Full Summary:Sasuke's life had been all planned out for him. He'd attend the top business school, learn how to run the company and eventually be running it along side his brother. It all falls apart when his father is arrested for numerous crimes, including embezzlement, fraud and even murder. After he turns eighteen his mother commits suicide and he's left on his own with no money, no power and feeling lost as his brother is on the run. Or so he thinks, not knowing it was his brother that turned his father in in for his crimes. For the first time in his life he's forced to get a job and make his own decisions. The problem is, no one trusts him due to the actions of his parents. He gets lucky when Naruto's dad decides to give him a chance, giving him a job while he goes to college. Naruto's dad forces him to try to befriend Sasuke. Naruto is surprised when he finds himself becoming increasingly protective of the youngest Uchiha and slowly falling in love along the way. The question remains, to what extent did Sasuke know what the family business truly was? Explicit version will be posted on AO3 & Wattpad.
Chapter 1: Change of Plans
Sasuke's entire life had been planned out for him since the day he was born. Being born into a rich family, whose business had been passed down from each generation, meant he was expected to follow suit. He'd go to a prestigious business college, graduate with honors, and eventually take over the family business by his brother's side when the time came for his father to retire. His father, Fugaku, was nearing his fifties and wasn't expected to retire any time soon. He wanted to be sure that both of his sons were ready for all aspects of the job before he retired.
Sasuke seemed to be the stereotypical Uchiha, in both looks and personality. He had the dark eyes, pale complexion, and dark hair. By the age of fifteen he had mastered his "poker face" and had a piercing glare that could scare even adults. He didn't really show his emotions, keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself. He had an air about him that demanded respect among his peers. No signs of weakness were tolerated the Uchiha household, he'd learned that very early on.
His mother, Mikoto, was certainly the more warm of the two. Not having been born an Uchiha, she didn't grow up with the same strict rules that were expected of the family. Still, she tended to take a back seat and allow Fugaku dictate how the boys were raised. She knew her place, as his father would say. Though she was a stay at home mother and had been the most present in the boys lives, it was obvious that Fugaku had the final say in how the boys were raised.
It was late June, about a month before Sasuke's sixteenth birthday when everything changed. It has been two years, yet Sasuke could remember that night it as if it were yesterday. His father had already begun talking about how Sasuke would finally start learning about the family business after his sixteenth birthday. That night as they gathered around the dinner table, he was going on about loyalty and how Sasuke would learn just how important it was in their line of work. He didn't question why loyalty was so important or what happened to those that weren't loyal, his brother, Itachi, had told him it was better not to ask questions. He told him to just enjoy his youth, as it wasn't something he needed to worry about yet. Sasuke trusted his brother so he listened to him. He learned the hard way that maybe he should have asked some questions.
He had found it odd that Itachi wasn't at dinner that night. His mother was usually a stickler when it came to family dinners. Everyone in the immediate family must be present every time. When he asked about his brother's whereabouts, father just told him that Itachi was investigating a mole in the company, which only furthered spurred his rant about the importance of loyalty. Sasuke accepted that, though it was a Saturday, his brother's work was clearly more important than any family dinner. He thought there would be plenty more family dinners to come.
In short, minus his brother's absence, the night was just like any other night. That was until the head guard alerted his father that they had "company." His father had started to go for the gun he always carried on his hip, but the guard just shook his head and told him that they were far out numbered. Fugaku thought for a moment, contemplating shooting his way out, but decided against it. He was confident that they had nothing against him and that his attorney would fix whatever this was, so he calmly stood up to confront the men surround the house.
As he looked at the empty chair where Itachi would normally sit, his eyes widened with realization. His entire demeanor darkened as he realized that maybe they did have something against him. His own son. His right hand man. He turned to Sasuke, "This will all get sorted out. Don't trust your brother should he contact you while I'm gone."
After that it felt like all hell broke loose. The police raided the house, taking both of his parents away in handcuffs. Later he learned they were facing numerous charges, from fraud to murder. Most of the charges were against his father. People were calling his father a mob boss, claiming he'd done things that Sasuke couldn't even imagine. His father was cold, but he didn't want to believe he was a killer. HIs mother was eventually released, having no concrete evidence to charge her with anything. Yet people knew she was compliant with what her husband had done. That she knew what he was, but didn't say anything.
"It'll all be already," she had assured him, but it wasn't. They couldn't go anywhere without reporters trying to get the story from them. His brother had seemed to have disappeared. She tried to tell Sasuke it was just him being safe, but he knew his father's words meant there was more to it than just his safety. He didn't want to think his brother was the reason that his parents had been arrested, but he wasn't stupid. That would explain not only his disappearance, but also his father's words before he was taken away. Still, he told himself that his brother was on the run because it was easier to accept he was part of the family business than it was to accept that he was the man that turned his world upside down.
Sasuke felt lost after that night. His comfortable life had been taken away as he and his mother struggled to survive. Their assets had been ceased due to the investigation of his father. Everything was in his name, not his mothers. She had a measly savings, but it was not enough to support them in the long term. None trusted either of them after that night. People feared and suspected them and what they were capable of, but there was no respect.
His mother was able to find a low paying job in retail. They kept her hidden away in the back, stocking the things she could under tight supervision, as they didn't trust her not to steal anything. It wasn't much, but it was enough for a small apartment in a bad part of town.
But it didn't last forever. It was his last day of high school when he came home to find that she'd hung herself. All she left was a note, apologizing for what had happened and explaining that she couldn't live that way any longer. Sasuke knew she was gone when he called the police, only to become the main suspect despite it being a suicide. Eventually, the coroner ruled her death a suicide and any investigation was stopped, but that didn't stop people from believing he'd killed his own mother. For the first time in his life he was on his own and had to make his own decisions. He felt lost with no idea what to do. No one trusted him, until he met Minato Namikaze.
Minato was a cheery, nice man that owned a small diner. When the man found Sasuke on the street one day, homeless and looking lost, he took him in. He explained that he had a son his age and that he would hope someone would give him a chance if he were in Sasuke's situation. "You know who I am, right?" Sasuke had asked, not understanding why the man was offering him both a job and a place to stay.
"Everyone knows who you are," Minato confirmed. "But not everyone believes you're evil just because of what your parents did."
Sasuke just looked at the man, a little suspicious of his intentions. "Did they do something to you?" he asked. All sorts of scenarios ran though his head. Maybe the man was a victim or family of a victim of one of his father many alleged crimes. "If your goal is to hurt him by hurting me, it won't work. He doesn't care," Sasuke told him.
Minato just shook his head, "I have no bad intentions. I just want to help you."
Sasuke looked at him, searching the man's blue eyes for some sign of deceit. "Thank you," he said quietly when he found no such signs. He remained guarded, but beggars couldn't be choosers. At this point he had to take what he could get.
When they arrived at Minato's house Sasuke could tell his son was not happy. The man was basically a younger clone of his father. He shared the same bright blue eyes, wild blond hair, and tanned skin, but unlike his father he was not kind to Sasuke. "Dad, what are you thinking?" he asked as if Sasuke weren't even there.
"Naruto," his father sighed. "He's just a kid, he deserves a chance."
"Last I heard he's eighteen, no longer a kid," Naruto scoffed. He glared at Sasuke, suspicious of the man.
"If this is going to cause a problem, I'll leave," Sasuke told him, feeling awkward.
"You're not going anywhere," Minato replied. "Let me show you to the spare room," he said to Sasuke before turn to his son. "Naruto, we'll talk about this later."
The younger blond didn't say anything as he watched his father escort Sasuke to their spare room. He had a love/hate relationship with the way his father always tried to see the best in people. On one hand, he understood it because he tried to do the same. It was just the way he was raised. On the other hand, he felt there should be limits. Trusting an Uchiha crossed the line for him, especially when people suspected said Uchiha of killing his own mother and being part of his father's empire.
"Go get him some of your clothes to borrow," his father instructed when he walked back into the room without Sasuke.
By the sound of it, Naruto figured the other man was taking a shower, hence the need for clean clothes. "Why does he have to borrow mine? You're the one that brought him here," Naruto crossed his arms.
"And your'e going to suck it up and be nice until he gives us a good reason not to be," his father told him. "You're around his age and size, let him borrow some clothes," he wasn't asking at that point. He'd use the you live under my roof for free card if he had to. "Now."
"Fine," Naruto huffed as he went to his room to find the ugliest, least Uchiha outfit he could. He ultimately decided on a bright orange shirt and black sweat pants with a matching orange stripe. "Uchihas hate color," Naruto mumbled to himself as he walked back to his father. "Here," he offered the clothes.
"I know you did that on purpose," his father said as he looked at the clothes. "You're going to be the one to give him these and you will apologize for your attitude," he instructed. He wasn't going to tolerate the way his son was acting. He'd raised him to be a kind, goodhearted young man. "I know I've thought you better than to judge someone based on other people's actions."
Naruto looked down, hating feeling as if his father was disappointed in him. "Sorry, dad," he apologized. "It's just hard with everything everyone is saying. I never got to meet mom and people are saying he killed his," he frowned.
Minato sighed, "People say a lot of thing and her death was ruled a suicide. He's been through a lot so can you just try to befriend him?"
"You want me to befriend him? Being nice is one thing, but I don't know if we can be friends," Naruto whined. He knew his friends probably wouldn't willingly accept the Uchiha into their circle. "Kiba still blames the Uchihas for his uncle's death, he'll never accept him as a friend," Naruto reminded his father.
"Kiba will blame anything and everyone just so he doesn't have to admit his uncle was a drug addict who overdosed," Minato told him. He didn't judge Kiba's uncle, people fell victim to drugs all of the time, but Kiba couldn't just blame the world for losing him. "Who knows if the drugs were run through the Uchihas or if they were even part of the drug trade, he's just looking for someone to blame. Just try to help him, it's the right thing to do and you know it."
"They were part of the mob, of course they're part of the drug trade," Naruto argued. "It probably was their fault."
Minato shook his head, "If they were part of the mob, there are plenty of other trades they could have been a part of. Either way, it doesn't matter because Sasuke is not his parents. What happened to Kiba's uncle was tragic, but we can't change the past. We can make it so that Sasuke doesn't fall into the same thing his parents did. You know just as well as I do that troubled kids are most easily manipulated into things like gangs and drugs, just looking for somewhere to fit in. Help him not become a statistic."
Naruto huffed, "Fine, I'll try, but I'm not happy about it."
"That's all I'm asking for you to do. Now go grab some clothes that won't start you two off on a worse foot than you already have," he said, shaking his head at the bright orange. "You saw how he dresses, I know you have something blue or black." He knew Sasuke had been through a lot in his life, he didn't need his son making it worse. He needed them to get along. "He'll be working with you at the diner. I expect you to train him."
"I'm starting to think you hate me," Naruto rolled is eyes before going in search of different clothing. He had to search hard to find something that would fit the Uchiha aesthetic. Finding a pair of black, comfortable pants was easy enough, but finding a plain, dark shirt was a little more of a challenge. He took a deep breath before walking towards the spare room. The shower was off so he assumed the man was in the room and knocked on the door, "Sasuke, I have some clothes you can borrow."
Sasuke opened the door. It shouldn't have surprised him that the man was only dressed in a towel since he didn't have anything else after his father took his clothes to wash. "Did you cover it in poison ivy?" he asked, his face and voice void of any real emotion.
"I hadn't thought of that," Naruto told him as he held out his hands to give the clothes to the other man. He tried to keep his eyes focused on the other man's face and not his body. He wasn't sure how the man managed to keep such a toned body when he was basically homeless, but it was very distracting.
"Hm, thanks, I guess," he said as he grabbed the clothes, ready to shut the door.
"Wait," Naruto stopped him, causing the other man to raise an eyebrow. "I just wanted to apologize. I was wrong for judging you without really knowing you," he apologized sincerely.
"This couldn't wait until after I was dressed?" he asked, still standing there with just a towel wrapped around his hips.
"I apologize and that's all you say? You ungrateful asshole," Naruto crossed his arms. "Just be a normal person and accept my apology, then you can shut the door and get dressed."
Sasuke leaned against the doorframe, "And if I don't want to accept your apology? Then what? I know you're only saying sorry because your father forced you to."
Naruto blushed a little, embarrassed that Sasuke could see right through him. "Yes, he did make me apologize, but I mean it. I am sorry that I was an ass. I don't know you or what you've been through so I'd like us to start over."
"Fine, but can we do so after I put on some clothes? I get it, you like the view but it's a little weird just standing here talking to you in a towel."
"Like the view? You're so arrogant," Naruto glared. He really wanted to try to be friends, but the other man was making it difficult.
"If you don't want me to think that way, then don't look at me like that," Sasuke told him nonchalantly. He was raised to be observant and aware of his surroundings. Even if people hated him, they still found him attractive. He'd had enough experience with people checking him out to know that Naruto had been doing just that. The rebellious girls in school had always wanted him just to piss off their parents, while other people would look from afar, too afraid to approach him. "You show every thought on your face," he said, his tone remaining indifferent.
"Not all of us can be emotionless robots," Naruto glared. "And I wasn't checking you out."
"Sure you weren't," Sasuke obviously didn't believe him. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get dressed," he shut the door in Naruto's face.
The blond stared at the door for a moment before heading back to his own room. "What am I getting myself into?" he asked himself as he collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He knew befriending the young Uchiha wasn't going to be easy, but he was determined now to do it. The man had basically challenged him, he had to prove himself. His apology would be accepted and they would be friends, but he most certainly would not fall for him no matter how attractive he may be.