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English
Series:
Part 2 of Country Lovin'
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Published:
2016-08-11
Completed:
2016-08-11
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11,340
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2/2
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146
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Bastards, Beer, and Barbwire

Summary:

It was to be expected that Itachi wasn't paying them to make-out on the job, but what the man didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Besides, what they did after hours was their own business. It's a dirty job working out on a ranch; what's the harm of getting just a bit dirtier?

Notes:

re-uploaded from Y!gallery. (Not Beta'ed!)

Chapter Text

The afternoon sun was hot and beat down the dry ground. What had started as a warm morning had turned into an even hotter afternoon, one that sent heat waves dancing across the grounds surface. The grass was a mixture of browns and greens, due to the hot weather and lack of rain. They had been lucky though; this summer hadn't been nearly as dry as last years.

A thick wooden post was dropped onto the grass, crunching it as it rolled. Several flat pieces of wood followed it, landing with a loud smack and kicking up dirt. Sasuke jumped out of the way as pieces flew out of the truck and landed in random places, one landing too close for comfort near his foot.

"Naruto, stop throwing them like that." He jumped back again. "You're going to break them or end up hitting me."

Naruto huffed from somewhere in the back of the tuck. "We have plenty; if one breaks we can use it for firewood or something." Another large plank came soaring through the air, falling with a thunk onto all the others. "And well, if it hits you, then maybe it will knock some sense into you and keep you from standing in my line of fire."

"There is no line of fire, you're throwing them everywhere!" Sasuke shouted and ran to the other side of the truck.

He listened to Naruto grunt as another plank was tossed over the edge of the truck and Sasuke leaned against the door. His hand ran over the body of the truck, patting it lightly. He resisted the urge to climb inside and drape himself over the steering wheel in a type of hug.

After months of waiting, Jixer was finally fixed. It had taken one of Sai's friends to help get the truck fixed, but now it ran beautifully. Sasuke's eyes closed and he hummed to himself, allowing the hot metal to soak through his clothes.

A hollow thump sound through the air and it suddenly grew silent. Sasuke clenched his jaw. "What was that?" He ground out.

"It's a fucking scorpion!" It was more of a screech then anything close to a dignified yell. "I think I smashed it... but I don't see the body." Naruto's voice shook, probably more so than it should. The man was fine with snakes, worms, and the occasional rodent, but large bugs seemed to reduce him to a whimpering child.

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned around. "If you put a dent in my truck over a fucking scorpion, I'll fucking kill you," he hissed. He had just gotten his baby fixed, no way Naruto was going to put a dent in it; no matter what fears Naruto had about large bugs.

"So you're going to let a fucking scorpion put a fucking dent in your best friend?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Some friend you are."

There was another thump followed by "Holy Hell! It's still alive!", and then silence once again.

Heaving a sigh, Sasuke moved away from the truck. He walked around to the tailgate and climbed up into the bed of the truck, standing next to Naruto. "Where is this scorpion then?" he asked. There weren't many boards left in the truck and the places that it could hide were quickly vanishing.

Naruto pointed to the corner and moved behind him as said bug crawled out from its hiding spot. Sasuke's body twitched as it turned towards them and started crawling in their direction. With a yelp, he pushed Naruto off the bed of the truck and onto the grass, following quickly behind.

"Some knight in shining armor you turned out to be." Naruto stood trying to brush the dirt and dried grass front his shirt and back. "Here you talk about me being a wuss. At least I tried to hit the damn thing." A sharp glare was turned towards Sasuke, but it lost all venom with the pout that accompanied it.

Sasuke snorted and tugged at Naruto's shirt. "Take it off and I'll show you what I was going to do." He waited for Naruto to pull the shirt over his head with reluctance and he snatched it from his hands. "Thank you."

Climbing back up into the truck, he looked down at the scorpion that looked up at him. Sasuke was certain it'd hiss at him if it could. Huffing at the animal, he dropped the fabric on it. The scorpion shuffled around underneath it. Without another thought, he lifted his foot up and brought it down on the squirming bundle, a loud crunch coming from it.

He pulled his foot back and looked at the non-moving shirt before turning back to Naruto. "There, problem solved."

Naruto just gaped at him. Really, out of all the possible solutions, Sasuke had to victimize his shirt? It was his good shirt too! The one Sakura had given him on his twenty-first birthday; his first plaid shirt!

"Bastard! That was a gift. Now it's a scorpion’s casket," Naruto said as he pointing a shaking finger at the still lump in his shirt.

"If it bothers you so much, I'll buy you a new shirt and give it to you as a gift." Sasuke kicked the shirt and it moved towards the tailgate. He picked up the edge and toed the scorpion onto the ground.

He watched Naruto shy away from it before tossing the bundled up shirt at his chest. They still needed to finish fixing the fence from a rampaging bull and he wanted it done before it got too dark to see.

The shirt was quickly tossed to the ground; Naruto was already rubbing his hands on his jeans as if he had touched something diseased. "Sakura gave me that! She's going to murder you, and I won't be standing by to save you," He threatened.

Though truthfully Naruto would just be happy to see someone other than himself at the end of Sakura's furry. Maybe she would even buy him a new one; he had liked the shirt after all.

Sasuke looked up as he tossed the last of the wooden fences down onto the ground. "All the more reason to get you a new one," he answered and jumped off the truck. He grabbed the nails and hammers from the tailgate. "And I think I can take Sakura's fury."

The hammer was propped next to the tires and Sasuke grabbed a piece of wood, hoping that Naruto would get the idea and start to help him.

Naruto wasn't backing down so easily. He wanted his shirt back, or a shirt, and he was getting one this very minute.

"Give me your shirt." He held his hand out towards Sasuke, tapping his foot impatiently. Naruto gave Sasuke a serious look, walking towards him slowly. "Give me your shirt," he repeated.

Raising his head, Sasuke looked at Naruto. "What? Why would you want my shirt? It's 'too dark', if I remember your words this morning."

"Consider it compensation. Now hand it over." Naruto tugged at the hem, his other hand reaching up to start unbuttoning the first few buttons.

"No." Sasuke said slapping the hands away and backing up. He saw Naruto take a step toward him and he quickly turned around, racing to the other side of the truck.

Naruto didn't hesitate racing off after him. He stopped at the corner, by the tailgate, Sasuke ready to bolt on the other side. His body flinched to the right, as he tried to throw Sasuke's off. As they stood now, it was a stalemate.

Unless!

Blue eyes raked down the expanse of the cold metal that made up the tailgate. For a moment, Naruto wondered if he could best Sasuke in agility. He surely couldn't outrun him. Sasuke was like a fucking cheetah!

Naruto calculated the distance; he could do this. It didn't matter if he sucked at math. He could do this. With a battle cry that Naruto would later deny, he shot over the tailgate and practically vaulted over the side of the truck bed.

It was all going fine, although Naruto should have known that it could never go fine. His foot caught on the lip of the truck, forcing his body to come short. Sasuke was met with the blunt force of Naruto's head to his chest before the rest of the blond's body followed. Either way it ended with the desired results. Naruto had tackled Sasuke, although not as pain free as he would have hoped.

"Fuck!" Stars danced in front of Sasuke's eyes as his back slammed onto the ground harshly. The added weight of Naruto didn't help matters and he wheezed as he tried to get air back into lungs.

He hadn't been expecting the attack although he should've known that Naruto would try something stupid. He grunted and rolled them over, shoving Naruto's shoulders into the grass. "That accomplished so much."

"I got over here didn't I?" Naruto spit a glob of blood onto the earth that had welled up in his mouth from biting his tongue. "Besides at least you’re not bleeding. Kiss it and making it better." He stuck his tongue out, blood smearing down the side from the small slice.

Sasuke smirked and leaned down, pressing his lips against Naruto's. The copper taste was strong but it only made him lap at the blood that had stained Naruto's lips. His tongue slipped inside Naruto's mouth, sucking on the small slice and earning a low moan from the younger male.

"We're not paying you to make out; do that on your own time."

Sasuke's head reared back and he turned around to look at Itachi. His brother looked down at them and Sasuke glared at him.

"We weren't making out; the idiot cut his tongue."

Itachi gestured towards the fence. "His tongue is fine. Now fix it so we can put the bull back into his pasture." He walked away, waving his hand lightly. "If I catch you again, I'll dock your pay."

"Your brother is flippin' creepy. If I didn't know any better I'd think he was some sort of vampire or goblin." Naruto laughed for a moment, finding the fault in his own words. "Here I call him a vampire, when you were sucking my blood just moments ago." He smirked, pulling lightly on the dark fabric of Sasuke's sleeve.

"I guess it runs in the family," Sasuke said, smirking. He grunted as Naruto yanked the shirt from his body, the seams ripping as it was pulled away. His back landed on the grass, the dry vegetation scratching his back. For a second they stared at each other before Naruto grinned and dangled the shirt in front of their faces.

He frowned at the now ruined shirt and pushed Naruto off him. Now he was going to burn while they worked under the sun. Huffing, he made his way over to the truck and pulled out his cowboy hat, setting it on his head. "Come on; let’s get going before Itachi comes back."

"Can you get me my hat too and maybe put some music on? You know I don't like having to work in silence." Naruto toed at a pole, wondering if he should just get started now or wait for Sasuke. He could already see that they would be needing to step on things if they were going to be finishing before dinner. The bull had really done a number on the fence. Though Naruto didn't think he could blame him. Not when said fence kept him separated from his lovely harem of girls.

As if on cue the woeful moans of the herd bellowed in the distance, no doubt coming in closer to the ranch as the day progressed. Normally they would huddle just outside the house and by the lake as the night set in. When Naruto had first come to stay at Sai's place he had been amused by the low hanging skin of the cattle's neck that he likened to that of a Shar Pei. Sasuke had thus explained that they were Simbrah, a cross between the Simmental and the Brahma, which they got the loose hanging skin from.

Naruto really couldn't have cared less, but he had to admit that the calves were quite cute with the excess skin. Still if it wasn't for these cattle he would be sitting inside with the air conditioner blowing pure bliss into his face. As it was he was left to deal with the scorching sun and a shirt stained with the evidence of a murder.

Sasuke tossed the hat out of the truck, leaving Naruto to dive for it before it hit the ground. He growled at him and jammed the hat on his head, making Sasuke smirk.
The radio clicked on and Sasuke slid out of the truck. The music played loudly over the fields and he reached for a hammer, not trusting Naruto with it. His eyes traced down the long stretch of damaged fence and he sighed; it was going to be a long day.

"Come on," he said finally. "Grab one of those wooden posts and a shovel. We're gonna have to reset the poles before we can add the slats. You start on that and I'll start nailing in some boards over here."

Naruto eyed the shovel with discontent as he tipped up his hat. Why did he have to get all the overly exhausting jobs? Naruto went to grab for the shovel tapping it a few times in the hard earth to loosen some clumps of dirt that still clung to the metal.

There were a total of five to seven post that had to be replaced, and then three slats on each side to replace after that, six total for each section. Naruto could only hope Itachi or Sai would remember to bring them dinner at the very least, because they surely wouldn't be making it home at a decent hour.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called. "I'm thirsty." It was an empty complaint, merely said for the sake of saying something. It was growing quiet between them with only the sounds of Sasuke's hammering and the low beats coming from the radio.

"There's some iced tea inside the cooler," Sasuke answered through a mouthful of nails. His calves burned from staying in a squatting position for so long as he nailed a slat back into place.

Once it was finished, he stood up and looked towards Naruto, who was hitting the ground with the shovel. His eye twitched and he hung the hammer on a piece of still standing wood before walking over towards Naruto.

Naruto backed a bit as Sasuke advanced, unsure what he had done this time. He was only thirsty. Once he got his drink, Naruto would be happy to set as many post as he could.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"If you're not going to set the post, then switch with me," Sasuke answered. "The drinks are in the truck, satisfy your thirst and pick up where I left off."

"Fine, fine." Naruto waved him off and moved towards the truck. The small vinyl ice chest sat in the middle next to the drives side. Unzipping it, Naruto found that it had been packed with much more than just the reused water bottles filled with Sai's sweet tea. There were a few bottles of Shiner Bock and some water. Deciding that beer seemed to be the better option at the moment, Naruto grabbed two bottles and made his way back out towards Sasuke. The older man was already setting in a new post, while packing in the soil around it.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he tossed the bottle to Sasuke, who turned and caught it more out of reflex than anything else.

Dark eyes skimmed over the label before dropping the drink to the ground. It rolled and collected dirt and grass on the glass before coming to a stop, the liquid gurgling around inside. He didn't drink beer during the day when he was working. It didn't ease his thirst as water did and he wouldn't touch the stuff until the sun set and he was off work.

Testing the newly set post, Sasuke wiggled it around to make sure it was set properly. When it barely budged, he moved to the next spot and looked at the broken post with a scowl. The damn bull had done a number on this section, splitting the boards and tearing apart the rest.

With a huff, he worked on digging out the broken post. Silence reached his ears and he turned towards Naruto wondering why he wasn't hammering in the slats.

Naruto was looking at him with wide eyes, almost as if he had just witnessed Sasuke kicking a puppy. Although in this case it was more along the lines of dropping a perfectly good beer.

"You're going to hell for that. May the beer gods smite you!" Naruto took a sip of his own beer, shaking his head. What a sad, sad day. He picked up the hammer and moved towards a section to removed the damaged boards, shaking his head as he went.

"Good, I always had plans to take over it anyway," Sasuke grunted as he pulled the post from the ground. It wasn't as though the bottle had broke though, so he didn't understand the big problem.

Setting the new post in the ground, Sasuke twisted it around until it was set. A small bucket of quick drying cement was next to his feet and he poured a small bit around the post to help it sit faster. Dirt would finish filling up the hole once it was dry and hopefully keep the post from being destroyed later on.

"You sure your brother doesn't already hold that position? Fuckers evil enough to." The thought was rather scary. Itachi as the devil was a frightening idea, one that could very well give Naruto nightmares. "Although I suppose if you take over, I'll get VIP treatment. Right?"
Sasuke paused and looked up. He opened his mouth to argue that Naruto probably wouldn't be going to hell but closed it instead. Getting into a debate about this was pointless and would only annoy them more with the heat. Instead, he smirked and started to fill in the hole.

"Yeah, VIP treatment. As in my dick in your ass; how's that sound as VIP treatment?"

Naruto laughed at that. "So long as it's the only ass your dick calls home. Wouldn't want one of those succubi to steal you away." The hammer forced in a nail, and Naruto's blue eyes still danced in mirth as he continued his job without looking back towards Sasuke.

"I'm surprised you even know how to say that word. I'd be even more shocked if you knew what it was," Sasuke said and moved onto another post. It was already tilted halfway out of the earth and didn't take much to pull it from the ground.

"Of course I know what they are." Naruto finished up with his board, turning to face Sasuke head on. "They’re demons that feed off of sexual acts and are female in nature," he said matter of factly before picking up another wooden slat.

Sasuke chuckled. "Glad to see you were paying attention in English class during high school." The post hit the bottom of the hole with a thunk and he shifted it around so he could pour in the cement. When he finished he stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow.

It was hot outside and they were only halfway done. He could feel small beads of moisture trickling down his back and chest as he stood still. The wind was almost non-existent today and only added to the heat.

He crossed over to the truck and grabbed a water bottle from the ice chest, greedily gulping down the cold liquid. He finished with a loud gasp, the bottle crinkling under his hand and Sasuke licked at his lips, catching the remaining liquid.

Naruto watched as Sasuke moved back to work, water bottle in hand. It wasn't long before they found themselves in a comfortable rhythm. Once a post was finished and set, Naruto would be there to hammer in the boards. The music kept him going, although Naruto could feel himself slow when a low sad country song would come on. He drank at the tea he now held. Two empty beer bottles lay in a pile, he didn't let Sasuke's neglected longneck go to waste.

By this time the sun was high in the sky, and Naruto could feel his back burning. He could only be grateful that he wouldn't be getting another farmer's tan. Even Sasuke was looking darker than Naruto had ever seen him. Too many days spent outside working and often shirtless had caused the usually pale man to become oddly tanned. Naruto though would always be darker. Still Naruto could help but wonder how much Sasuke's tanned chest would contrast with his milky pale thighs.

"Fuck." Naruto caught Sasuke's eyes glancing his way, and he shrugged. "Stupid heat is getting to me. I just thought about you having 'milky pale thighs'."

Sasuke blinked at Naruto's words and jammed the shovel into the ground. He leaned against it slightly and propped his foot up on the metal part. "Is that so?" he asked, amusement lacing his voice.

He glanced back at the remaining posts that needed to be fixed before turning back to Naruto. "How about we take a quick break then and have some lunch?"

"Hell yeah! I need something to occupy my mind, next thing you know I'm going to start thinking your dick is bigger than mine." Naruto skirted around Sasuke as he said this, making sure to be out of harm's way. At least he didn't call Sasuke small, just smaller than Naruto's.

Sasuke's hand tightened on the shovel, restraining himself from swinging it around and smacking Naruto upside the head with it. He calmed himself down though and let the shovel drop to the ground with a soft thump.

Another cooler rested in the back seat of the truck, where sandwiches and fruit rested in ice. Sasuke picked up a few cubes and ran them over his hands, cleaning the dirt off before wiping his hands on a towel he kept in the truck. His stomach grumbled at him and he tore into the bread, looking at the clock.

It was three in the afternoon and they still had a bit to go. He doubted they would finish by tonight though. By now the heat was unbearable and his jeans stuck to his legs, making him feel every drop of sweat that ran down his skin.

Next to him, Naruto skipped over washing his hand, merely wiping them off on his jeans. It wasn't like he was digging in the mud anyways. If anything his hands would be littered in splinters than anything else. Not waiting any longer, and sure that Sasuke wouldn't castrate him given the chance, Naruto snatched his own sandwich and a new bottle of sweet tea.

It was a simple turkey sandwich with mayo and tomatoes, nothing else. He liked it that way, plain and simple. Naruto ate slowly, hoping to take as much time as he could. If he was lucky it would be cooling down with the approach of dusk once they were done. Although that was still a few good hours away.

"Hey Sasuke." The pause was pregnant but subtle, a build up for something important and serious. Naruto could see Sasuke's eyes shift towards him, a sign that the man was waiting for him to continue. "You know I didn't mean what I said. You're not small, hell it wouldn't hurt so damn much if you were small. Although you're not Magnum worthy either." Naruto paused again although seriousness behind his voice now seemed like a sick farce. "You're just the right size. You're Naruto size. Perfect fit, you know?"

Sasuke's eyebrow arched at him but he stayed silent, wanting to make Naruto sweat a bit. He bit off another piece of his sandwich before taking a quick swig of his water. His eyes swept out over the hot landscape, watching the heat waves rise off the ground and into the summer air.

Behind him, he could hear Naruto shifting nervously as he stayed silent. Finally he popped the last bit of sandwich in his mouth and swallowed, dusting his hands off outside the truck. He schooled his face and turned to face Naruto, his face blank and eyes staring at him.

He could see Naruto pull back slightly at the glare and he nearly bolted from the truck when Sasuke reached down to grab an ice cube from the chest. Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes as he brought it to his mouth, sucking on the cold liquid. His tongue came out to swirl around it before he sucked it back into his mouth.

Naruto's eyes followed the movement of the ice cube, pupils dilating as a tongue swept out to capture a water droplet that had begun to escape. The ice cube peaked once more past pink lips that stretched to reveal an unnerving grin. Naruto only had time to cock his head to the side, before Sasuke's pretty teeth severed the ice into two with a sickening crunch. Naruto cringed immediately. His mind lovingly supplied him with another object Sasuke's mouth could have been sucking on before ruthlessly biting in.

"Ouch," Naruto groaned, suddenly not half as hungry as he had been.

Sasuke looked towards Naruto, a look of innocence taking over his face. "Nah, it didn't hurt much, my teeth are strong enough to withstand a little pressure." He leaned over the seat and smacked Naruto lightly on the cheek to get some color back into his face. "And yes, I knew that you were joking. You worry too much. I don't get pissed over everything ya know?"

He pulled back and reached in the ice chest to grab another sandwich, tearing it in half. Munching on it happily, he held out the other piece to Naruto.

Naruto waved it off, his stomach still feeling too knotted for much else. He just took another sip of his tea. "No, but you get at least peeved at eighty percent of everything I do," Naruto said, packing way the rest of his sandwich back into its Ziploc bag.

"Well there's still that twenty percent of the time that I'm not," Sasuke answered and hopped out of the truck. He smirked and stretched his arms over his head, ready to get back to work after messing with Naruto's mind. "Come on, we're almost done."

"But it's still too hot! The sun won't be going down for another three hours." Naruto pouted, his bottom lip coming out to give his best rendition of the puppy dog look. Sadly it looked more like he had just eaten something sour.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're incredibly helpless, you know that?" he turned back to look in the truck, smirking once more. "Besides, you don't want to still be working when it's dark outside do you? That's when all the spirits come out to play."

"I'm more afraid of the mosquitoes." Although the idea of ghosts and nighttime ghouls had the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck standing on end. He remembered the last time they had meddled with the unknown. There was no way he would ever be going back to that run down shack that was settled deep within the Uchiha's many acres of land.

"I'm sure," Sasuke answered and grabbed the shovel again. He watched as Naruto sighed heavily and climbed out of the truck, grumbling under his breath. Moving to another broken post, Sasuke stared at it before sighing himself. He didn't blame Naruto, it was too hot to be working and his arms were starting to get tired from the constant digging.

He grunted and shoved the metal into the ground, reminding himself that they were almost done. To his left, the steady sound of hammer once again filled the air and Sasuke got back to work again.

----------

The sun had slowly moved across the sky, now hanging low along the western horizon. Naruto felt the blisters that were beginning to form on his fingertips as he hammered in his third to last board. Sasuke was to his left filling in an old post hole with some loose soil. The last fence pole had been a pain in the ass. The ground around it had become too loose from the bull's violence, and made the new pole wobble in place. Instead of trying to repack the ground and fill in the gaps between earth and wood, Sasuke had just decided to dig a fresh new whole. Naruto had bitched since he would now have to realign boards, but in the end he'd given in.

"God, I can't hammer anymore. My damn fingers feel like they're going to fall off," Naruto complained as he threw his hammer to the ground.

Sasuke looked up from where he was filling in the dirt around the new post. His back ached and it popped as he straightened up. He could feel the sunburn on his skin and knew it would hurt to touch when he showered.

"We're done," he said, exhaustion filling his voice. His eyes moved over to look at Naruto who was still kneeling on the ground and looking as though he'd fall over any second. He moved over to his side and grabbed his wrist, pulling him to his feet.

Dinner was already in the truck, thanks to Itachi who had taken pity on them. He'd dropped it off half an hour ago before going back to the house. "Come on, let’s put down the tailgate and eat."

"What did the Lord of the Underworld bring for us to dine on?" Naruto asked sarcastically. When he had asked Itachi himself, he had only waved and told him to get back to work. Bastard really loved making his life miserable.

"Probably something light," Sasuke answered and pulled the tailgate down. The small basket sat in the back with a heavy weight blanket for them to sit on and Sasuke pulled the meal closer. "Looks like some brisket, corn, and some apple pie."

"Sounds good." Naruto grabbed for his portion and settled himself next to Sasuke, their thighs pressed comfortably together. The brisket was good, and Naruto tried to keep his mind away from the fact that he was probably eating on of the steers he had fed previously that week. In truth he was still trying to get used to some of the aspects of ranch life that Sasuke seemed to not even flinch at. Naruto still couldn't butcher the chickens when drumsticks were on the menu.

The tea was sadly gone, and Naruto was left to nurse on one of the remaining bottles of beer. Water was also running low, not that it mattered. They would be heading for the house soon. Looking forward, Naruto could see the twinkling lights of the house. One would flash out every once in a while as a cow passed by.

He stuffed a fork full of corn into his mouth, loving the sweet taste. The other day, Sai had stopped to purchase the cobs these corn kernels had come from, from a roadside stand just down the road. There was nothing quite like homegrown corn.

"It's nice out." Naruto smiled as he heard the lone cry of a coyote. There were just some things that made him so happy he had been able to experience this side of life. Falling asleep to the woeful cries of coyotes was like nothing else.

"It is," Sasuke said softly. He sipped on a bottle of water left over and tossed the small ball of foil into the air, catching it again. He leaned back on the blanket and winced slightly when his back touched the blanket.

The pain passed quickly and he found himself looking up at the rising moon. The sun was still on the horizon, making the sky a red-ish color while the star itself stayed a dull orange. On the radio, an upbeat song started to play and his foot began tapping to the beat, while he hummed along.

Naruto smiled, silently mouthing the words to the song that he had come to know by heart. Sakura had played it over and over again during high school as they skipped out of cafeteria lunches to pick up something at the local cafe. With each passing minute Naruto grew louder until he was outright singing in tune with Sasuke.

"Love to see the fireflies buzzin', lightin’ up the southern sky," Naruto sung. "I’m hell-bent 100% Texan ‘till I die." His shoulder playfully bumped into Sasuke's causing him to miss as he tossed up his foil ball once again. It fell to the ground and rolled beneath the truck.

Sasuke pushed him away with a laugh. "You're not even a real Texan you dork. You're still that little city boy that came to town all those years ago."

"Wha... Seriously? That's sorta harsh. I thought I'd already earned my honorary cowboy patch. Hell I turn up watching Red Sox games for PBR and CMT." Naruto rolled up his foil, tossing it at Sasuke's head. "I even have a cowboy hat." He flicked the brim. "I'm a regular old John Wayne."

"Oh yes, you're such a typical John Wayne," Sasuke said and jumped off the tailgate. Another song had switched on and he held his hand out. "Come on then, Mr. Uzumaki, show me how well you can dance then."

"Oh? How suave Mr. Casanova!" Naruto hopped from the tailgate, bowed and took the hand offered to him. The music was uplifting and the chorus of cicadas and crickets made Naruto smile. All these simple sounds go nature had been lost to him back when he had lived in his town house back in Boston.