Chapter Text
It started as a joke on the New Year's celebrations.
Naruto had been laughing with his friends, drinking and eating a bag of chips as the party expanded to over a hundred people. He had no clue where his best friend was, and so he began talking to strangers, which he turned into his friends. As always.
He figured it had been two hours at most, yet his party spirit didn’t budge. He grew increasingly hyper as each second passed by, the drink in his hand kept refilling itself and he did not care enough to stop. It was a new year’s celebration—and a party at Sakura’s house never died down.
But he had not seen his friend ever since he’d gotten here, and that alone should be worrisome for a guy like him. He always greeted his friends first.
Pushing through the crowd, the party lights flickering different colors every second, he finally caught a familiar face. Behind him, a new friend he’d made, followed. Red hair, blue eyes, tatted down to his arms and places he would rather not imagine in his current state.
“Where are we going?” The redhead asked, holding onto Naruto’s arm as if he would lose him the second he was out of sight.
Naruto moved his lips closer to the man’s ear, a grin spreading across his face as he chatted. “I’ll introduce you to the hottest man alive. Maybe he’ll take you up, huh, Gaara?” He joked.
Gaara’s face immediately flushed a red on his cheeks. “I’m okay. Thank you, Naruto.” He answered, embarrassed.
Naruto waved a hand dismissively. “Fine, fine. Don’t get all pouty when you see him though ‘cause seriously, he’s really attractive. Totally your type.”
They arrived near the bar area and Naruto called out a name Gaara was not familiar with, but his eyes followed Naruto’s. Before he knew it, he stood beside his new friend in the corner with another man.
“Hey sexy.” He grinned at the man, pulling Gaara closer. “His name is Sasuke—isn’t he so pretty?” He asked Gaara, pointing at Sasuke.
Gaara paused, staring at Sasuke with a raised brow as he analyzed every detail about apparently the ‘hottest man alive’.
He thought Naruto was definitely better looking.
“Um, he’s…cute?” He answered, tilting his head.
“Where have you been?” Sasuke asked Naruto, clearly ignoring Gaara. “I have been texting you for an hour. Sakura is pissed that you didn’t meet her.”
Naruto combed his hand through his hair. “I know, I know! I literally could not find anyone—and then I met this cute guy—his name is Gaara by the way. Talk to him. I’ll go find Sakura.” He said to Sasuke, before turning to Gaara.
“Hey, you’re pretty cool—let me know if you wanna hang later, okay?” Naruto shot Gaara a flirtatious smile before waving off. “See you around!” He walked away.
Sasuke didn’t say much, he just quietly followed behind Naruto in the loud party hall, indifferent to Naruto’s attempts of trying to hook his one of many stranger-friends up with Sasuke.
When they finally got out of the crowded area, Naruto had a chance to breathe and turned around towards Sasuke with a grin.
“You really need to stop trying to set me up with your friends.” Sasuke spoke, irritation creeping in on his face.
“But it’s fun!”
“It’s fucking annoying.”
“And fun.” Naruto pouted, leaning onto the wall behind him all wobbly. “My head hurts. Wanna make out?”
“Knew you’d say that, here.” Sasuke simply sighed, handing him a water bottle. “And no.”
Naruto shot him a look of gratitude before chugging the water down. “Holy shit. You’re an angel. A pretty angel.”
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, handing the bottle back to Sasuke, who also took a small sip from the same bottle.
“Woah. An indirect kiss? Don’t tell me you’re in love with me, too.”
Sasuke shrugged, popping the lid back on before he reached out to steady Naruto. “Sure, moron. I’m totally in love with you—are you good to walk?”
Naruto beamed a smile, steadying himself. “Yeah. Just had a little too much. Kinda seeing stars right now but that’s it.”
Sasuke grabbed his arm, walking him towards where he thought Sakura would be. “You’re so irresponsible. I left you alone for ten seconds and you disappeared for two hours.”
Naruto laughed, loud and unrestrained. “I got lost, and people kept buying me so many drinks and I didn’t even remember you till I saw someone who looked like you!”
“You downed three drinks and forgot about me? Some friendship we have.” He joked.
“You know I would never forget you. You’re like the only one who knows me.” He leaned against his friend, walking slowly.
Sasuke didn’t continue further, but his gaze lingered on Naruto’s mouth for a second longer than it should have.
Naruto didn’t say anything either, he only turned his head away and held onto Sasuke’s arm.
Finally, they reached Sakura’s room, and Naruto swung the door open excitedly, losing balance. “Sakura!”
Again, Sasuke grabbed to steady him. “Careful,” he muttered, voice gentler as he turned towards Sakura.
…
They both paused at the scene that unfolded before their eyes.
Sakura was on her bed, and Ino was in the middle of undressing her—both of their shirts were off.
“Oh.” Naruto’s mouth opened, and then closed before opening again. “Um… we’ll come back later!”
“Guys—“ Sakura started.
“Ino. Lock the door.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes and turned around to drag Naruto out. “The last thing we need is some drunk thinking it’s an invitation to fuck.” He shot her a look and shut the door behind him.
“Oh my goodness—did you see that? I didn’t know Sakura and Ino were… y’know.” Naruto laughed awkwardly, walking through the narrow corridor. “Did you know this?”
Sasuke only shrugged. “I figured it out months ago.”
“Of course you did.” Naruto stuck out his tongue as they reached the main hall—still packed—still reeking of mysterious substances. Suddenly, he pointed at the bar. “Look, they’re doing body shots! Wanna—“
“We’re going home.” Sasuke interrupted, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the exit.
Naruto tried to stop him, whining like a toddler. “Pleasee!” He pouted.
Sasuke didn’t say anything, but he held onto Naruto’s hand until they were out of the party house and walking along the sidewalk.
It had only been two minutes of silence before Naruto broke it with a small huff, stumbling forward. Finally irritated, Sasuke grabbed Naruto and pulled him over his shoulders.
“Woah—you can’t just do that without warning me!” Naruto exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s neck as he got a piggyback ride from his friend.
“Why did you drink so much? You know you can’t handle your liquor,” he spoke, pausing to steady Naruto’s weight as his hands crawled under Naruto’s thighs.
The blonde nuzzled his cheek against Sasuke’s, grinning. “You worried about me, pretty?” He teased
“Naruto.”
“Fine, yeah, I know I messed up! I swear I only went to get one drink! But I lost you and then I made new friends—and they kept buying me drinks!”
“They weren’t interested in just being friends.” Sasuke replied coolly.
“I know. I just wanted someone to drink with. I know you don’t like to drink, and Sakura…well, she’s just not a good drinking partner. You know she can’t handle booze properly.” Naruto’s voice lowered, his head resting against Sasuke’s as he shut his eyes.
“You could’ve said so. I would have drank with you,” Sasuke said, voice softer.
Naruto paused, lifting his head to look at Sasuke. “You don’t drink.”
Sasuke looked back for a second, noticing the proximity between them. “Occasionally. I can. If you want me to.”
“Have I ever told you how adorable you are?” He let out a low whistle, slugging closer to Sasuke again. “But I’m not letting you get into that stuff. You’ve already got a lot on your plate.”
“Still.”
Naruto shrugged, tightening his hold, nuzzling his nose in the crook of Sasuke’s neck.
They were silent for the rest of the walk to Sasuke’s place, except for Naruto’s occasional yawns and sniffles.
Once they reached the door, Sasuke unlocked the door, carrying Naruto inside in the dark apartment. He switched the nearby lamp on, the warm golden orange light brightening the room.
“Naruto, get off.” He nudged Naruto, tapping his thigh with his finger.
His friend did not budge, only nuzzling closer. “I like when you hold me,” he murmured.
Sasuke paused, then sighed. “You’re drunk.”
“And you’re warm.”
With no choice, Sasuke led them to the couch. “I’ll hold you if you get off.” He offered.
Sighing, Naruto reluctantly got off. Throwing himself on the couch. “Oh my god—why does my head hurt so much?” He held his head in his hands, curling up. “Remind me to never drink again.”
“I did remind you.” Sasuke corrected him, still feigning concern. “I’ll get you water and some medicine. Go take a shower.”
Naruto shook his head. “Wanna sleep.”
“I’m going to kick you out.” Sasuke gave him a flat look.
“You’re so annoying,” he groaned, pulling himself off the couch. “Can I borrow your clothes?”
Sasuke hummed, taking off his jacket. “I’ll set them out for you.”
“I wanna kiss you so bad.” Naruto walked towards the bathroom lazily, stumbling side to side.
Sasuke shook his head. “You’re welcome, Naruto.” He called out from behind, clearly too used to this.
He walked towards the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water as he recalled the earlier incidents.
Naruto had been asking (begging) Sasuke to tag along with him to the party for hours, and he’d only agreed on the condition that Naruto wouldn’t get wasted.
And true to his word, Naruto didn’t get wasted. Not completely. So, Sasuke never got the opportunity to complain. It would be fair to say that he was even a little proud, actually. This was the least drunk Naruto had been in a long time.
Yet, he managed to piss Sasuke off even more than usual.
Because usually, the wasted Naruto was too busy focusing on not irritating him. Normal Naruto was the opposite, trying to get Sasuke to socialize with new people, knowing that was the one thing he hated.
Sasuke did not have many friends of his own. Naruto and Sakura were his only friends and he was fine with that. He never exactly needed friends. He was fine on his own; he’d always been.
The root of the problem was that he didn’t like to be around Naruto when he was drunk.
Mainly because Naruto would flirt with Sasuke—the one person he should not be flirting with at all. Sasuke, his best friend, his favorite person in the entire world, Naruto shouldn’t touch Sasuke like that.
He shouldn’t call Sasuke names. He shouldn’t be glued to Sasuke—he should never look at Sasuke like that—shouldn’t say things no guy would ever say to his best friend.
The worst part was that Naruto didn’t even know he did it, and once, when Sasuke had asked him why, he didn’t get a clear answer. And it was so damn infuriating because it was the one time Sasuke had gotten his hopes up.
It was the one time Sasuke had thought that maybe—just maybe—Naruto reciprocated his feelings. Maybe he didn’t need to hide it any longer. Maybe Naruto knew.
Of course, he was wrong.
Naruto wouldn’t ever love him the same way when he was sober.
Selfishly enough, sometimes Sasuke would look forward to Naruto getting drunk just to hear him call Sasuke beautiful one more time.
It was desperate on his end, but he couldn’t help himself.
At least he was able to pretend, and that was enough even if it was for one night.
“What took you so long? I was calling for you.” Naruto pouted, walking out with only a towel on his hips.
Sasuke threw a pair of clothes on his face. “Did you use my shampoo again?” He raised a brow.
A smile crept on Naruto’s face. “You just smell so good, Sasuke! I can’t help it.” He laughed, wrapping his arms around Sasuke’s middle.
His heart skipped a beat, and his ears turned crimson. “You’re dripping—“ he started, but Naruto only laughed.
“Mhmm.” He nuzzled in closer.
“Naruto. Seriously. You’re getting me wet.” Sasuke pushed him off, crossing his arms. “Go change.”
He only sighed, pulling the shirt on as he began tugging on the towel on his hips.
“Out of my sight.”
“You’ve seen me before.”
“Against my will.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes, walking back into the bathroom.
Sasuke turned around and walked towards the bed, slipping under the blankets as he shut his eyes.
The quiet hum of the night, and Naruto’s shuffling in the bathroom was the only thing he heard.
It brought a strange peace.
His usually silent apartment felt different when Naruto visited. Always bringing him back to the days of his childhood when living was joyful, and nothing was demanded.
When children were allowed to be children. When parents didn’t taunt, didn’t push him away because of who he was—or rather what he was becoming. When his mother held him close, and his father told him stories of his own teenage years.
He tried to suppress his feelings, the nostalgia—but it came crawling back into his skin the moment Naruto stepped into his vision. Naruto was the sole reminder of the life he had left behind—of the family he ran away from. Yet, he was the only connection that mattered the most. The only reason he knew he could still feel the love running through his veins.
Naruto was, both a heartache and a heartbeat. Hurt and comfort. Destruction and a craving. He was everything Sasuke ever needed, and he didn’t even know.
He only snapped out of it when warm lips brushed against his cold cheek and hands roamed around his abdomen.
“What are you thinking about?” Naruto asked, pulling away to meet his eyes.
Sasuke paused, and then his fingers ran across the place where Naruto’s lips had touched. “Did you just kiss me?”
Naruto’s hand reached up to squish his face. “Your cheek looked squishy.”
“I’m your best friend, not your boyfriend,” Sasuke’s tone turned serious, and he pushed at Naruto’s chest. “-and you sleep in my bed as if that isn’t bad enough already.”
Raising a brow, Naruto tilted his head. “We’ve always slept beside each other when we were younger, though.”
“Except we’re not five years old anymore—we’re twenty-two. Grown men. Cuddling and sharing a bed.” Sasuke sat upright, turning to Naruto with an accusing expression. “You know what this looks like, right?”
“What? I mean, that’s different.”
“You like men. I like men. How is it different?”
Naruto threaded a hand through his hair, sitting up. “Well, we don’t like each other. So, it is different…?”
It was Sasuke’s turn to tilt his head with furrowed brows. “Your hand is still under my shirt.”
“That’s like…a bro touch.”
“Do you think I touch my brother like this?”
Naruto paused, then retracted his hand with flushed cheeks. “Fine, happy now?”
Sasuke scoffed, then rolled over, away from Naruto and shut his eyes.
“Why is it suddenly such a problem now?” Naruto asked, staring at Sasuke’s back as he played with his fingers.
He didn’t get a reply, so he continued.
“I wasn’t trying to be weird—you know how I am!” He defended. “And I don’t know what is wrong with you, but you’ve been in a bad mood ever since we got home! Now you aren’t even talking to me anymore,” Naruto’s tone was accusatory, and he was fully turned toward Sasuke. “-if you didn’t want me here then you shouldn’t have bothered dragging me out of the party!”
Then, without looking back: “So leave.”
Naruto blinked.
…
He threw off the covers and left.
Only when Sasuke heard the soft click of the door, did his eyes open and he sat upright.
Naruto never left. Even when Sasuke pleaded with him to leave, Naruto would cling to him even more. It was just how he was. Too secure in his relationships to be afraid of being left behind.
The complete opposite of Sasuke, who would leave if he saw the smallest of openings—thinking he was better off alone.
So, for a heavy moment, Sasuke lay still and breathed slowly.
Remembering that Naruto was not sober and he had just kicked his drunk best friend out in the middle of the night. He was trying to push away the only person who would put up with his shenanigans.
But Naruto wasn’t as tough as he looked. Sasuke knew that better than anybody. Like any other person, he had his limits, and Sasuke had certainly crossed them this time. Despite knowing that Naruto hated being distanced, he still ended up pushing him away.
Throwing off the covers, he followed—grabbing a jacket on the way out. He shut the door behind him, noticing the elevator going down to the lobby. He saw his chance and sprinted towards the stairs, rushing down.
The stairs were faster.
Luckily, he made it before the elevator door opened—panting as he bent down and supported himself by placing his hands on his knees.
The moment the door opened, Sasuke got up and stepped in, blocking the exit.
“Sasuke, what are you—“
He cut Naruto off with a bear hug, arms wrapped tightly around his torso. “Come back.”
“…Did you seriously run all the way here?”
Sasuke didn’t reply, cornering him backwards into the wall.
He sighed, hands anchoring Sasuke’s hips. “You’re so fucking complicated, you know that?” He leaned back, resting against the steel elevator wall.
Sasuke nodded.
“You drive me nuts.” He glanced at Sasuke resting his face on his shoulder. “I still care for you regardless of how much of an asshole you can be, but you have to communicate with me. You can’t solve everything by pushing people away all the time.”
Sasuke met his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry,” he murmured, voice barely a whisper.
“It’s okay—but you still have to tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been acting so weird this past week.” Naruto reminded him.
“Later.” Sasuke finally stepped back, watching him with weary eyes as he pressed the button to shut the doors.
“Fine, but don’t think you’re getting out of this.”
He nodded, standing in front of the door as he clutched his jacket tightly.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, but didn’t comment further. As the elevator doors opened again, Sasuke stepped out with Naruto following behind slowly.
Sasuke did not know why he had kicked Naruto out. He didn’t even fully comprehend what he had blurted out until he heard the click of the door. Although, his body moved faster than his mind—he couldn’t believe how close he was to messing up again.
He thought was going to lose his family again.
It was terrifying.
He turned the knob with trembling hands, stepping inside his apartment as he threw off his jacket onto the floor, only to catch Naruto watching him with a strange expression—as if he could not grasp onto why Sasuke was behaving so recklessly.
“What’s going on?” Naruto asked once they were in his bedroom.
“I said later,” Sasuke replied, voice small.
Naruto didn’t push but his brows were furrowed. He followed Sasuke under the covers, laying side by side in the dark room, his breathing even.
Sasuke shifted once—to roll to his side.
Then again, towards Naruto.
After a click of tongue, he sat up and took off his shirt.
Naruto raised a brow, tilting his head to look at Sasuke, making out only his shape. “What are you—where’s your shirt?” He asked.
“It’s hot.”
“You wore a jacket outside.”
“It’s hot now.”
“Didn’t you say something about grown men and cuddling? How is this any better?”
“Because this is my bed.” He replied, falling back onto the bed as his head hit the soft pillow.
Naruto snorted. “Does that mean we can cuddle naked now?”
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t push it, moron.”
He completely turned towards Sasuke, shifting closer. “Can we at least hug?”
Sasuke gave up, letting out a sigh and moving closer towards his friend. Naruto took that as a sign and snaked his arms across Sasuke’s waist. “You are so clingy.”
Grinning, he tightened his hold. “If anyone had a friend like you, they would be clingy too.” His nose brushed the crook of Sasuke’s neck.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, his hands resting on Naruto’s upper back.
“That you’re a nice company, I always look forward to seeing you.” Naruto shrugged, shutting his eyes. “And…you’re a pretty one—nice to dream about, but you don’t make yourself easy to like.”
Sasuke paused, his grip tightening unconsciously. “Dream about? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Like…oh. Did I say that?”
“You did.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“You meant every word.”
Naruto sighed, pulling Sasuke closer.
I’m a total idiot.
“Naruto. Answer me.” Sasuke nudged his leg.
He took a breath and spoke. “Uh—like, to fall asleep?” He said, but had an awkward pause right after it. Oh my god. It almost sounded even worse coming out of his mouth, but it was the truth.
At least the half truth—the one he accepted was the least strangest of them all.
Because how would he tell Sasuke that the other half was something even he did not understand? It was something he tried to stuff into the back of his mind—tried to avoid it like the plague, because acknowledging it meant that it was real.
And, well, even more terrifying.
“You…think aboutme to fall asleep?” His tone was full of disbelief. “But why?”
Naruto shrugged. “I don’t know? What I feel for you is the closest thing I know to love. My brain just… does that—like, look for you in everyone I’m interested in? Not that I understand it all myself and-”
“I think you understand it.”
“-plus, I think it’s just comforting, you know? Because we’ve known each other for so long, my brain tries to find any familiarity by looking for you in people. That’s it.” He tried to justify. “Like, Hinata? Do you remember her?”
“Your ex-girlfriend.”
Naruto nodded. “Right, like, she was your exact copy. Her hair was silky, her features are like yours, she’s composed and confident, her lips are soft like yours, she’s smart and—”
Naruto froze.
Sasuke paused.
“You think my lips are soft.”
His brain scrambled. “Uh. A little…maybe more?”
Sasuke tilted his head, still caught in his embrace. “You’re comparing my lips to your ex-girlfriend’s. How do you even know if my lips are soft?”
“We’ve kissed before.”
“Fourteen years ago.”
Then, like the absolute idiot he was: “You tasted sweet.”
Puzzled even more, Sasuke tugged onto his shirt. “You’ve kissed over ten people, and somehow my lips stood out?” He asked, half-joking and half-flustered. “What—do you think about me when you have sex, too?” He teased.
Naruto tensed.
…
Sasuke blinked.
He pulled away, staring at Naruto with widened eyes. “You—”
“It was an accident!”
“You picturing me naked was not an accident!”
“Well, I can’t help it! You don’t let anybody else touch you but me—even Suigetsu wasn’t allowed to touch you and you guys were a couple! That’s freaky too!” Naruto defended, running a hand down his face.
Sasuke tried to think of an answer. “He had an STD.”
“You told me he was a virgin.”
“He smelled bad.”
“He makes perfumes for a living.”
Sasuke nodded. “Which is why he smelled bad. It was too strong and I have a sensitive nose, you know that.”
“I wear the strongest cologne, and you don’t seem to have any issues with that.”
“I’m accustomed to the scent.”
“You’re hopeless.” Naruto laughed, smacking Sasuke’s shoulder lightly. “Stop lying, dumbass. Just say you didn’t like him.”
“I didn’t. Yet that isn’t as bad as your problem with imagining me naked.” Sasuke pointed out, poking his chest harshly.
Naruto grabbed his hand. “I told you, my brain just does that. It’s not like I want to imagine your perfect body and your stupidly symmetrical face.” He placed Sasuke’s arm around his waist and moved closer to him. “Maybe we’re just too close.”
Sasuke raised a brow. “So, don’t be close to me then.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know how to not be close to you, Sasuke. I know you more than I know myself—I think about you every second of the day, about what you would be doing, or what you like. Even when I sleep, I think about how you’d look. It’s so fucking weird, but I don’t know how to stop something I’ve been doing for years.”
“This isn’t normal.”
“You think I don’t know that? I lie awake every night thinking how weird it is to feel that way for my best friend. Everyday, I wake up in the morning, adamant to put some distance between us and try to stabilize what all these feelings are supposed to mean because I know it’s wrong,” he continued, pausing for a moment as he noticed Sasuke’s expression was caught between flustered and hurt.
“-but then you text me something stupid and I laugh, and everything goes back to normal whenever I see you. And then I wonder how can I ever think about creating a distance when all I’ve ever known was to be close to you.” He shifted his forehead so that it was against Sasuke’s. “And if you think it’s weird, you can always tell me and we’ll try to be ‘normal’, yeah?”
The black haired man did not move away. “I like consistency.” He stated, gazing up into Naruto’s deep blue eyes, and when the tips of their noses touched, his breath hitched.
“Then stop detaching yourself every time it gets real.” Naruto shut his eyes.
Sasuke took in a deep breath, letting out a soft, “No.” He closed his eyes and let his hand limp still over Naruto’s waist.
The morning was not as awkward as Naruto thought it would be.
He had woken up earlier than Sasuke for once, his head throbbing even though he’d taken the medicine last night. Trying to leave, he pulled the covers off, only to find Sasuke’s legs tangled with his own and his arm locking Naruto in place.
Naruto let out a snort, tossing the covers back on with a grin. He was going to savor this moment especially since Sasuke was the type to never move in his sleep—yet he was sprawled across Naruto like he was a custom body pillow.
Then, Sasuke stirred closer, his head on Naruto’s bicep as his eyes fluttered open and he stilled. For a moment, he forgot where he was, or what had happened the previous night. He glanced up, meeting Naruto’s eyes.
“Mornin’ princess.” Naruto teased.
Taking a deep breath, he sat upright and rubbed his eyes. “Morning.” He yawned, looking around in the dim room, the gaps of the curtain spilling the morning sunlight.
Naruto stretched. “Sleep well?”
“Yeah.” Sasuke replied, leaning back on his hands.
“Figured as much. You were sprawled all over me.” He laughed, pulling the covers over him.
Sasuke threaded his hand through his hair, slipping out of the bed. “I’m going to freshen up.”
“Mm, ‘kay.” He hummed and shut his eyes once again.
He heard the click of a door and the water running in the bathroom a minute later. Naruto leaned over and grabbed his phone, frantically typing before pressing the send button.
…
Naruto hunched over the sofa, the phone to his ear as laughter spilled through his lips. “Seriously? There’s no way she thought you were joking!”
“Holy fuck, did she actually do that? I would’ve gauged my eyes out!”
“No…you’re fucking lying. Please tell me you’re just messing with me. Oh my god.”
He paused and tilted his head up when he heard shuffling, watching Sasuke step into the living room, drying his hair with a towel.
He heard his name through the speaker, snapping out of it. “Oh, nothing. It’s just Sasuke being a total eye candy.” He laughed into the phone, straightening up as he caught the tips of Sasuke’s ears turning crimson. “Yeah, fine. See you later. Don’t let her mental instability stop you from loving her. Bye.”
Naruto hung up, running a hand through his hair and yawning.
“Who was that?” Sasuke asked, draping the towel around his neck.
“Just Sakura being Sakura. Apparently she had sex with Ino, and Ino said that it was to get ‘spiritually charged’ or something, and started meditating mid-scissoring,” he said with a straight face.
Sasuke snorted. “Did she actually?”
“They’re a mess, man.” He shook his head. “Anyway, M'gonna borrow your clothes again, thanks.” He patted Sasuke’s shoulder, walking into his bedroom lazily.
Sasuke only sighed. “Don’t take too long. I’m getting started on breakfast.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He shouted from inside.
…
Naruto slid on one of Sasuke’s sweats, and a casual black shirt that fit tighter around his broad shoulders. Today wasn’t going to be very eventful, he’d have breakfast with Sasuke, then hang with Sakura, and go back to his house to sleep the day away—and go to his parents house for dinner with Sasuke.
Sunday’s were not Naruto’s thing, he was too bored at home—and the parties were always hosted on Friday and Saturday so there was not anything he could do except crash at his parents place, or Sasuke’s.
He walked out slowly, grunting at his head still aching.
“Are you busy today?” Naruto asked, sitting at the dining table where his breakfast was placed, taking the seat opposite of Sasuke.
Sasuke shook his head. “No, why?”
“Will you be extra pissed if I crashed here tonight? I don’t feel like going home, plus we can cuddle and watch horror films.”
He narrowed his eyes, placing a vegetable in his mouth. “Your mother wants us over for dinner.”
Naruto nodded. “I know, I was thinking of going to check on Sakura and then I’ll be back here till we go to dinner.”
“Sounds like a long day.” Sasuke raised a brow with a small tug of lips.
“What can I say? I’m a busy man.” He nodded to himself.
Sasuke stood up, putting away his dishes. “I need to finish reviewing some files. Wash the dishes before you leave, and don’t make a mess.”
Naruto rolled his eyes, leaning on his elbow as he devoured the food on his plate. “I’m not a baby.”
“Your shirt is facing the wrong way.” Sasuke pointed out.
He paused, and looked down, heat creeping into his cheeks. “You don’t understand fashion,” he muttered, embarrassed.
“Right, you big ‘baby’.” Sasuke shook his head, a smirk forming in the corner of his mouth.
Naruto scoffed, leaning back as he stuffed his mouth. “Fuck off, you geek.”
Once he was alone, he had the time to sit and eat properly without having the bastard all up in his business. He wondered why Sasuke was always either on board with all of his plans, or he was always finding the littlest of problems and turning them into massive explosions. Like last night, he didn’t know what had erupted—what he did to make Sasuke so angry. It wasn’t like he hadn’t touched and cuddled with Sasuke before.
Sure, he was a little too affectionate with Sasuke, but he was like that with everyone! He hugged and kissed his other friend’s cheeks, Sasuke knew that too. Was what he had done so terrible that he deserved to be kicked out of his best friend’s house? On top of that, he had still not gotten an explanation as to why Sasuke had lashed out on him.
He stood up from the chair and walked towards the sink, rinsing them out and loading the dishwasher with the dishes. He’d told Sakura that he would meet her soon, and they could discuss what happened with Ino at the party—and he thought it would be a good time to seek Sakura out for a possible answer about the incident from last night.
Sakura was already seated at the corner booth of the cafe, and beside her was Sai; he waved Naruto over.
If Sai’s here, it must be bad.
Quickly, he slid into the seat in front of them and greeted them with his usual grin, laced with anxiety. “How bad is it, Sai?” He asked the paler man, who only shook his head.
Sai patted her shoulder tenderly. “Broke the record. She’s been crying for over two hours, and she’s drinking black coffee.”
Naruto’s face immediately scrunched and he placed his hand over hers, analyzing how puffy her eyes were. “Sakura-chan—shit, give her a tissue!” He quickly stood up and sat beside her, rubbing her back.
Sai took the tissue and handed it to her, startled.
Sakura buried her face in her hands, sniffling. “I—I just don’t understand why she always does that! Like, we’ll be having such a great time, and she just—says something stupid and it completely sends me into a spiral!” She took the tissue, wiping her eyes. “You know what she said to me this morning?” She turned to look at Naruto.
“Wh-”
“She said she loved the sex with Sai! This guy—” She pointed at Sai, who scratched his head guiltily. “How does she even remember that?! They had sex three years ago! She compared her time with him to me!”
Naruto’s mouth fell open. “What the fuck? Who says that?”
“Ino, apparently,” Sai muttered under his breath. “I’m sorry, Sakura. If I had known you were into Ino, I would have never been intimate with her.”
Sakura shook her head, sniffling and patting her nose with the tissue. “No, no, no. It was not your fault, Sai. I didn’t even realize I liked her until last night when she kissed me!” She turned back to the blonde, “-why would she kiss me? It must mean that she likes me back, right, Naruto? She is such a mean jerk! She completely shatters my security—I spent hours looking into the mirror wondering what was so weird about me that she just—fucking starts to meditate while we’re having sex!”
Naruto pulled her into a hug, Sai joined in. “No. We’re not doing that—you’re so, so beautiful, and it’s not your fault that she’s immature. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life; take me and Sai for an example. Look, he was such an asshole when we met, but you softened him up—and now, he’s here with you because you helped him change.”
Sai shot him a glare at the insult, but nodded. “He’s right. Look at him—he’d be a total brainless idiot if you hadn’t taught him common knowledge. He’d probably wear a shirt with his own face if you didn’t throw out all his ugly clothes, and he would be balding if you didn’t teach him how to use shampoo properly.”
“What the fuck, Sai?!” Naruto looked baffled. “Why are you dissing me! We’re supposed to comfort her!”
Sakura laughed at the bickering. “You guys are the worst comforters. I’m sitting here crying, and you’re throwing shade at each other.” She wiped her eyes, a soft smile appearing on her face.
“Sorry, sorry!” Naruto apologized quickly.
Sai started, letting off the hug. “Well, the point is that you are not the problem,” he said, voice flat as if it was a known fact.
“Seriously. If anything, Ino needs to get her shit together.” Naruto nodded along. “You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re kind and beautiful. You deserve someone who doesn’t make you question yourself.” He patted her shoulder before sliding back into his own seat.
“You’re right.” Sakura sighed, grabbing her coffee and taking a sip—then spitting it back out. “This is disgusting, who even likes black coffee?” She twisted her face in disgust.
Naruto laughed and then got up. “I’ll get your usual.”
She shook her head, motioning for him to sit back down. “Thank you both.” Sakura smiled, not her usual smile but it was softer—still as meaningful. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” She grabbed Sai’s hand, and then Naruto’s, squeezing them.
They shared a look, smiling like they’d won. “Shopping?” Sai asked.
Immediately, her eyes lit up. “This couldn’t have gotten any better—who’s money am I spending?” She asked, eyes darting between Naruto and Sai.
“You can use mine-” Naruto offered. “-but we have to get ramen at the end!”
Sakura stood up. “Let’s go right now before it gets dark soon!” She grabbed her purse and slid out of her seat.
“It’s only twelve in the afternoon—” Naruto whined.
“Sai, check which stores have a sale going on—Naruto, hurry up and tell Hinata and Sasuke to come along!” She rushed.
Naruto pouted but slid his phone out of his pocket. “Are we not enough for you, Sakura-chan?”
He called them anyway.
The car ride to the mall was eventful. Sakura and Naruto were arguing about the song choice, Hinata was trying to calm them down, Sai was driving with his hazards on, and Sasuke was rolling his eyes every five minutes at the bickering.
He didn’t even want to come along, but Naruto insisted that he would be bored without his best friend and he wouldn’t go if Sasuke didn’t go either. And so, he went. Mainly because he’d been bored at home, waiting for Naruto to return so they could watch the movie he’d wanted to.
“Hello? Did you hear what I said?” Naruto nudged him.
Sasuke sighed, turning his head toward him. “There are over three people walking beside you, I’m sure they would love to hear what you have to say.”
Naruto tapped his chin. “Anyway, I was thinking we could get miso ramen—oh, I heard they came out with a new flavor! We should totally try that!”
Sakura butted in, pulling Naruto’s arm. “Can you stop talking about ramen and look at this?” She stuffed a shirt into his hands. “It’s orange, and wearable.”
Naruto tilted his head and stared at her. “You said you hated orange.”
“This is socially acceptable. Now, go try it on.” She pointed at the fitting rooms.
“Hah?! What does that even mean? All my clothes are socially acceptable!” Naruto argued, sizing down the shirt in his hands.
Sai snorted, stepping beside him. “Don’t you have boxers with foxes printed on them?”
“Okay, what the hell is wrong with you, why would you even say that?” Naruto turned on him. “And how do you even know that?!”
Hinata cleared her throat, ears crimson. “Naruto. Just please go try it on.”
Sasuke’s eyes averted to her, then to her flushed neck, and he felt something in him flicker. “It looks like shit. You’re wasting time.”
Naruto turned to him with a grateful expression. “See, even Sasuke thinks it’s terrible! I’m not trying this on!”
Sakura groaned, her hand dragging down her face. “Hinata, let’s go shopping together. These morons are slowing us down.” She grabbed her hand, and shot Naruto a look. “I’m taking your card.”
Hinata smiled and waved as the two of them walked away.
They glanced at each other and let out a sigh. “Where are we supposed to go? They all just abandoned us.” Naruto pouted.
Sai shrugged. “I’m going to try this on.” He flashed a shirt in Naruto’s face.
“Is that from the kids’ section?” Naruto asked, amused.
Sasuke turned to him, unimpressed. “It’s a crop top. From the men’s section. Aisle four.” He pointed.
“Why don’t you try it on? You’ll pull it off better than Sai.” Naruto grinned, throwing an arm over Sasuke’s shoulder.
Sai walked away, scoffing at the insult.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “I’m not wearing a crop top.”
“It looks hot.”
“Can you stop being horny for two seconds?”
Naruto shrugged. “What? I’m just saying it’ll look good on you. Maybe if you stop being so damn intimidating, someone might actually ask you out.”
He raised a brow. “And you’re giving me fashion advice?” He sized him up and down. “You look like a hobo.”
“I’m wearing your shirt, thank you very much.”
Sai stepped into view, fixing the hem of his shirt. “How does it look?”
Naruto gave him a thumbs up. “Wow. You actually pulled it off. That’s really impressive.”
He rolled his eyes, turning towards Sasuke for an answer.
“Not bad.”
Which, coming from Sasuke, meant: it looks good, but I refuse to let you know that.
But Sai took it with a nod. “Do you want to try it on, Naruto?”
He took one look at the shirt and frowned. “Um, I don’t really wear stuff like that.” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, though.”
…
In the seating area of the mall, they sat side by side, shoulders touching. Naruto in the middle, Sasuke to his left, and Sai to his right. Both of them were on their phones while Naruto’s phone was with Sakura.
“I’m so sleepy,” he muttered, leaning onto Sasuke’s shoulder.
Sasuke didn’t reply, clearly too busy swiping through his feed.
Bored, Naruto turned his attention towards Sai, moving to rest his head on his shoulder. “Wait, zoom in on that.” His fingers wrapped around Sai’s forearm. “I met that guy yesterday! Gaara, right?”
Sasuke paused, watching him from the corner of his eye with a darkened expression. He didn’t say anything right away, just observing how quickly Naruto moved from him towards Sai when he didn’t pay attention.
Sai hummed, resting his cheek on Naruto’s head. “He’s Shikamaru’s girlfriend’s brother.”
“Temari? I didn’t know she had a brother.”
“She has two. Kankuro and Gaara. I met them a few months back.” He clicked a few buttons, and there was a picture of Temari with Gaara and Kankuro at the beach.
Naruto grinned. “He’s cute. I definitely like Sasuke better, though,” he laughed, voice lighter.
The effect was immediate. Sasuke’s expression softened by a ton, and he managed to look busy—trying to show that he wasn’t bothered by his words in the slightest, but his heart thumped against his chest loudly. Like it was trying to claw its way out.
“Why do you say things like that when he’s in earshot?” Sai asked, almost baffled at Naruto’s recklessness.
The blonde shrugged, sitting up and glanced at Sasuke, who was still on his phone. “I mean, he’s hot. Everyone knows that. I’ve told him that several times and he doesn’t seem to care.” His arm wrapped around Sasuke’s shoulders. “You don’t mind, right?” He asked, a slight smirk forming on his lips.
Sasuke glanced at him blankly, and went back to scrolling on his phone.
“See, I told you.” Naruto laughed.
Sai tilted his head. “You are too comfortable with each other. I have never seen this—if I didn’t know any better, I would think you’re in a relationship.”
Sasuke paused.
Naruto froze.
They shared a glance, and straightened up—separating from each other.
“You’re reading too much into it, Sai.” Naruto stated, scratching his cheek awkwardly. “That’s just how best friends act.”
“Sure, but I have never seen you do that with Sakura and you consider her to be your best friend too.”
“She’s a girl.”
“That is not a good argument. Even Shikamaru and Chouji don’t act like this.”
Naruto flustered. “Well, everyone is different. You can’t just shove everybody into one category—like look at Sakura and Ino. They’re just as affectionate!”
“Sakura and Ino fucked. That is just not a good example.”
Naruto paused, speaking before thinking. “Are you implying that me and Sasuke fuck?”
Sai shook his head, leaning back into the seat. “If the shoe fits—”
“It doesn’t.” Sasuke butted in, glaring at Sai for even bringing it up.
“Exactly. Your point is pointless because it doesn’t even make sense.” Naruto added, threading a hand through his hair.
Sai gave him a long, meaningful look that said everything he needed to.
Naruto stared back.
“You know what I mean,” he said, standing up.
The blonde opened his mouth to argue, but a voice cut them off. “We’re back! Thanks for this, by the way.” Sakura smiled, handing him his phone back and pulled him into a hug. “Your bank called.”
Naruto stared back at her blankly. “Did you max my card out again?”
“You’re the best, I love you.” She kissed his cheek, placing her shopping bags into his hands.
Naruto grabbed them without hesitation. “Yeah, yeah. Love you too.”
They walked towards the exit, Sakura talking about the discount deals and Hinata nodding along. Sai didn’t talk, but his eyes met Naruto’s more than once, just enough for Naruto to blush and slow down beside Sasuke, who didn’t comment but his brow was raised at the sudden movement.
He noticed both of Naruto’s hands full of the bags, and instinctively, he reached his hand out to grab half of the bags from his hands.
It was a small gesture, but Naruto still beamed a smile at him, leaving his stomach fluttering.
“Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, would you like to come?” Hinata asked.
They both turned to the front, where she was walking ahead of them. “Uh, sure. Where am I going?”
“To a gathering,” she said, her voice even. “Everyone is going to be there, so I thought you’d like to attend.”
Sasuke spoke before Naruto could, “No.”
He turned towards Sai, who nodded.
“Sure, why not. Sakura, are you going?”
“No. Ino is going to be there, and I just want to have some time to myself before I go to meet her.” Sakura answered truthfully. “But, I don’t want to be alone—so Sasuke is going to join me.”
Sasuke’s face soured. “Why?”
“I need to catch you up on my latest love life.” Sakura brightened, shooting a smirk at Naruto. “And, there’s something you need to know about our Naruto.”
Immediately, his mind scrambled through the endless possibilities of what Sakura was going to say about him. “What? What does he need to know—Sakura!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t expose your secrets.”
Sasuke turned to him, frowning at the thought of Naruto keeping secrets from him. “What secrets?”
“I don’t know! What secrets are you talking about?!” Naruto asked, heart beating fast.
Sakura pretended to think, tapping her chin. “Oh. I don’t know. Something about your recent infatuations.” She teased.
Naruto’s cheeks reddened. “What the hell? I haven’t had sex in three months.”
“I thought you were a virgin.” Sai muttered.
“Oh, please. Do I look like a virgin?” Naruto scoffed. “I work out. There is no chance in hell I would be a virgin with my awesome genetics.”
Sasuke sighed. “Can you shut up? Nobody wants to hear about you being a virgin.”
Naruto whipped his head around. “I’m not a virgin! Hinata—tell them I’m not a virgin!”
Sasuke’s face darkened.
Hinata turned crimson. “I-I… goodness—”
“Uh, oh. She’s malfunctioning.” Sai warned.
Sakura shot daggers at all three men. “We are in public. Behave.”
…
Everybody had been dropped off, and only Naruto and Sasuke remained in the awkward silence. The car ride to Sasuke’s place was not as comfortable as Naruto had thought it would be—instead the tension was at an all time high. Which was weird because they were rarely ever like this.
He blamed Sai for that.
If only Sai hadn’t questioned their relationship, maybe it wouldn’t be like this. It’s not like he knew what he’d been talking about, anyway. Of course, they were not in a relationship! They were best friends. Soulmates even. Platonic soulmates. Their families had always stuck together before their birth—Sasuke was like someone he knew by heart, someone he would still feel if he were miles away.
Sasuke was the one person he had thought he’d live beside and die beside. How the hell would Sai know their bond? It was simply not possible. They were friends. Best friends. Not exactly brothers because it was deeper than that. He couldn’t explain it but he knew that it had always been deeper than just their physical beings, like, their souls were tangled—and Naruto didn’t believe in that stuff, but that is what it felt like.
He couldn’t live without Sasuke. He knew that much.
It wasn’t even like Sasuke did something to encourage this, either. He had always been himself, except for when he cried in Naruto’s arms that one time—but Naruto didn’t like to think about that incident because it changed everything. It changed how their families functioned. One gained a son, one lost a son.
“You okay?” Naruto asked, shutting the door of his car and locking it.
Sasuke didn’t look at him, he just walked inside the building. “I’m fine.”
Naruto took a deep breath, standing behind Sasuke as they waited for the elevator. “You’re pissed.”
“I’m not.” He responded, expression hardened.
They stepped inside, and Naruto dug his hands in his pockets. He knew that mask of indifference Sasuke wore whenever he wanted to hide his fury, knew it too well. Watching Sasuke for a long moment, he sighed. “You’re doing that thing again.”
Only then did he look at Naruto. “What thing?” He asked, coolly.
“You know what thing.”
He looked away, guilty. “No. I don’t.”
“Are you mad about what Sai said?” Naruto asked as the elevator came to a halt, he followed behind Sasuke. “Look, he’s just like that—he always says the weirdest things. Don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s not what he said.” Sasuke inhaled sharply, unlocking the door with much more force. “But he isn’t wrong.”
Naruto paused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you’re always clinging to me. It looks… weird,” he muttered, stepping inside.
Naruto bit his lip, his chest aching—but he didn’t understand why he was so hurt. “I asked you last night, but you said you were fine with it. If you would’ve just been upfront about it, I wouldn’t have touched you at all,” his voice was surprisingly even and calm, despite the churning of his stomach.
“I know.” Sasuke answered, tone softer and unsure.
He laid down on the couch, his hand threading through his blonde hair as he stared at the ceiling. “I won’t be all up in your space any longer—but I wish you would have told me that earlier.”
Sasuke sat down next to where Naruto’s head was. “I don’t mind when you touch me.”
Naruto glanced up, meeting his onyx eyes.
“I mind that it gives people a reason to misjudge our relationship.” His fingers played with the ends of Naruto’s hair.
“Oh?”
“You can keep touching me, but you don’t get to act innocent when people read it the wrong way.” He buried his fingers into Naruto’s hair.
He didn’t respond but he leaned into Sasuke’s touch, and it said enough.
Deep blue eyes ensnared the black ones, both captivated and unmoving. And, they sat still, basking in each other’s presence—drowning in the moment, and for a soft second, it seemed like the world had slowed down just for them. Like it knew what it meant to be a blessing and a curse to somebody.
“Your eyes are really beautiful—have I ever told you that?” Naruto asked, confident and unfiltered, like complimenting Sasuke was just second nature to him. He sat upright, his knee on Sasuke’s lap and without thinking, he reached out to touch his face—stopping once he realized. “Can I…?”
Sasuke nodded, lips pursing into a thin line at the hesitancy.
Slowly, Naruto tucked the long hair strands behind Sasuke’s ear, and he couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
Raising a brow, he spoke. “What?”
The blonde shook his head, eyes lingering on his lips just for a split second before they landed on Sasuke’s eyes. “Nothing, you just look… soft. Like your face.” He beamed a grin, retracting his hands back down.
He looked away, flush creeping on the back of his neck. “Idiot,” he muttered under his breath.
Naruto chuckled and leaned back onto the couch, his leg still over Sasuke’s lap but he deliberately put distance between their torsos.
“Can we talk?”
Sasuke’s face turned blank, then confusion washed over. “About what?”
“Last night,” he said, resting his hands behind his neck. “I know you said you would tell me later, but I can’t stop thinking about it.”
The black haired man sat up straighter, his face going through five different emotions. He fidgeted with his hands, eyes fixed on his fingers. “I’ll… tell you tonight.”
“Is this a way of trapping me here?” Naruto joked. “If you wanted to sleep together you could have said that, too.” He nudged Sasuke’s arm.
“Are you staying over or not?”
“You know I am.”
…
The evening came quicker than either of them expected, the soft chatter died down after an hour, and Naruto had fallen asleep while Sasuke busied himself by reading the book on the table. Hours had passed, but neither one of them had moved—except for when Naruto decided it would be a good idea to use Sasuke’s calf as a pillow and for once, he hadn’t complained. So, Naruto stayed.
Then, glancing at the clock, Sasuke poked him awake.
“Get up. We need to leave soon.”
Naruto blinked slowly, adjusting to the sight before him and then he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Sasuke closed his book and stood up, massaging his shoulders as he walked towards his bedroom. Looking out the window, he found a sudden comfort at the sun that already settled leaving an orange hue across the sky.
Days were passing by fast, one moment he was back celebrating his eighteenth birthday, and in a blink of an eye, he was twenty-two, handling the company he had started from scratch. He remembered the days he’d spent alone, worrying about his future without having the financial security—and how quickly Naruto’s parents, which he now considered to be his own, wiped that thought from his mind as soon as it came.
They never asked if he wanted anything, they just helped him from the sidelines and watched him build an empire rivalling their own. And to this day, they sent him monthly allowances, just-because gifts, and even homemade dinner when they felt he worked too hard. They never asked him for anything, they never treated him like an outsider. They accepted him like he was their own.
He remembered the time he had cried for hours when they threw him a birthday party after finding out that his family never celebrated birthdays. He swore to himself that he’d never ever make them regret welcoming him, he would never burden them. That’s why he attended the family dinners every week, even if Naruto didn’t go. They were his family, too.
He tidied his hair in front of the mirror when Naruto strolled in, barely conscious but still as witty as ever. “Are you trying to impress my mother?”
“One of us has to look presentable.”
“I look pretty presentable.”
“Your hair looks matted.”
“Bleh. Mom doesn’t care.”
“Go brush your hair, Naruto.”
Naruto groaned and brushed his hair with his fingers, a slight smirk forming on his lips as he met Sasuke’s eyes in the mirror. “Tada!”
Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned around. “Let’s go. I have a hairbrush in my car.”
“Fine, but I get to drive your car since you drive like a baby.” Naruto trailed behind him, tugging onto Sasuke’s sleeve.
He shot Naruto a glare. “I do not drive like a baby.”
“You do, though!”
Sasuke still drove. And he was slower than the speed limit. Too slow.
Naruto was too busy flipping off the honking cars behind him and shouting ancient curses he’d learned from the Victorian books Sasuke owned. “Who the fuck does that guy think he is? I told you, you should’ve let me drive!”
“You went 100 in a 30 and ran two redlights.”
“That was a highway.”
“It was a schoolzone.”
“No one was there.”
“Shut your mouth.” Shaking his head, he sighed and parked the car and stepped out, planning to ignore whatever nonsense Naruto was going to spout out next. But, like always, he was swayed from his goal once again.
Naruto followed him to the door, his lips quivering. “Hey, you should wear that shirt again. It looks good on you.”
He pressed the ringbell and simply replied, “Thank you.” Though his trembling hand gave him away, and thankful to the gods, the door swung open before Naruto teased him again.
A red haired woman stepped out, wrapping her arms around Sasuke’s shoulders. “Oh, honey! It’s so good to see you—is Naruto bothering you again?” She shot Naruto a glare, and Sasuke found himself laughing and nodding.
“Oh, Kushina. Give him a break, will you?” A blond man smiled and stepped forward as Kushina let go of Sasuke, beginning to walk towards Naruto.
“Minato, you better stop spoiling him!” Kushina rolled her eyes, but she opened her arms with a grin similar to Naruto’s and he melted in.
Sasuke turned back towards Minato, nodding his head respectfully but he was pulled into an embrace softer than Kushina’s. “How are you?”
“Always great after seeing you, son.” Minato patted his back, pulling him inside the house as Naruto tried to fight off his mother from pinching his cheeks.
“Hello! Can somebody help!” He yelled, but Minato closed the door on his face and led Sasuke into the living room. “What the—ouch, mom!” Naruto shouted, betrayed.
Sasuke contained himself from laughing as he followed Minato. “Work is as busy as ever, huh?” He asked, pulling out a chair for Sasuke.
“Thank you,” he said politely. “It’s only a matter of time before the new interns arrive and take over the database correction. The management staff has been rather… vocal about their schedule, too. You can imagine how annoying it must be to do everything from home with limited resources.” Sasuke explained, watching Minato nod in approval.
“I know it must be tough, especially nowadays with so many layoffs and the hiring teams everywhere are overworked, but you are doing great, Sasuke.” He patted Sasuke’s shoulder. “Never be afraid to ask for help, you know we have your back.”
Sasuke nodded, a small smile appearing on his lips. “I know.”
“Woow, look at you guys being so chatty after you left me to suffer.” Naruto walked in with red, swollen cheeks, rubbing them with a pained expression as Kushina strolled beside him proudly.
She hit him on the shoulder before walking in to sit beside Sasuke. “Oh, stop being such a crybaby. Let your mother cradle you before you grow up and there are no baby cheeks to pull.”
“You always find somethin’ to pull either way—I think I might go bald at this rate!”
“Don’t jinx it, moron.” Sasuke watched, amused.
Naruto rolled his eyes, flipping him off. “Fuck off, asshole!”
Kushina kicked his leg. “Language, Naruto.”
“Bleh.” He stuck his tongue out.
She turned towards Minato. “He is becoming such a degenerate, we have to do something!” She stressed, then turned to Sasuke and pulled him into a hug. “Thank goodness my other son is sensible and is not so adamant on giving me wrinkles at such an early age.”
Sasuke couldn’t help but smile at her words—at her casual acceptance. Without meaning to, he met Naruto’s eyes and caught him grinning. And, he almost wanted to just lean over and pull him into a tight embrace.
“Mom, you’re 48. You have wrinkles.”
“Your mother does not have wrinkles.” Minato corrected, winking at him as a sign that he agreed.
Kushina rolled her eyes. “Minato. Naruto. Set the table.”
“Ugghhhh. Why doesn’t Sasuke do anything!” Naruto whined but got up.
“Because he always helps, unlike you.” She shooed him into the kitchen, Minato joining him not long after.
…