Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Glue between the Cracks	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 4116 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor make profit of it. Kishimoto owns it.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Author's note: Apologies for taking so long. I had hoped to finish this chapter sooner, but I only just got finished with a paper I had to write. I'm still studying for exams, but I figured I would take the time first to at least finish this chapter and give you something for the long wait!
Thanks to the following reviewer: Niremi (You're very sweet!)
Warnings: Hm, nothing in particular I think
I hope you'll like this chapter!
Chapter 2
He recoiled, clutching his nose, and only the knowledge of who was standing in front of him kept him from retaliating. That didn't make him less angry for being punched, though.
"You regularly punch people like that when you're visiting them?" he asked sarcastically, cautiously feeling his nose. It throbbed badly and he was definitely bleeding, but it didn't feel broken. He pressed a handkerchief against it; hopefully the bleeding would stop soon.
"Only when they deserve it for being a giant piece of shit," Naruto smiled coldly. It stood in sharp contrast to his swollen stomach, which even his coat couldn't hide anymore.
"I can't recall having done something to you," Itachi remarked, pulling the cloth away to inspect it. The red colour against the soft white seemed to mock him and he folded it in two, pressing the clean side back against his nose.
"No, but you did to Sasuke and that's a good enough reason for me," Naruto replied, stretching his fingers with a slight wince. "Don't act like you didn't deserve that punch, because you did."
Well … he supposed he did deserve it.
"You want to come inside?" Itachi sighed, deciding it was best if the blond man got everything out of his system now instead of letting him bottle it up. He didn't want to come to blows with the man who was his brother's mate.
Naruto huffed but entered nonetheless, slipping off his shoes and removing his coat.
"You want something to drink?" Itachi offered, watching blue eyes roam across the space curiously. They reminded him of another pair of blue eyes he'd once been intimately familiar with, although that pair had been a sky blue and had been constantly glimmering with mischievousness …
"No, thanks, I'm not planning on staying long," Naruto smiled affably, following him to the living room.
Itachi studied him. "Does my brother know you're here?" He thought it was a tad strange that Naruto had showed up alone. Wouldn't he have wanted to come with his mate?
Unless Naruto was here to deliver the message that Itachi should fuck off in Sasuke's place, but his younger brother had never been the type to hide behind someone else. If he wanted Itachi to fuck off, he would tell him himself.
"No, he doesn't. You think he would have let me come here on my own if he knew?" Naruto snorted, dropping down on the couch. He pushed a cushion out of the way, crossing his legs.
"He doesn't trust you alone with me?" Itachi asked neutrally, sitting down on the other end of the couch.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "It's nothing personal. I don't think he trusts anyone alone with me nowadays – well, except for my parents, I guess," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Itachi glanced at his rounded stomach. "Because you're pregnant?"
"Hm. He's been rather protective from the moment we started hanging out, but he's grown worse these past couple of months," Naruto murmured and exhaled softly. He shook his head, his eyes sharpening when he looked at the Alpha. "Never mind that; I'm here for something else."
"And that is?"
The Omega leant slightly towards him, his eyes flashing dangerously when he said, "I'm here to warn you. I don't have the relationship that Sasuke has with you, so I have no trouble saying this: I will make you regret it if you're just here to mess with Sasuke's head a bit before you leave again."
"I'm not messing with - "
"He's finally on his way to fully recover from that night and I won't let you fuck up his recovery," Naruto went on ruthlessly, ignoring him. "You either stay here and accept whatever he's willing to give you and you don't fucking leave again. Or if you can't do that, you leave now and you won't bother him again. This is the only chance you'll get."
"I don't think this is something you can decide in Sasuke's place." Itachi raised an eyebrow, but a part of him couldn't help but admire the blond's fierceness. It was good to know that Sasuke had someone completely on his side – someone who was even willing to go up against Sasuke's brother if that meant protecting him.
"I'm telling you this because Sasuke would never dare to give you this ultimatum. You showing up really messed with him and everything he thought he knew," Naruto said quietly; his blue eyes darkening even further. "He finally got you back and he won't dare to say anything that might drive you away again. I don't have that fear, though, so I'm warning you now: don't mess with him. He doesn't deserve that, not after all the shit you've put him through already."
"I never wanted him to get hurt," Itachi said intensely.
That made Naruto snort harshly. "You've got a funny way of showing that then."
"I had to track down the group responsible for - "
"And I get that," Naruto interrupted him again. "Sasuke gets that too. But in all those years you could have taken the time to let him know you were okay. Do you have any idea how difficult these past eight years have been for him? Do you have any idea how much that break in and the deaths of your parents messed with him?"
He pushed himself off the couch and started pacing back and forth, practically spewing out his words. "He's had nightmares for years! He studied fighting techniques to protect himself and others! He believed for years that if he'd ignored your order and had gone out there to help, that your parents would still be alive then!"
"He would have got himself - " He cut himself off startled when Naruto jabbed his finger at him, glaring.
"I'm not finished! He's been living with that guilt for years and only recently has he started to accept that that whole bullshit wasn't in any way his fault! He installed a camera all because he fears someone could break in again and harm me! He doesn't even care if he gets hurt, all he cares is that I and our son don't get hurt!" He chuckled slightly hysterical, throwing his hands up in the air. "You know what he asked my dad when we'd just become friends? If he knew how to handle a gun, because he wanted to be sure that my family and I would be safe. A seventeen year old shouldn't have to worry about shit like that! A fucking fourteen year old shouldn't have to start taking defence classes just in case he would ever need to protect someone else! A twenty year old shouldn't have to worry himself sick to death, scared that something will happen to his mate if he isn't with him! That one goddamn night still has a hold on him until this day and then you've got the nerve to just show up and be like, 'Oh, sorry for never contacting you once in these past eight years, but here I am again'! What the hell is the matter with you!"
Naruto was panting by the time he finished, clenching his fists and glaring heatedly at him. He leant slightly forwards, appearing ready to slug him again.
"If I could go back in time, I would," Itachi said quietly and Naruto deflated, looking tired. "I know I fucked up and I can't get those years back, no matter how much I want that. All I can do now is be there for him in any way he wants me to. If he wants me to never contact him again, I will."
It would hurt like hell, like losing his family all over again, but he would respect his brother's wishes. He knew he didn't deserve forgiveness for all the years he'd left him in the dark; all he could do was await Sasuke's decision and hope that his brother would still be willing to have him in his life in spite of what had happened.
"If he still wants to see me, I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to him, for however long it takes," he continued determined. "I made some big mistakes in the past, but I'll do anything to make up for those."
"I still think you're a dick," Naruto told him bluntly. "But I also know how much you mean to Sasuke, so as long as you're not going to mess with his head, I guess things will be fine between us all."
"I'm glad to hear that," Itachi smiled wryly.
Unexpectedly Naruto offered him a smile, surprising him with the friendly gesture. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better," he told him and then furrowed his eyebrows, pouting slightly. "Guess we're going to have to find another name for the baby, though. It'd be weird to have two Itachi's walking around."
Itachi had already started nodding before the full meaning of Naruto's words registered and when it did, his eyes widened slightly with shock.
"Wait, you were going to name your child after me?" he questioned baffled.
Naruto shrugged and sat back down on the couch. "We were, yeah – but that was back when we still believed you were dead. Naming our son after you now would just be confusing, so we'll have to come up with another name." He sighed, appearing a bit put out. "And I finally thought we'd found the perfect name. Now we have to start the search all over again."
"I'm sorry for not staying dead," Itachi apologised sarcastically, even though a part of him couldn't help but feel stupidly flattered that his brother and his mate had wanted to name their son after him.
The blond man waved his hand haphazardly. "Not your fault," he smirked. A loud buzzing noise startled the both of them and Naruto dug his phone out of his pocket, checking it quickly. "Oh, Sasuke's class ended earlier today. I have to go now; don't want him to start worrying."
"All right." Itachi stood up, waiting for Naruto to put his shoes back on. "Thanks for coming over."
Naruto looked up and smiled crookedly. "I punched you in the face and cussed you out – not sure whether thanking me for coming over is the correct response then." He straightened out again, resting a hand briefly on his belly before he pulled on his coat.
"You came in defence of Sasuke – I can respect that," Itachi replied and shrugged. "I'm honestly glad he's found someone who cares about him this much."
The Omega squinted at him, a bit perturbed. "You Uchiha can be so freaking weird," he complained and wrinkled his nose. He looked away for a couple of seconds before he sighed and looked at Itachi again. "Just give Sasuke some time, okay? He's still wrapping his mind around the fact that his older brother didn't die after all – that revelation has been rather tough on him."
The Alpha nodded. "I understand. He can have all the time he needs. Like I said before: I'm not leaving anymore unless he wants me to."
"I think he knows that, but … trusting that you'll stay might be a bit harder for him," Naruto murmured and shook his head briskly. "Okay, I'm going now. See you … whenever I guess."
"Sure. You want me to accompany you back to your apartment?" Itachi offered.
"You want another right hook to your face?" Naruto shot back, his blue eyes narrowed and his hackles raised for some reason. He left before the older man could say something.
"Guess that's a no," Itachi murmured and smirked, closing the door.
Lightly he felt around his nose, breathing out slowly. He went back to his laptop, opening the document once more.
Naruto did have quite the mean right hook. Best to never incur his wrath again; broken body parts were always a nuisance to deal with.
Nearly a week later someone knocked on his door again. He looked up from the mug with coffee he'd been preparing for himself and furrowed his eyebrows. It was late in the afternoon and he wasn't expecting anyone. Perhaps another one of his neighbours who wanted to convince him to attend the party the family down the hallway was planning for next week?
It definitely wasn't one of his neighbours. He stood stumped, staring at his younger brother, who hunched his shoulders slightly. Only the look in his eyes betrayed how uncomfortable he felt now.
"Can I come in?" he asked softly; his hands hidden within the pockets of his jacket.
"Of course, come in," Itachi replied, shaking his head quickly and taking a step aside.
It's funny, he mused, that a conversation with my brother makes me more apprehensive than I've ever felt talking to Nagato.
At least with Nagato he'd been certain what to expect of the older man. With Sasuke … Not so much. Not currently anyway.
Sasuke's movements were stiff as he slipped out of his jacket and took off his shoes, accepting wordlessly the extra pair of slippers which Itachi handed to him.
"You want some coffee?" Itachi offered. "I was just making some."
"No, thanks, I'm good," Sasuke denied, wandering towards the couch.
His refusal either meant he felt comfortable enough around Itachi to not feel like he had to be polite and accept a drink – or it meant that he was planning on leaving very quickly after telling Itachi what he wanted to say. Him wanting to leave quickly wouldn't bode very well for Itachi's chances to remain in his life …
No need to jump to conclusions already, he scolded himself silently. "I'm going to grab my coffee and then we can talk, okay?"
Sasuke nodded and sat down on the couch, looking idly around.
Quickly Itachi grabbed his coffee, forgoing the cream for once, and returned to the living room, taking a gamble by taking a seat on the couch as well. He kept some distance between them just in case and rested his mug on his knee.
Silence reigned between them for a moment until Sasuke broke it, a light frown on his face.
"I've done a lot of thinking this past week and I'm going to be honest with you here: I'm incredibly pissed off that you let me believe you were dead," he said bluntly; his tone disturbingly flat. His hands rested on his lap and they twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he wanted to form them into fists, but thought better of it.
"I know, I understand," Itachi murmured, concealing a wince. He hadn't expected anything else to be honest. If Naruto had already been pissed off on Sasuke's behalf, his younger brother must be absolutely furious with him.
He couldn't blame him for that.
"Throughout all those years you never thought to pick up a phone or even send me some sort of message? No, I know why you didn't," Sasuke held up his hand, shushing Itachi when he opened his mouth to explain his reasons, "but that still doesn't make it okay what you did. If you managed to stay off radar for so many years, you could have found a way to contact me without anyone else knowing about it. You're not an idiot, Itachi," he said forcefully.
"I should have found a way to contact you," Itachi acquiesced and hesitated briefly before figuring he might as well be completely honest now. He couldn't give his brother much else than that currently. "And I probably could have found a way without alerting other people, but … I – a part of me was … worried that if I did – that I would want to come back to you. Before I was finished."
If he'd left business unfinished at that point … Neither he nor Sasuke might have known peace for a really long time then. In the world he'd spent the past eight years in, he couldn't afford to leave traces behind.
Sasuke's frown deepened and his eyes flashed. "Nothing what you did these past years can be traced back to you? Everyone is gone?"
"I wouldn't have searched for you if I wasn't completely sure that the entire ring has been wiped out," Itachi replied firmly. "I would never bring you or your mate and your child in danger, Sasuke; you have to believe that."
Even if you don't trust me, at least believe me.
The younger Alpha pursed his lips and his eyes dropped down to his lap for a moment. "I'm … It's going to take a while before I can completely let go of my anger. Things are … I changed, Itachi. I – I can't just go back to being who I was before … before that night."
"I know, I don't ask that of you," Itachi said softly. Neither of them were the same anymore. They both had said goodbye to their old lives the moment those men had attacked their family.
Sasuke raised his head again and stared at him almost defiantly. "I need to know one thing and that's going to decide whether I'm ready to have you in our life or not."
The emphasis – whether intentional or subconscious – on the life he was sharing with Naruto wasn't lost on Itachi and he inclined his head. Kakashi had warned him about this after all; Sasuke wasn't alone anymore and Itachi's presence in his life would have an impact on Naruto's life as well. It made sense that Sasuke would be cautious.
"Are you really going to stay? Or will I come up to your apartment one day only to find out you disappeared without any warning again?" Sasuke questioned; his eyes narrowing. "Because let me be clear: if you're not planning on actually staying for the long haul, this will be our last conversation. I won't have my son getting to know you and then having to wonder one day why his uncle isn't there anymore."
Putting his mug down on the table – there would be no drinking coffee for him until this particular conversation was finished – Itachi looked straight into Sasuke's eyes and stated, "I'm not leaving here unless you want me to. I've made quite some mistakes in my life and one of the biggest was leaving you behind without telling you everything." He took a deep breath and wetted his lips. "I can't go back in time, no matter how much I wished I could. All I can do is swear to you that I'm here to stay and that nothing, short of you wanting it, can make me leave again. If you want me here, I'll stay. And your son won't ever have to miss his uncle a single day in his life," he finished quietly.
It was funny in a pitiful sort of way that it was only hitting him just now that he would become an uncle soon. He knew Naruto's was pregnant, had seen it with his own eyes, but hearing Sasuke talk about him being the baby's uncle … It hit him in a way it hadn't done so before.
He used to believe that as the oldest he would be the first one to have children. He also used to believe his parents would live to a very old age.
Life had turned out very differently instead.
Sasuke jerked his head down in a nod and looked away for a couple of seconds. It looked like he was composing himself, because when he turned back to look at him, his eyes were glittering somewhat wetly.
"I'm still angry at you, don't think this suddenly changes how I feel," he warned him and his right hand twitched. "I've come quite close to punching you a few times actually," he added brutally honest.
"You can if you want to. If I makes you feel better," Itachi told him. It wasn't like he loved to be punched – his nose still throbbed with the memory of Naruto's punch – but if that would make Sasuke feel better …
"It wouldn't," Sasuke sighed and then the corners of his mouth twitched into a faint smirk. "Besides, I've been told that you already suffered a punch to the face in my name before. Doesn't seem fair to punch you a second time."
Itachi blinked, a bit taken aback. "Naruto-kun told you he was here?" Given the blond man's comments, he'd been certain Sasuke would have been left in the dark about his mate's visit to his brother's apartment.
The younger man rolled his shoulders. "We don't have secrets for each other," he said casually. "He told me that same evening right before we went to sleep." His lips twitched again, though this time it looked like he was remembering something pleasant.
Itachi chose tactfully not to think about what that pleasant memory could constitute.
"Are we going to be okay?" he asked carefully instead.
All traces of mirth instantly disappeared from Sasuke's face. "We're going to be," he said quietly, solemnly. "Not immediately, but … Yeah, we're going to be okay."
That was enough for now.
He still had a place in his brother's life; that was all that mattered at this moment.
AN2: No Deidara yet, but not to fear: he'll show up soon LOL I wish you all a happy New Year's as well!
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the third chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Glue between the Cracks