But then arms settled around him and he was pressed closer to Sasuke's warm body, burying his face in his shoulder.
"People can change, you know," Naruto murmured into the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. "Times change."
"Not the media," Sasuke growled. "They will always be horrible vultures feeding on whatever scrap they can find."
Naruto pulled back to look at him and Sasuke met his gaze, eyes hard and angry. Then something shifted in them and they softened. Naruto shot him the smallest smile and, before he could stop himself, leaned in and kissed him. Sasuke met the kiss easily, as if he had been thinking the exact same thing and it was warm and hesitant and soft, like they weren't sure what they were doing. But it felt right. So right, Naruto's nerves were alive with tingles and sparks and his stomach and chest were filled with warm fuzzy cotton.
Naruto tilted his head to get closer, his hands moving up Sasuke's back to clutch at his shoulders while Sasuke cupped his face, his fingers weaving into his hair behind his ears and his thumbs rubbing his cheekbones in gentle caresses.
"I'll never let them do that to you," Sasuke promised as they pulled back for air, resting his forehead against Naruto's.
Naruto smiled and gave him another small kiss.
"I'll never let them do that to you, either," he answered.
Hey! So this chapter is completely un-edited, but I hope it wasn't too bad to read! Also, I don't have much else to say... so see you in the next chapter! :)