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“Fireballs in the Sky.”
You know, as much as Naruto’s seen in his life, as much as he’s experienced, he should know that nothing is ever going to go as planned. Nothing is ever going to be perfect because the universe likes to shit on everything and everyone with no exception. Well, maybe not all that, but close.
Let’s back up a bit, shall we? (Like we always do.)
He grew up a fairly normal kid. That’s all, just normal. There were not many crazy happenings in his quiet, residential neighborhood. None that he didn’t cause, anyway. He lived in a cul-de-sac; on the corner of Woodberry Street and Berry Glen Avenue, yard always filled with the crunchiest leaves and littered with brightly colored, mismatched flowers. His house was a run-of-the-mill, 2-story glory built of red brick and white siding. His father’s a lawyer—a big shot on retainer for an even-bigger-shot company— and his mother runs a flower shop exactly five blocks away, to the north. Minato and Kushina fell in love when, surprisingly (or not, given his father’s looks and charm), Minato came in constantly buying flowers for other women.
(But that story is definitely one for another day.)
They were like a couple out of a harlequin romance. How the picture perfect couple managed to have a spastic, out of control kid like him that couldn’t sit still for more than five minutes or pranked the living daylights out of old ladies for fun was beyond him. He wondered that a lot and knows that all the neighbors wondered, too. Except for one.
That would be the neighbors that lived two doors down, The Uchiha’s. Fugaku never wondered because he himself had grown up with Minato and knew that the same kid Naruto was, Minato used to be times ten. Not that he ever told anyone that. Not that they needed to know. It was just something the two of them joked about when they’d sit in the sunroom of Naruto’s home with their heads close together and tears in their eyes from hard, bellowing laughter. Mikoto held her tongue because she’d only known Kushina for as long as she and Minato had been married, and thought her to be the person that huge the moon. She loved Naruto like a son anyway, because he was cute and lovable and spiced up their dull block, and because for the longest time, he was the only one that would put up with her own moody and broody son, Sasuke.
Of course it was about Sasuke. It’s always about Sasuke. Not that Naruto is bitter, or anything. Except he is, but we’re getting there.
Sasuke was his partner in crime, literally and figuratively. Naruto always firmly believed that if people didn’t know Minato and Fugaku, big shot lawyer extraordinaire one and two, the pair of them would have been hauled off to juvie in two shakes for all the shit they pulled as kids. Naruto wouldn’t have minded if they got in real trouble, because the brightness in Sasuke’s eyes shone like stars when they’d make their escape, the grin on his face set like cement and it would stay for hours, and Naruto knew in those moments he would do anything to keep that smile on Sasuke’s face.
Even when their fathers would berate them and wag their fingers in their faces like the lesson would actually get through their thick skulls—sharing exasperated but fond smiles over top the boys’ heads that would be gone the second their little sheepish brats would look them in the eye—Sasuke and Naruto would look at each other from the sides of their eyes and smirk at each other, stifling giggles, fists at their sides itching and burning to take the others hand. They’d promise they wouldn’t but they’d do it again and again and again, running full speed down the street with the moon as their guide, laughing and howling at the top of their lungs, young and free.
When the laughter died a sweet death and fell into heavy breathing and contented sighs, they’d fall onto the lawn in sweaty heaps and stare at each other in silence. The street lights cast odd shadows on their dark-dipped jeans, dogs barked and cars honked in this distance, but all Naruto could hear was Sasuke’s soft breathing and slight shifting on the grass.
That’s probably why everyone saw them being together a mile away.
Everyone always teased them about it before it happened, anyway. Their mothers would always say that they argued like an old married couple. Itachi would sigh and give them a look that neither one understood. Their fathers would always laugh when the boys whined about having to be separated for more than a day—
(Naruto whined, Sasuke would just glare and grunt more than usual and even pout, not that he’d ever admit it.)
--their friends would call them the “parents” of their little group, Naruto being the mom and Sasuke the dad, except what kind of parents would they be? One too rash and the other one way too mean. Their kids would come out worse than they did. But that wasn’t the point, the point was that everyone thought it was one big joke and Naruto never laughed along. In fact, most times he’d get a bit upset. He felt…weird about it, to say the least. Uneasy. He usually would deny it loudly and firmly and try to change the subject. Sasuke, however, would get oddly quiet. His eyes would go all shifty and strange and Naruto didn’t like that face so he’d always get everyone to talk about anything else.
They never talked about it much, until they really couldn’t avoid it.
High school was where this story truly begins, as most do, the crux of many a shitty happening or spiritual awakening. Epiphanies are not rare for teenagers, quiet as it kept. Realizations make sense for those betwixt and between childhood and young adulthood. Naruto had his first major moment in the 10th grade.
He and Sasuke went to the same school, like usual. And they rode home on the bus together and hung out until the street lights came on, like usual. And they annoyed everyone with how close they were, as usual.
Naruto even got a girlfriend, as usu—
Wait, no.
That was a surprise to everyone.
Sure, he was attractive. He knew that. He didn’t have a complex or think that he’d never measure up to Sasuke or something. They were best friends and equals, Naruto always thought. They had their own appeals. Sasuke was the sullen, cool guy while Naruto was more or less a puppy with a killer smile.
They both had their own little fan clubs (some girls were members of both), and it worked, he guessed. Sasuke never really entertained going out with anyone, really, and Naruto thought it would be nice but with afterschool activities and school work and Sasuke he was already dealing with a full plate.
It would have stayed that way If Hinata hadn’t cornered him in the hallway and professed her undying love for him.
He would have never expected that out of her, shy as she was, and part of him already knew because she was completely obvious about it all through middle school.
(Not that Naruto knew how deep and how much she felt because he was oblivious in matters of the heart. And head. And just…most things.)
He agreed to go out with her, much to the shock of himself and everyone else.
“I didn’t know you liked her…” Said his father carefully, like Naruto was a wild animal that would lose its mind at the tiniest of provocations.
“That’s great, honey! When will we meet her?” His mother said, using that fake cheerful voice she reserved only for sparing people’s feelings.
(He remembers her using not too long ago, when one of her employees got new shoes that were absolutely horrid and cheap looking. He wondered endlessly why she’d use that bogus tone and apply it to this.)
“Who?” Itachi said, terribly uninterested in it all.
He didn’t know why he accepted her feelings the way he did. He didn’t have to, he knew that. No one would think any less of him if he turned her down. People didn’t date people that liked them all the time. But she was so sweet, so nice, so much, that he thought he would give it a try. It wasn’t quite curiosity, and far from mutual interest, but it worked for whatever it was.
But because of who he is, he fell in love, and he fell hard.
Hinata was a candy flavor he’d never tried, the amusement park ride he’d been too scared to go on, a newfound color on the spectrum. He swung their hands when they were wrapped together until she’d giggle and exaggerate all his movements when telling a story because he knew that’s what she liked—liked when he was being purely Naruto, unfiltered and unchained.
For a whole year, he devoted himself to making someone else smile.
He thought about what it would be like to be with her forever, to move in with her on the corner of Woodberry Street and Berry Glen Avenue; it had been his grandparents’ house before his father and mother moved there. He would love to get the house passed down to him and his children. He thought about what their kids would look like.
Would they take after him, blue eyed and blond haired? Or would they have Hinata’s dark hair and light eyes? The possibilities were endless.
He must have been so cute to everyone else, planning a future at fourteen. But he was so sure, you know? Sure it would never get better than this.
Hinata begged to differ.
If Hinata having the courage to ask him out made everyone sputter in disbelief, then her dumping him must have caused heart attacks and a lot of swallowed tongues. He should have seen it coming, maybe. Maybe not. After all, he was clueless about most things. It wasn’t like she wasn’t happy with him, not that, never that. She was. She loved him, too. In whatever capacity that young people feel—however deep or however shallow—she was in the deep end of the pool, hook, line, and sinker.
Hinata was smart, is what she was.
Way too smart for her own good, her parents would say.
Smart and observant. Observant and calculating. Calculating and…kind. She must have seen something Naruto hadn’t recognized in himself, must have heard those thoughts that swam in the back of his mind in the middle of the night that he gargled and spat out with his mouthwash. Knew that she wasn’t the one for him no matter how much he disagreed.
“Naruto,” She said, her toffee tone sweet and low, “I love you. I think I always will. I know you don’t get it now, and that’s ok, but I just want you to be happy.”
What did she mean? He was happy. With her.
Oh, how he moped about for months. He was no fun for what seemed like forever afterward.
(It hurt, but it made sense. People always got tired of him. Always. He was fun for a while but as soon as the laughs stopped they didn’t want to deal with crybaby, full-of-feelings Naruto. When people saw that coming they suddenly had something more important to do. He might be a little stupid when it came to certain things, but that fact was hard to miss.)
(And hard to get over.)
He was a total drag, as Shikamaru would say. A lonely loser, Kiba would tease. Sad to look at, Ino would huff. Sasuke, unsurprisingly, had nothing much to say on the matter. Sure, he would comfort him when Naruto got a bit teary during video games and tell everyone to back off when the teasing got to be too much, but mostly, he was mum. He hadn’t had much to say when they were together, so why start now? He let Naruto cry and whine and moan woe is me for hours and never got tired of him.
But that was just Sasuke. Sasuke never got tired of him. Sure, Naruto could annoy him, but he never kicked him out or told him to shut up (during a crisis, at least. Any other time it was fair game.)
In retrospect, that should have been his first clue.
People teased them less about being a couple, because Naruto was a sad sack and Sasuke would storm off in a huff whenever the subject was broached.
It became…weird between them, and Naruto didn’t like it or understand it. Sasuke became distant. He didn’t come over as much during start of the summer, then not at all towards the end of it. He pretended like he received Naruto’s texts “late” and even bought a bike to avoid riding the after school activity bus home with Naruto—well, maybe the last one wasn’t quite true. Naruto wanted a bike, too, and would have bought one if he was responsible like his friend and didn’t waste his allowance on food. Either way, it didn’t help his case.
Until the start sophomore year, they were suspended in white space; hands outstretched but not quite reaching, a black rift crumbling between their feet that was almost visible to the naked eye. Naruto firmly believed he was losing his best friend. He went over what he could have done to make Sasuke hate him. Did he get tired of hearing Naruto whine? Did he get newer, cooler friends that didn’t steal fries off his plate or actually returned video games and CD’s on time? He didn’t know what to do or how to talk about it because Naruto was always one for confrontation, except when it came to Sasuke.
But what could he say to the person that knew almost everything about him? Sasuke knew his strengths and faults, could use them against him if he wanted to. Naruto was sure whatever the problem was, it wasn’t something he wanted to hear.
For all intents and purposes, Sasuke’s an asshole.
Not that this is new news, but it needs to be said.
He completely played off almost two months of minimal contact by inviting him to go tag an abandoned house off First Street. No preamble, no “I’m sorry that I’m a huge dick”, not even a hug or a peace offering. He just sent it like he expected Naruto to come.
It was a smart move, Naruto thought, because they had wildly differing schedules this year and hadn’t seen each other at all. Since it was only the first day of classes, it’s not like Naruto had anything to do with anyone else. If they had caught sight of each other, there no doubt would have been fighting (yelling and maybe a bit of frustrated crying of Naruto’s end) and then Naruto would have been the one giving the cold shoulder.
So, being the smart boy that he is, Sasuke left it up to Naruto to decide if they were going to speak again. He thought about being petty, about leaving him in the dust and washing his hands of it. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He missed him terribly and Naruto has the awful habit of being a complete pushover when it came to his precious people.
(Remember that, it’s going to be important later.)
So, he went.
Sasuke tried to look innocent, waiting for him on his bike in front of his house, but he couldn’t stop the tiny smirk that graced his face when he saw that Naruto was making his way over. Dick. Naruto made a show of rolling his eyes and crossed his arms tight when he stopped in front of him.
He had a million things to say, each more volatile than the last, but all that came out was a frosty—
“Not cool, dude.”
At least his friend had the decency to look guilty. He shuffled the foot that wasn’t on a pedal against the ground and grimaced.
“Yeah,” He said, meeting Naruto’s eyes square on. It made him squirm for some reason. “I’m sorry. I was…figuring something out.”
Tsk. “What’s so secret that you couldn’t tell me about it? Huh?” He asked with a shove.
Sasuke smiled, but it was a little sullen and sad. Naruto didn’t like it at all.
“I promise I’ll tell you later, okay? Let’s go do this first. You can sleep over and I’ll tell you. Deal?” Naruto wanted to protest and get the story now, but Sasuke looked sincere. Besides, a sleepover sounded great because he could smother him with a pillow later for abandoning him.
“Deal.” He says, and they grin like bandits.
All is forgiven.
It’s hazy and humid that night—the summer warmth hadn’t died down to welcome September and the sheen on their brows is syrupy and golden against the street lights. They write random things on the white brick expanse that faces away from the street with their matching cans of spray paint. Naruto feels like he’s bursting gold and laughter bubbles in waves on his lips when he sees that Sasuke’s drawn a sad caricature of them on the wall as a marker. It’s tragically adorable because his friend has the neatest handwriting he’s ever seen but his drawing skill is next to none. Sasuke’s laughs with him.
His chuckles are deeper now, like echoes through caves, and Naruto notices. His voice changed in the time he was away, along with his height and build. Suddenly, he’s wistful. Because he missed it. He never misses anything.
Sasuke must notice that Naruto’s thoughts are straying, and he stares at Naruto for a moment before drawing a giant ‘S’ next to his picture, then hooking an ‘N’ at the curved end in his fancy script. He smiles at it, small and quiet but the meaning seems deep to him.
“That’s the best thing you’ve done all night.” He jokes, and Sasuke punches him arm gently. Before he can respond, there’s a crunch to their left and a flashlight’s blinding them in the next moment.
“Hey--!” The man yells, and they don’t have to look at each other to take off in the same direction.
They run at full speed like they stole something and Sasuke’s laughing like a maniac while they pump their legs in time. It’s contagious, and Naruto can barely breathe as the glee pours out of him over and over and over again. They’re moving so fast that the fireflies are like tiny fireballs littering their vision.
They break finally in a familiar clearing by the forest, legs like jelly and pain pulling at their lungs. They collapse on the grass flat on their backs and try to catch their breaths.
Naruto hums softly and sniggers, looking at Sasuke out of the corners of his eyes. Sasuke’s got a small smile on his face as he looks up into the night sky in wonderment. He looks so peaceful and calm, and Naruto turns to look at him fully.
“How much trouble do you think we’re gonna get in for this one, eh, Sasuke?” He asks. Sasuke blinks before looking at him, face conflicted like he’s debating something, and then promptly rolls on top of Naruto’s form and kisses him, just like that.
It feels…amazing. Like nothing he’s ever felt before. If kissing Hinata felt like flying—up and up and up--then kissing Sasuke felt like falling, solid and bottomless and intense.
He tasted of the fruit snacks they shared earlier and like the spicy pepper scent that always followed him around. Naruto could barely breathe from all the running before and now the little air he had been stolen away. He’d be lucky if he didn’t perish on the spot.
It must have been seconds—but felt like years—and Sasuke pulled back quickly (but makes no move to get off) with a look that could only be described as sheer, unfiltered terror. Naruto only caught the last vestiges of it because his eyes took forever to flutter open.
He had a million things to say, each more baffled than the last. But all that came out was a flat—
“Huh?”
Sasuke must have been expecting something else entirely—like a ‘what the fuck, man?’ or a punch in the throat— because sweet, startled laughter burst out of him and he buried his head in Naruto’s shoulder.
“Don’t laugh, asshole!” Naruto said, slapping the top of his head. “What’d you do that for, huh? Why did you—“
Sasuke cut him off, raising his head to look at him. “That’s what I was trying to figure out.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What? You had to figure out if you wanted to kiss me?”
“Yeah.” He said quietly, almost shyly.
Naruto had the resist the urge to punch him. “That took you two months? You’re such a loser.” Sasuke sucked his teeth and was no doubt going to say something mean and ruin everything, so Naruto kissed him to shut him up.
Sasuke squawks in surprise and Naruto would definitely tease him about it later, but right now he was fully focused on trying to steal Sasuke’s tongue out his mouth.
They kissed until Sasuke got a bit too frisky and Naruto had to pull away. They were in the middle of a field, after all. He wasn’t going to get off with small woodland animals possibly watching from the trees. It got as far as Sasuke trapping Naruto’s hands over his head with their fingers intertwined and Sasuke trailing his lips down past Naruto’s shirt collar. He makes a noise of protest and Sasuke stops immediately. Forever the gentleman.
They laid there, blowing warm puffs into each other’s faces. Sasuke squeezed his hands tighter.
“So you’re okay with this?” He mumbled barely above a whisper. Naruto rolled his eyes.
“Yeah. I mean, I kissed you back.” And you’re Sasuke. That might not mean anything to someone else, but it was loaded full for Naruto. He felt his eye twitch at the thought. Remember what we said about youthful epiphanies? Yeah, Naruto was starting to understand a lot.
“Yeah.” Sasuke says with a smug smirk.
He might love him, but he didn’t love that.
Uh…
Fuck.
Sasuke laughed at the look on his face and kissed Naruto’s cheek in apology. He sobered and nuzzled him gently.
“You’re mine now, okay?” He muttered.
Naruto chose to be the bigger person and ignore the way his voice caught a bit. This moment was special and he was going to let it be just that.
He cups Sasuke’s face and smiles brilliantly. “Okay.” He breathes, as the trees dance around them.
…
If people thought them annoying before they starting dating, they must full on hate them, now. Not that it mattered at all, because Naruto and Sasuke were in their own little world, population two and bliss on one hundred. The whole school knew before their parents did (they got chewed out for that one) because most of them people they knew were horrible gossips and someone (they narrowed it down between Tenten and Kiba) saw them necking behind the bleachers after football practice. It was the talk of the town for weeks.
Their parents found out when they had family game night, which included both their families since Minato and Fugaku swore they were long lost brothers or something—
(Which would be awkward, considering…)
--and Sasuke hadn’t let go of Naruto’s hand in enough time when they were coming through the door after school before Mikoto’s hawk eyes caught it, which led to their mothers screeching like banshees and their fathers giving each other (really annoying) knowing looks and Itachi sighed and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “At least someone is getting some around here.”
Ahem.
That was wrong at the time, at least, because it took nearly a year and a half for them to consummate their relationship. It’s not like Naruto was scared—he was, but that wasn’t the only reason—he was just a little…wary. Up until then it was making out, holding hands, and sometimes getting hands down each other’s pants. When they finally took the step and had sex, there was no more going back. Sure, it would hurt like hell if they had to stop doing all the stuff they did because Naruto really liked it, but if that’s what Sasuke wanted he could go back to being friends. He could survive having to do that now, but he was certain after they made love for the first time the chance of being “just friends” would fly out of the window.
Luckily, Sasuke understood this, even if he didn’t necessarily agree with it. But he let Naruto take his time and get it together, and before they knew it, they were on the close end of dating for two years. At that time, Naruto didn’t want to make him wait anymore. He was always, always afraid that Sasuke would get tired of waiting him, even though he never vocalized it, because how could he? He’d only be placated and made promises that no one could know if they were possible to keep. So, he bribed Itachi to get them a hotel room and made his plans.
It would be way too sappy to describe the night as magical, because it wasn’t. They were both virgins, and while Sasuke claimed he “researched” what to do, he was still awkward and flustered and seventeen on a hair trigger. It took them a few tries to even get it in, and Naruto had to grit his teeth and ride out the pain. Sasuke sat still for the most part and let him adjust. Let’s not pretend that his girth was enough to blow someone away to oblivion, but it was enough. They stared into the other’s eyes and Sasuke litters kisses onto his face, wiping welling tears away and whispering “I love you, I love you, I love you” as he started to move.
For the rest of the night, Naruto cried for a different reason besides the pain.
Later, He works his ass off for them to get into the same college, studies more and slacks off less. They were one of the only couples to make it past high school graduation and that surprised absolutely no one. They were known on campus as Thing One and Thing Two, Bonnie and Clyde (much to Naruto’s annoyance because he was always Bonnie), Pinky and The Brain. It was always “Sasuke and Naruto”, never one without the other, never too far away.
He studies culinary arts because he had a passion for it. Sasuke went with technology because he’s annoyingly smart and good with computer systems and such. They keep close with their friends and no one strays too from the group even though they ended up in different states. Their third year they move into an apartment near campus together—
(Tired of having roommates and sneaking in and out for booty calls.)
And it was so sickeningly sweet that Naruto was shocked he hadn’t died of high blood sugar yet. They shared bills and thought about getting a car to make it easier to get to their part time jobs that were a little ways away. The idea of a dog came up, but the rules of their place were strict and Naruto would feel guilty leaving a puppy by itself most of the time.
It was perfect.
Before he knew it, they were in their last year and both of them were going to graduate on time. Sasuke was already getting offers for big tech companies and Naruto couldn’t be happier for him. He himself worked at a nice restaurant downtown and was close to getting a management position. Things couldn’t be better.
Or they could, but Naruto didn’t know that yet.
He found out when they were hosting for Kiba. It was his “Getting his Life Together” party, because he hadn’t gone to college like the rest of them because he had no idea what he wanted to do. He worked odd jobs on and off and finally thought he could make a career out of being a mechanic, like his uncle. He’d always been good with cars and maybe it should have be obvious to him that this path was an option, but whatever no one was judging.
Everyone manages to come, despite the stresses of being in school and doing loads of coursework, because they support each other. There was drinking and merriment and a grand sense of ease that they would all be moving forward in life at the same time and no one would get left behind. It was a good feeling.
Naruto hadn’t had a single thing to drink because he, of all people, was in charge of making sure everyone didn’t party too hard. Drives had to be made in the morning and flights had to be caught. He started hiding beers and prying cans out of vice grips by the time an hour had passed.
Sasuke was nowhere in sight, but Naruto knew he was probably out on the deck taking a smoke break. No matter how long they’d all known each other, Sasuke still wasn’t much for large groups or loud rooms. Naruto had to laugh at that. Some things never changed.
It was December and bitingly cold. Naruto immediately had to blow on his hands in fear that they might fall off. Sasuke’s leaning on the raining watching the snow fall in rapt fasciation, puffing out smoke just for it to be eaten by the wind.
Naruto leans beside him and bumps shoulders, alerting him to his presence.
“What’s up?” He asks, because Sasuke’s been mysteriously quiet all week and he knows whenever he gets like this, he’s about to do something drastic.
He gets a raised eyebrow and a shrug in response. “Nothing’s up.”
“Well, clearly you’re lying,” he says conversationally, “because I know you, and I know when somethings up.” He won’t push the issue because he’s having a good time and doesn’t want an argument.
“Tell me when you feel like it, I guess, but don’t skip the party.” He tuts and spins on his heel, ready to go back inside where it’s warmer. Sasuke grabs his arm to stop him—like Naruto knew he would—but doesn’t even get a victory smirk in before Sasuke’s shoving a tiny box in his hands and staring at him intently. It’s shaped like a present and has a delicate white bow tied neatly around it.
Naturally, he’s confused. “Christmas isn’t for another week.” He states.
Sasuke doesn’t blink. “I know. Open it.”
He does.
It’s a ring.
Not super fancy, or anything like that, but beautiful. It’s bright, almost holographic under the porch light. Not too thin—no diamond or gems adorning it— quite masculine, which is surprising. It complements his skin in a way that no jewelry ever has.
Clearly, it’s a well thought out gift.
“Holy shit.” He breathes, not able to take his eyes off of it.
Sasuke snorts, and steps closer to him. “Yeah.” He whispers.
“Are you…you’re…oh my god!” He whispers back.
Sasuke pulls him close and slips the ring of his finger lightning fast. It fits. Of course it fits. There’s no way Sasuke would have gotten it if he didn’t know it would fit.
“Look,” He says like he’s in a rush, “I’m not good with words and I don’t want to make this party about us, but I love you.” It’s fierce and heavy and it makes Naruto shake.
He hasn’t had a single drop but he’s never felt so drunk in this moment. “And I couldn’t wait anymore. Can you accept this right now? I’ll get on my knees and do all that other stuff later, I promise, but please just take it.” Sasuke’s breathing hard at the end of it, like it’s really weighing on him so of course Naruto says—
“Yeah. I mean, yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
And they look at each other and grin like they used to and he swears he could just die right now and wouldn’t regret a thing.
They go back inside and don’t make a big deal of it. No one notices. They sit across from each other and smile over the yelling and revelry of the fourth drinking game tonight, and they almost get away with it until Naruto’s tucking everyone in on the floor (wherever they’ve passed out) when the night’s died down and the world is quiet—
(Choji giggles out a “You guys are still totally our parents!” and everyone laughs. This time, they can’t even deny it because it’s true.)
--and Tenten spots his ring as he cocoons her in a blanket and literally screeches in excitement. Everyone pops back up, panicked (oh, all this hard work, wasted) and looks around for some unknown threat.
“Jesus, Tenten,” Neji cries, “What is it?!”
She points to Naruto like that will answer the question, bouncing up and down.
“Uh..?” Ino moans, barely conscious.
“Use your words, dammit.” Shikamaru says while clutching his head.
“You!” She jabs a finger into Naruto’s chest. “That ring wasn’t there before! When did he ask you? How did I miss it?!”
“What?” Sakura mutters, barely heard from the under the cover thrown over her head.
Sasuke sighs in defeat and all hell breaks loose.
First, everyone’s pissed because Sasuke didn’t make a show of proposing—
(“It’s Kiba’s night; I wasn’t going to take that from him.” He says nobly. Naruto doesn’t think he can love him more than he does right now.)
But Kiba’s not having it at all and wants a show. Everyone’s up again and getting their second party wind and suddenly chanting “Do over, do over, do over!” and Sasuke grins in defeat and all hell breaks loose (again) when Sasuke slides the ring off and drops to one knee.
Hinata’s rips paper from the printer up as makeshift confetti and Choji and Kiba are whistling while Ino and Neji clap so hard it hurts and Shikamaru’s got the dopiest grin on face, like he’s looking at the best thing he’s ever seen.
Tears are spilling from Naruto’s eyes while he laughs because he honestly can’t believe this, and Sasuke’s got a megawatt smile enough to power the whole city tonight.
And Sasuke slips the ring back on his finger and the noises fade out, and all he can see are Sasuke’s shining eyes and the twinkle of the Christmas lights on the mantel.
…
In March, it all goes to shit.
…
He’s on cloud nine, basically skipping to class at this point. Neji makes a point to hold firmly onto his arm when they walk about because he’s so sure that Naruto really will fly off into the clouds one of these days. Naruto isn’t sure if he’s joking or not, but its Neji.
(So that means he probably isn’t.)
He gets congratulations from everyone—the cashier at the 7-eleven near campus, the jogger running with her dog, the mail man that constantly delivers in packages from amazon— his mother can’t even look at him without clapping her hands and spinning him in circles. He’s dizzy from it all, and he loves it.
In March, he’d been busy lately working and finishing up all this projects and assignments. They’re graduating in May and that’s way too close for comfort. He’s equal parts scared and excited. He’d been glued to his desk for weeks and Kiba was sick of him being a homebody, so he texted Sasuke to tell him he’d be back in the morning and got dragged to a club. He got drunk for the first time since New Year’s and it didn’t feel that great. The dark liquor lurched around in his stomach for hours before it came up on the sidewalk near Kiba’s car. His friend laid him down in the backseat and teased him the whole way home. At least, he thinks, because he certainly blacks out and comes to right as Kiba’s wresting him onto his couch.
In the morning, he thanks him for taking him out and taking care of him the night before, and sets off home. He bemoans his woefully thin jacket that’s no match for the March air. He looks like shit, but he passes by a Walmart and remembers they need a new shower curtain. The one they have has seen better days—turning odd colors near the bottom and feeling of slime—he goes to get it.
He swings his arms on the way upstairs to his door and unlocks it, setting his bag down on the counter and setting his phone up to charge. Sasuke’s not home, he knows, because it’s still ass crack early and Sasuke likes to go for jogs before too many people start their days. He wants to wait for him to get back, honestly he does, but he feels gross, wants a shower, and wants to just lie down in bed and die for a few hours.
He drags himself to their bedroom, stripping himself of his jacket and kicking his shoes off without touching them. He slips in the quiet room and makes a beeline for the bathroom, but makes the mistake of surveying and lets the world fall at his feet.
Because Sasuke is home, knocked out naked on the bed if the scattered clothes are anything to go by, with Sakura resting her head on his chest and her arm’s tucked firmly around his waist.
It’s funny, because he’d been jamming to India Arie’s “Get it Together” all week through brand new headphones and the first line of it--
(“One shot to your heart without breaking your skin…”)
--Fits perfectly to how he feels right now. It’s hilarious, actually, that his tastes in music could accurately surmise something in his life just days before it happened. That’s probably why he starts laughing as hard as he can. It sounds off to his ears, unnatural, a sound he’s never heard come out of him in his life. That makes him laugh even more, you know? Because he’s clearly losing his mind, barefoot and still cold from outside, in his own home, while he’s watching his fiancé and other longtime friend cuddle in his bed—
His bed! He helped pay for that shit! Everything in this fucking house, this room, is his! His!
--after they clearly fucked each other last night. Or this morning. Or both, who knows. All he knows is that he’s crying with laughter and it’s so hard that he can’t breathe.
Sasuke wakes first. He blinks like he doesn’t know where he is and grunts at the sunlight hitting his face. He’s so obviously hungover that Naruto scoffs. He’s not even sure what he’s feeling at this point. Disbelief? Sure. Righteous fury? You bet. Fully capable of double homicide? Yes indeed-ee-do.
Naruto’s laughing turns to hiccupping, then panting, then harsh retching as he wraps his arms around himself and sprints to the bathroom to throw up. There’s nothing left from last night, so it’s mostly just spit and bile. It burns so badly and he can’t help but cough.
He just sits in a heap on the floor, staring while he flushes the toilet over and over. He’s transfixed by the way the water swirls down. There’s nothing to flush by now, and he’s just wasting water, but he keeps doing it until he hears a soft—
“Naruto?”
It’s from outside the door and he jerks up and stands on weak legs that manage to stumble back into the bedroom.
Sasuke’s sitting up, looking at him like the world is ending. His eyes keep snapping to himself, then to Sakura, then back to Naruto like he doesn’t get what the fuck’s happening and to be honest, neither does Naruto. He must have entered the twilight zone somewhere before he made it home because there’s no way this is happening.
Sasuke’s hands fist the sheets and he goes to stand.
“Naru—“he starts.
“Shut up.” He says, cutting him off. It’s the angriest he’s ever heard himself, and part of him is impressed. The other part is sure that his body is going to implode any second now.
Naruto rips open the closet as quickly as he can, and the first bag he sees he grabs and starts filling with clothes. He hears rather than sees Sasuke dragging pants on his body and he quickens his pace because fuck if he’s going to be stopped. He’s just throwing the bag on his shoulder when Sasuke’s gets the other leg in, and he’s trying to go for the door when strong arms grip his shoulders.
“Baby, wait—“Is all he can say before Naruto’s ripping free and slapping him so hard they both stumble. He’s shaking so hard and he’s not even sure how he’s still upright at the moment, but he is.
Sasuke works his jaw and grunts but he isn’t giving up. He reaches for him again. “Naruto, please—“
Naruto evades and doesn’t run to the front door, but its close. He doesn’t want to talk about it, not right now. He can’t.
He flees and all he can hear is Sasuke calling his name until he’s too far down the street and then it’s just an echo.
…
He gets to his parents before he breaks down, using his key and letting himself in. His mother is startled by someone coming in this early and he’s grateful she hasn’t gone to open her shop yet. He’s get about five steps in the door before his legs fall from under him. She peaks her head out of the kitchen and makes a noise of alarm before coming to wrap him in her arms. He’s sobbing into her shoulder and she’s whispering:
“Breathe, honey, breathe.” Into his hair and rocking him gently.
His eyes are too blurry to see his father coming down the stairs, but he registers a soft:
“Jesus, Naruto.”
And another body coming around him. He can do nothing but weep into their arms until he exhausts himself and blacks out.
…
He knows nothing else until graduation. There’s nothing to know. He moves through his days in a blur, going to class as he should to finish out strong, working longer shifts because he doesn’t want free time. His friends look at him strangely. They know what happened, they must, and they can’t believe it. Their circle titters in disbelief. Because they all remember crying tears of joy what felt like days ago at their engagement and don’t know what went wrong. He hasn’t seen Sasuke at all and he laughs hollowly because it’s been two months and the last time they hadn’t talked in this long was—
His parents, once they know, they’re conflicted. They love Sasuke like a son. But, he hurt their actual son and that’s not to be forgiven so easily. They tell him they won’t talk to the other Uchiha’s, if he wants it. But he doesn’t. They haven’t done anything wrong and he still loves them like family.
He avoids any place they could run into each other. He doesn’t go back to the apartment, not once, since. He sends Kiba to get some of his stuff and he comes back fuming, luggage in hand. Apparently, they had words, and Naruto does ask the details about it and Kiba doesn’t offer, so it’s fine. Sasuke doesn’t try to chase him, pester him or plead with him, and he’s thankful because he just can’t take it.
He standing outside at the end of the ceremony and people around him are laughing and crying and embracing each other because it’s finally over. They made it.
He drudges up a smile and hugs everyone that offers him congratulations. He spins Ino around and kisses Hinata’s cheek and gets manly hugs from all the guys and allows himself some happiness. He worked hard to get here and nothing will ruin the moment, so help him. There’s music and fanfare and he can barely hear himself think, and he doesn’t see Mikoto coming when she runs up to hug him from wherever she was.
“I’m so proud of you.” She whispers in his ear, and he smiles weakly and grips her tight.
Fugaku’s next, and he gets another tight hug and a pat on the back.
“There’s my boy.” He says fondly, and Naruto’s smile cracks a bit.
His parents are off talking to one of his father’s colleagues whose child was also graduating, so they aren’t there to rescue him from what was about to be the world’s worst conversation. He sees Sasuke approach behind them in slow motion, Itachi at his heels. He barely registers that Mikoto is talking to him, watching the way Sasuke’s hair moves in the wind, how he fills out his graduation gown, and how his lips part when he spots Naruto in front of him.
His focus snaps back at the next sentence, because it throws him for a loop. “…and it was killing me to have to hide this for so long, but I thought it would make a good wedding gift as well as a graduation gift, so…”
Sasuke’s eyes fill with panic and he gently grasps his mother’s arm. “Mother—“he warns.
He can’t describe the noise that punches out of him. It’s something like a wounded animal, wildly foreign and strange.
He’s louder than he means to be, more malicious, when he spits, “You didn’t tell them?” and Sasuke face goes blank, fully shuts down, full stop. And he’s fucking done.
He doesn’t wait for anyone’s reactions, doesn’t say another word, just banks left and power walks to the car as fast as he can. He sees in his peripherals that his parents are scrambling to catch up to him and hears a heated conversation sputter to life behind him, but he blanks it out. He’s pushes past people in the crowd and by the time he’s out of the throng he’s pissed and itching to punch someone, anyone, to release the storm brewing in his head.
His father clicks the door open with the key before he can tug it off the hinges and he throws himself inside and shuts the door. He doesn’t care if he’s embarrassing himself—he doubts anyone is paying attention to him and his melodrama anyway—all he wants is to be anywhere but here.
His mother gets in the front seat, apologizing to Mikoto and promising that they’ll talk later. His father’s starting the car with lighting quickness and he’s so happy that they can jump into action when he needs them to like this, but it only last for a second because Sasuke decided to follow him this time as he runs away, along with his whole family, and the look on his face is breaking the leftover pieces of his heart.
“Naruto—“ He begins, and he looks so close to tears that Naruto has to close his eyes.
“Drive.” He grounds out to his father, and they’re pulling off before he can say another word.
Two weeks later Sasuke’s gone.
He leaves town with barely a word to anyone, pays the rent until their lease expires in August and doesn’t tell anyone where he’s going.
Naruto wishes he was relieved.
But he’s not.
And that’s the end of it.