If Naruto arrived about an hour too early for Sasuke to have finished work, it was fine, because he could justify it to himself by saying it had always been his plan to grab coffee. And the fact that the coffee shop looked directly into the shop where Sasuke worked, and so Naruto could sit there and watch him, well, it's not like Naruto could have predicted that, so who could begrudge him his happiness?
The coffee shop was small, only fitting three small tables, but currently two were unoccupied, and Naruto sat down with a contended sigh, waiting for his caramel macchiato, and spying on his friend.
The shop where Sasuke worked was really made up of two interconnected spaces, the bigger one was covered with bookshelves and the other was decorated with music records hanging on the walls, and it had a bunch of the table-shelf-things they always seemed to have in record shops. This was where Sasuke was currently organizing some of the records. Occasionally he would pull one out and look at it for a while before moving it to another table. Why this was a fascinating process to Naruto, he wasn't sure.
Naruto couldn't make out Sasuke's expression from this distance, but Sasuke was dressed semi-casually, in a dark-blue knitted top and jeans. Watching him, Naruto wondered how it was that some people seemed to have a way of making the clothes they wore look so much better than they did on other people. Maybe Naruto was a little too caught up in that observation because he almost jumped out of his seat when a hand placed a cup of coffee on his table.
"Thank you" Naruto muttered, looking up at the dark-haired man, his heart still beating twice as fast.
"Perhaps I should apologize instead of saying you're welcome?" The man said, amused.
Naruto blinked up at him. He was definitely not the same person who'd taken Naruto's order before. Odd, since Naruto hadn't seen anyone else working in the cafe when he came in. This man looked to be a few years older than Naruto, though perhaps that impression was also exaggerated because he was wearing a long expensive looking coat, a kind that Naruto never saw people wear in uni. Come to think of it, it also didn't seem like something someone would wear to their casual coffee shop job.
The man raised an eyebrow at Naruto's prolonged silence which snapped him out of his reverie "Ah no please don't apologize. It was my fault; I was totally spacing out."
"I would say you seemed quite focused actually." The man said, "Just not on anything in here." He glanced pointedly out of the cafe's large widow where Naruto had been looking just a moment ago.
"Right" Naruto said, out of absence of anything else to say.
"Do you mind if I join you?" The man asked suddenly.
Naruto blinked up at him "Um...yeah sure?" Naruto was a friendly guy, but this was definitely unusual, wasn't it? Did this guy even work here? If he didn't, why had he had Naruto's coffee?
"Thank you." The man said, taking the seat across Naruto.
Feeling a little awkward, Naruto glanced out of the window again, quickly spotting Sasuke who now seemed to be talking to a customer now, before looking back at the guy.
Except the guy was now also looking at Sasuke. He kept on looking for a moment more and then turned back to Naruto "I see now what had caputred your attention before."
Naruto considered not responding, since the man was a stranger and all, but that wasn't in his nature "Uh yeah, he is a friend of mine. So."
The man raised an eyebrow and kept staring at Naruto "A friend?" He repeated without any inflection.
Naruto returned his stare, not one to be intimidated easily, even though he had a feeling this man was used to intimidating people at will. He had dark straight hair in a loose ponytail, and these dark intense eyes. Actually though, his eyes reminded him a little of Sasuke's?
Naruto frowned. Hmm.
"A very good-looking friend. No?" The man said suddenly.
Naruto looked at him again. Yes, there was definitely a resemblance. "It's funny you say that, because I was just thinking you look a little alike."
The man returned Naruto's look with a flat expression for a moment, and then slowly, a corner of his lips lifted in a smile "You're surprisingly observant."
"What do you mean surprising?" Naruto protested immediately, completely forgetting his previous scowl in the face of his indignation.
The man full on smiled now, suddenly looking a few years younger and much less crazy "You're also very easy to rile up. I imagine Sasuke finds that very amusing."
"So you do know him!" Naruto accused.
"Know him? You could say that." The man said, "He is my foolish little brother."
"Brother?" Naruto sputtered and then watched as the man turned to look at Sasuke again, and yes! The family resemblance was even more clear now that Naruto knew he wasn't just being delusional.
He shook his head "Man, why didn't you tell me? I thought you were just some crazy dude…"
The man turned to face him "Some crazy dude?" He said, his smile evaporating.
Okay, yeah, this dude definitely intimated others for a living "Umm, I mean, I thought…"
He watched Naruto struggle for a few more seconds, before smiling again, looking even more amused than before "I just go by Itachi."
"Uh, it's good to meet you Itachi, I'm Naruto?" He said and then immediately wanted to flinch because why had he said it like he thought his name might be recognized? Why would Sasuke have mentioned him? "Anyways, sorry about calling you crazy, Sasuke's such a bastard, he never mentioned he had a brother."
"Don't take it personally" Itachi said after a moment of watching Naruto's expression "We have a complicated relationship."
"Is that so?" Naruto scratched the back of his head "I wouldn't know about that."
"Only child?" Itachi asked.
"Yeah, though I always wanted a brother to be honest."
Naruto glanced out to see Sasuke for no particular reason, but he seemed to have gone to the back of the shop for the moment. He would probably start closing up soon, if he hadn't already.
"So Sasuke's like the brother you never had?" Itachi asked, and Naruto turned back to see him watching him with his eyebrows raised.
"No!" Naruto swallowed, trying to amp down the energy a little "Um, I mean, we've really only met recently, so." Not sure what else to do with his hands, Naruto took a sip of his forgotten coffee.
"I see" Itachi paused, starting intently at Naruto as he drank "What are your intentions when it comes to my brother then?"
Naruto had to swallow his drink or risk sputtering it all over Sasuke's older brother. Thank god it had cooled down already.
"Intentions?" It seemed like the formality that crept up into Sasuke's speech was a family trait huh? He asked looking at Itachi and hoping to see that the man was joking but he seemed to have suddenly turned dead serious.
Still Naruto tried to laugh it off. "What, we're not dating or anything, if that's what you're asking."
"I'm very protective of Sasuke" Itachi told him, still completely serious.
"Yeah, no, I have no doubt. But there is really nothing…"
"I don't look kindly on anyone who'd hurt him."
Naruto snorted.
Itachi's eyes narrowed "Is this a joke to you?"
Naruto shook his head "Look I don't know what you're talking about exactly, but Sasuke can definitely look after himself."
Something in Itachi's expression changed at that "He can." He agreed, though he didn't sound too happy.
"How is that a bad thing?" Naruto asked.
Itachi gave Naruto a considering look. It went on for long enough that Naruto thought he wouldn't give him a response.
"I wouldn't have said it was a bad thing if you asked me that question a few years ago."
"And now?"
"Now, I've had to learn that trying to do everything by yourself comes at a high cost." Itachi said "I don't want that for Sasuke."
"That's not what I meant!" Naruto exclaimed.
Itachi raised an eyebrow at him.
"Just because I know he can take care of himself doesn't mean I wouldn't want to help him." Naruto said, then muttered "If he'd let me."
"You care about him." Itachi observed "Why?"
"What do you mean why?" Naruto asked, getting a little too heated by the discussion.
"What are you doing here?"
For the second time that day, Naruto almost jumped out of his chair. He looked up to see Sasuke standing over their table. Except he wasn't looking at Naruto. His stare was set on Itachi, who unlike Naruto, didn't seem taken aback in the slightest.
"I said I didn't want to see you." Sasuke added when Itachi hadn't said anything for several moments. He hadn't raised his voice, but Naruto could hear the barely restrained anger in the way his voice seemed to shake just a little.
Naruto realized suddenly, it must have been Itachi Sasuke had been talking to on the phone the other night. It was the only other time Naruto had heard him sound that way.
"I was having a chat with your friend here." Itachi said.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, their eyes meeting for the briefest moment before he looked back at Itachi "Leave."
"We need to talk about the inheritance."
Naruto had a distinct feeling he shouldn't be there.
Sasuke's hands fisted at his sides "No"
"You're not meant to be working two jobs on top of university."
Sasuke laughed "It's been two years now Itachi."
Itachi seemed to pause for the first time. Though he didn't show it, Naruto had the distinct impression that he was gathering himself somehow.
"Hey, umm, maybe I should go?" Naruto put in hesitantly.
"My apologies Naruto, but yes that might be for the best." Itachi said "Sasuke and I need to have a talk."
"Um, sorry Itachi, man, I was actually checking with Sasuke?"
It was awkward, and Itachi seemed like a cool enough dude, but it's not like Naruto was going to forget who he was here for. It was just basic decency if you asked him, but Sasuke seemed to go completely still at his comment. Naruto wished he could ask him how he was doing, or offer some gesture of support, but he didn't think Sasuke would appreciate either in front of Itachi. Instead, when Sasuke finally turned to face him, he just tried to communicate it with his eyes. Sasuke stared at him for a moment.
"You don't need to go." Sasuke said.
Naruto nodded. Alright then. Awkward family discussion it was.
To his surprise, Sasuke suddenly pulled out a seat and sat down on the third side of the already cramped table.
"What do you want Itachi?"
"I want you to accept your portion of the inheritance and use it so you can focus on your degree."
"No" Sasuke said.
Naruto had planned to just to fade into the background, but he had to admit he really wished he had some context so that he could understand Sasuke's response.
"Be reasonable." Itachi snapped.
Sasuke's eyes flashed "I don't know what's happened suddenly to bring this on, but since you wanted their money so much after the accident, you should keep it all. Consider it my gift to you."
"There were considerations that you weren't aware of."
Sasuke leaned forward, putting his hands on the table. Naruto noticed the slightest tremble in his fingers. He felt his stomach flip over at the side. He wished he could reach over and squeeze his hand.
"What considerations?"
Itachi rubbed his temples, and all of a sudden, he looked so tired that Naruto felt a little bad for him. When he didn't say anything for several moments, Sasuke leaned back again "Right. I didn't think so."
"Perhaps I didn't handle things in the best way at the time…"
"I'm not interested." Sasuke snapped. "Just leave. That's all I want from you now."
"Fine" Itachi snapped back, then seemed to forcibly calm himself "Say you'll accept the money and I'll go."
Naruto watched Sasuke's expression flicker between cold resolve and anger, but there was something else there. Pain.
On impulse, Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's knee underneath the table. He'd never been good at feeling useless in the face of another's pain.
Sasuke didn't look towards him. He didn't react either way. Silence dragged on around the table.
Right as Naruto was about to remove his hand, Sasuke grabbed onto it with his own.
"I will not." He said like a vow.
"Stop being so stubborn." Itachi told him. "You're acting like a child."
Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand hard enough to bruise but didn't say anything.
"Do you think seeing you act like this would have made them happy?"
Naruto, despite his best intentions to stay quiet couldn't take it anymore "Don't you think that's a little out of line?"
"I don't need you to defend me." Sasuke told him flatly without turning to meet his gaze. Then, in a delayed reaction, he also let go of Naruto's hand, and wrapping his fingers around his other hand, placed them on the table.
"I know" Naruto snapped. Then he squeezed his knee for a second and withdrew his hand too.
Itachi looked between them for a moment.
"Naruto, what do you think Sasuke should do?"
"Leave him out of it." Sasuke snapped at him immediately.
"You told him to stay."
"That's none of your business"
"You're my little brother."
That seemed to anger Sasuke more than anything else that was said so far. Naruto wondered if he would finally lose it and start shouting in the middle of the cafe, propriety be damned.
"I'm parked right around the corner" Naruto burst out.
Sasuke glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. There was a pause.
"Alright" Sassuke said, standing up in one motion.
"It's not like you to run away Sasuke" Itachi said, though Naruto thought he sounded a little more desperate than taunting.
"Let's go" Sauske told Naruto, and Naruto realizing he'd frozen in place, scrambled to stand while Sasuke moved towards the door.
Naruto paused for a second, and gave Itachi a small awkward nod in farewell, before hurrying to catch up to Sasuke, leaving the other man sitting there and watching them leave through the window.
After a few minutes of speed walking silently by Sasuke's side, Naruto finally said "Sasuke, my car's actually the other way…"
Sasuke stopped abruptly. "Right." He said "You can go."
Naruto blinked "What?"
"You can leave." Sasuke looked a little pale, but otherwise, not particularly sad or angry. Naruto had the distinct feeling that he was barely there. "I should have let you leave before."
Naruto supposed he could have felt hurt, but all he had space for right then was concern.
"Why?" He asked quietly.
Sasuke gaze focused just a little "What?"
"Why should you have let me leave?"
He wondered if Sasuke would snap at him, or push him away in someway. Instead, he seemed to withdraw into himself again, his eyes going distant again.
Naruto felt a clawing feeling in his stomach. He suddenly felt a wave of anger at himself for nodding goodbye to Itachi.
"Let me drive you back to your house."
Sasuke shook his head "I'm not going home."
"Alright" Naruto said "We can walk."
"Why do you want to be here right now?" Sasuke asked him, his tone a little sharp. "It's not like I'm pleasant company"
Naruto just shook his head.
They stood there in silence for a few moments. Then Sasuke started walked again and Naruto kept pace.
They walked in silence for a while. Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke had a destination in mind or if he was just wandering, and he didn't particularly care.
"I'm not accepting the money." Sasuke said without preamble.
"Alright."
"That's it?" Sasuke asked, threw him a side-ways glance.
Naruto shrugged.
For some reason, that response seemed to annoy Sasuke "You expect me to believe you don't have any opinions on what you heard? You, the person who has opinions on everything?"
"Are you looking for a fight?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.
Sasuke snapped "I just hadn't taken you for a coward."
"A coward?"
"If you have something to say, say it."
Naruto took a deep breath "Frankly Sasuke, I don't know a damn thing about what's gone on with you and your family. So I'm not going to pretend like I understand why you'd say no to money that rightfully belongs to you, but I trust that you have your reasons, so no I don't have anything to say."
Sasuke opened his mouth and then sapped it shut. After a moment he said "That's right. You wouldn't understand."
Naruto let out a puff of air "Yeah, I just said that."
"…I know." Sasuke gritted his teeth, then looked to the side "Sorry"
A bit of tension seemed to leave the air between them. Sasuke's meandering had taken them close to the harbor, and they both paused and glanced at the water. The sun had set as they walked and now the reflection of the city lights lit up the dark waters.
"Itachi was the first person who knew I was gay." Sasuke said suddenly. "He had a lot of queer friends and didn't act like I interluded on their circle when I was around."
Naruto nodded, though Sasuke was staring out at the water.
"He was the one who always pushed me to come out to my parents, and when I did, he reassured me that our father would come around eventually."
Naruto looked at Sasuke's expression which had gone dangerously empty "You were close." He said, because it was obvious. No-one hates a stranger. Only where there was genuine love, could there be this much pain.
Sasuke didn't say anything in response, which was answer enough.
"After my parents died, our family lawyer contacted me." Here for the first time Sasuke seemed to steel himself in some way. "He said Itachi had made a legal claim that my parents' wishes had been to disinherit me, and that I hadn't been in contact with my family for a year before the accident."
"What?" Naruto couldn't help but interject.
"Yes" Sasuke said simply "He said I could fight it, and I'd probably win, depending on what documents Itachi had. But we'd have to go through the whole legal process"
"And you didn't." Naruto guessed. He felt ill. He thought back to the man who had sat in front of him in the coffee shop just two hours ago. Could he really have done something like this?
"I tried to contact Itachi, but he refused to speak to me." Sasuke said with no particular inflection. His voice had taken the tone of a newscaster, as if he was reporting disasters that had no personal ties to himself.
"Jesus Sasuke" Naruto said. "Why would he do that?"
"Maybe because it was the truth." Sasuke said simply.
"No" Naruto snapped. "No, you don't believe that."
"It doesn't matter what I believe." Sasuke said in a final tone, and then turned to him eventually "Does that answer all your questions?"
Naruto sighed "Don't do that."
"Don't pretend you didn't want to know." Sasuke returned, though there was no bite in his tone.
Naruto was silent for a moment "I'm glad you told me."
"Yeah, well." Sasuke turned to face the water again.
After a few moment, Naruto moved just a little closer to his side, until their shoulders touched. Sasuke didn't move away.
