Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Soup's On	By : OfFansAndFlames Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1793 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned. I make no money on this fiction.

Chapter List
- 45
- 46
- 47
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock…
The sound greeted Sasuke as he opened his front door, returning home from the hospital that evening. Naruto was playing Christmas music over their stereo system. His boyfriend was smiling, hugging him, excitedly ushering him farther into his home. This was a surprise to him. This was his second Christmas without his family. Sasuke had been all for just ignoring the wretched holiday.

For a second time in a row, the hollow white ping pong narrowly rocketed past Sasuke.
“Shit,” he hissed.
Juugo shook his head.
“I told you. I’ve been getting pro.”
When Juugo had first challenged Sasuke to a ping pong match, Sasuke had beaten Juugo into the ground. Both of them were the athletic sort. Sasuke embraced basketball in past years about as much as Juugo currently embraced football, so they both had a steep learning curve. However, Sasuke tended to be more nimble and quick, whereas Juugo’s fortes lay with physical strength and stamina. This made Sasuke a better candidate for ping pong. Originally, Sasuke had absolutely annihilated Juugo, but Juugo was packing on hours of practice every day. What else was there to do around the place?
“You’re getting pretty cocky for a two point lead.”
Juugo’s ward was covered in tinsel and red and green shiny snowflakes. The late morning light livened the place up considerably. There was a giant tree in the lounge room, which seemed rather out of place amidst the rather uniform bolted benches. Apparently, Juugo had been coerced into finger painting as well, as there were a couple red and white paint stains on his shirt. Juugo’s visiting hours had been lengthened for Christmas, so Sasuke figured he’d stop in briefly before seeing Itachi. After all, how much would it suck to be in a psych ward on Christmas?
“By the time I’m out of here, you won’t stand a chance.”
Juugo started the ball in motion again. The chatter in the room was loud enough to prevent them from being overheard. Everyone seemed to have visitors, and it was a miracle that the ping pong table was free when Sasuke arrived. This at least allowed the two of them privacy, their voices lost along the cheerful clutter of noise and Christmas music.
“Better not let your guard down.”
As if preordained, Sasuke hit a mean forehand into the back corner of Juugo’s side, flying fast and low to the table. Juugo’s paddle barely made contact with the ball as he returned it, missing the table completely.
“I rest my case,” Sasuke said with a smirk.
“Luck’s not enough to save you.”
Sasuke caught the ball as it bounced off of the ground, pausing a moment before putting it into play again.
“So don’t call it luck when I beat you.”
A few more rounds as the ball bounced back and forth, neither able to best the other.
“Did you catch my fingerpaint art by the doorway?” Juugo asked.
“No.”
“I think I could label it The Fault of Man or something and pitch it as modern art.”
Sasuke pinged the ball back.
“I’m hoping you have a Plan B.”
“No need. That one chick who keeps brushing her hair all day told me it was beautiful, and Demetrius liked it so much he tried to eat it. His teethmarks are reminiscent of humanity’s struggle,” Juugo stated informatively.
Juugo had to lunge a little bit for this shot, briefly interrupting his train of thought.
“It’s even made in a fucking psych ward: a haunting portrayal of insanity,” he continued. “So I’ve already got the whole artistically crazy motif working for me here. It’s totally in the bag.”
“I can see you’ve put a lot of thought into this. After you become a world-renowned artist, feel free to lend me a few grand at your earliest convenience.”
Another point for Juugo. Juugo gave Sasuke a triumphant look before hitting the ball towards him again.
“I let him, by the way.”
“Hm?”
“I let Demetrius eat like a fourth of my painting before a nurse stopped him. I got bitched at for not stopping him because they’re afraid it’ll make him sick.”
“They should keep a better on eye him.”
“Yeah, and take some of that attention away from me. Demetrius is such a tiny little thing, so passive that they let their guard down for him. Not so for me, however.”
They played for a while in silence. It honestly made sense that they would monitor Juugo so closely, given his reason for being there, but Sasuke wasn’t going to mention that.
“I talked to Kabuto the other day.”
“Yeah?” Juugo prompted guardedly.
“He’s claiming that he’s letting me off the hook. Said it was too much work.”
“That’s a relief. I was honestly afraid he’d just try to get back at me, or even worse you for getting beat up so bad.”
Sasuke hit Juugo a lob.
“Yeah, same. But it’s honestly too much risk on his part. If something were to happen to us, how fishy would that look after everything that happened in the cafeteria?”
“True… I’d still think he’d be out for revenge or something. He can’t afford to look soft with his profession.”
Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. This had been the primary reason he’d feared that Kabuto would target them.
“I expect some ridiculous display of machismo in the near future to get everyone shaking in their boots again. I don’t think we should let down our guards, but we’re very risky targets.”
The thought had occurred to Sasuke that maybe Kabuto was claiming to let him off the hook so that he would lower his defenses. However, Sasuke would still take due precautions for quite some time.
“Yeah…” Juugo mumbled, trailing off. “I’m sorry about everything, pulling you into a fucking mess. I hate that you, and everyone else for that matter, saw me like that. It’s…embarrassing.”
Juugo was watching the ball closely, his brows knit tightly.
“I just couldn’t handle him talking to you like that… So I snapped.”
Sasuke already knew Juugo felt bad about the stress his breakdown had caused to his friends, the school, and his parents. For these reasons, Sasuke never told Juugo that he’d gotten suspended over the incident, though Juugo was bound to realize eventually. And he could only imagine how exposed Juugo felt. Sasuke had painstakingly concealed his issues. What would it be like to have a panic attack in the middle of the cafeteria, watched by hundreds of gawking eyes?
“At least he got what was coming to him.”
“What he said about you was so wrong,” Juugo said, shaking his head. “It still makes me mad just thinking about it.”
Sasuke was very glad for the monotonous game they were playing, feeling rather uneasy about the subject matter. The repetitive actions lent the conversation an air of comfortable casualness.
“Sticks and stones,” Sasuke said dismissively.
He hated to admit that although he knew that Kabuto was just trying to manipulate him by aiming for the soft spots, sometimes it still affected him. It played on all of his doubts. Still, this was something he’d admit to no one.
“But still…” Juugo pressed.
Sasuke disliked the direction this conversation was headed, so he decided to quickly reroute it.
“Speaking of Kabuto, since I didn’t bring you a present, maybe I’ll fill you in on Karin’s latest antics.”
“Yeah?”
Sasuke scored a point. Juugo’s paddle hadn’t even come close. Juugo lobbed it back gently.
“Kabuto’s nose got busted up pretty badly. Now his glasses are crooked. It was horrible when I saw him, and Karin said it’s still pretty bad. So they just hang off the side of his face at this ridiculous angle.”
Juugo started laughing.
“That image is priceless.”
“They keep falling down. He keeps pushing them up. They fall off sometimes. Probably will never heal properly. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Juugo whacked the ball rather effortlessly.
“You’re a sadist, Sasuke,” Juugo chuckled, pausing momentarily. “I actually feel kinda guilty about it.”
“Why?” Sasuke asked flatly.
“He deserved to get his ass kicked, yeah, but I just about killed the guy.”
“So?” Sasuke asked callously. “It’s not your fault, and he’s an asshole. And he’s fine now, back in school giving everyone else grief in full health.”
Juugo sighed.
“Yeah, I guess. Anyhow, what kind of havoc did Karin wreak this time?”
“Before Kabuto came to school one day, she got fourteen business cards from the local rhinoplasty clinic and put them in his locker.”
“Rhinoplasty?” Juugo asked sheepishly.
“Nose jobs.”
“Ha!” Juugo chuckled, catching on. “Oh, that’s amazing.”
Sasuke smiled quietly, maturity be damned. Really, Karin had been primarily motivated out of anger towards Kabuto, issuing from both Kabuto’s rant the day of the fight as well as the fact that he was still coercing her boyfriend into home burglary. Sasuke wouldn’t bring that up if he could help it.
“Yeah, I thought it would brighten your day.”
“Man, thanks for the Christmas present. Karin’s something.”
Sasuke merely rolled his eyes at the comment. She was something, alright. She could do with a little less persistence, especially when it came to relentlessly pursuing him.
“And…thanks for stopping by, Sasuke,” Juugo added, sounding a little more reserved. “I could use a little company today. I’ve had better Christmases, to be honest.”
“Yeah, me too,” Sasuke admitted, trying not to sound too gloomy.
“No doubt,” Juugo sighed. “At least there’s ping pong.”
“Valid point.”
“And they didn’t have group today because of the extended visiting hours.”
“Group therapy, I’m assuming?”
“Yeah. They have everyone sit in a ring and discuss their ‘feelings’ and ‘goals’ and shit. You don’t technically have to say anything, but at the same time you kinda know that the more beans you spill, the sooner they’ll let you out.”
Sasuke shuddered. This sounded like his version of hell, and Sasuke knew Juugo well enough to know he’d feel similarly. Individual therapy was difficult enough.
“I’m assuming they don’t allow you to opt for shock therapy instead.”
“Heh!” Juugo interjected, rolling his eyes. “I wish, dude.”
They hit a few more. Sasuke scored. He was in the lead again.
“You little prick.”
“What did I tell you about not letting down your guard? But I gotta head out soon.”
He wanted to get to Itachi’s room before it got too late in the day.
“Now that you’re finally winning? Convenient.”
“Me beating you at ping pong isn’t exactly a rare occasion.”
“You’re one point ahead, Uchiha. But I’m a nice guy, so I’m going to call it a game.”
Juugo caught the ball, placing it on the table and balancing the paddle over it. Sasuke placed his paddle on the table as well.
“How charitable.”
Sasuke leaned against the bench near the ping pong table.
“Actually, I have something to tell you before you leave.”
“Hm?”
Juugo paused briefly.
“They’re pulling me out of Konoha.”
“Oh…”
Well, there went his only school friend with half a brain cell. He couldn’t help but sound a little disheartened. Then again, he felt he shouldn’t have taken the news so selfishly. Shouldn’t this be about Juugo? Juugo had felt so horribly anxious and insecure about going back to school. He was failing his classes, and his ego couldn’t stand the rumor mill like Sasuke’s could. Actually, the shitstorm of gossip headed his way would be far worse than anything Sasuke or his friends had been submitted to.
“They’re home schooling me now, at my own pace. That specialized tutor I told you about is going to work with me at the same time and see if we can’t make the material stick. She’s helped people a lot dumber than I am.”
“Sounds promising.”
“Yeah, I mean… This time I might actually learn something. It’s something we’ve never tried before. The meds seem to be working pretty well too.”
Sasuke was genuinely happy for Juugo, really. Sasuke’s petty issues aside, it was fortunate that Juugo’s parents weren’t too stuck in their ways to change approaches. This was exactly what Juugo wanted. His schooling at Konoha was getting him nowhere.
“I’m glad you’ve got the opportunity. You deserve it.”
Juugo instinctively leaned his head down towards Sasuke, smiling.
“I know you’re probably a little bummed, but I live nearby and have a car, remember? We won’t fall out of touch.”
“I never said I was concerned,” Sasuke insisted as he crossed his arms, “But good to know.”
“Uh huh. And one other thing my mom wanted me to say. You want a job, right?”
“That would be ideal, yes.”
“My mom wanted me to ask you if you wanted to tutor me. She said she’d pay fifteen bucks an hour.”
Sasuke didn’t feel right about accepting money from his best friend’s mom to help him out with school. He’d done it for free in the past before anyhow.
“Juugo, you don’t have to pay me for that.”
“Look, Sasuke…” Juugo averted his eyes. “My parents know about Itachi and your financial situation, and they’re practically chopping at the bit trying to ask me if there’s any way they can help you. And besides, if it weren’t for you, we’d just have to pay the specialty tutor even when we don’t need someone that experienced, and she’s more than twice as much. So you’re saving us money in the long run.”
It was hard for him to turn away that sort of money, as he really did need it pretty desperately. Itachi had lost a semester, so it wouldn’t be for another couple years that he’d become an attorney and have a full-time job. In the meanwhile, they had bills to pay, a surgery to afford, and food to eat. And this wasn’t just done out of pity. Sasuke had even tutored his classmates before, as it was a requirement of the National Junior Honor Society. He was a genuine genius, according to his grades and IQ scores. Despite being three years younger, he was years ahead of Juugo academically.
“She’s not gonna let you do it for free, Sasuke. Don’t bother trying.”
Sasuke sighed.
“Okay, I’ll think about it.”
Juugo gently pushed against Sasuke’s shoulder.
“C’mon. It’ll be fun if it’s you instead of some stuffy tutor. You learn better when you’re having fun.”
Sasuke didn’t like taking handouts, especially not from a friend’s parents. But putting it in those terms made the pill a little easier to swallow.
“Alright already,” he answered swatting his hand, sounding somewhat annoyed. “I’ll do it.”
Juugo grinned. Sasuke had only been around for about a half hour, but he got the feeling he actually made a difference.

His visit to Itachi was a little rougher, as Itachi had tried his damned best to return to the house for Christmas and failed. Itachi tried not to show his discouragement, but Sasuke knew his brother too well. He seemed to feel guilty about leaving Sasuke alone in the house, though Sasuke felt far worse leaving his brother in a hospital for Christmas. He was at least able to give Itachi the good news that he’d be making some cash tutoring now. Of course, Itachi didn’t need to know the specifics.
Sasuke bought Itachi a hardcover copy of Catch-22, Sasuke’s favorite book at the time. He thought Itachi might like it too, though he’d probably finish it in a day or two. He wished he could have bought Itachi something better, but neither of them could afford to be spending money right now.
Sasuke stayed with him for several hours, watching cheesy Christmas movies on ABC Family until Itachi fell asleep. He wished he could’ve taken Itachi out of that place, if only for a day. Christmas just wasn’t right without his brother and parents. Still, it wouldn’t be too long until Itachi would go home. Just yesterday, he’d made it to the wall and back comfortably with his walker. He’d probably be out by New Year’s, just like Itachi had said.
The robbery was only two days away. He’d done what he could to prevent it. He told himself that he shouldn’t have any regrets, no matter what the consequences. Still, the date, December 27, loomed in his mind. And it would be around that time that Itachi would return from the hospital. That, along with the typical concern over Itachi and Juugo, caused Sasuke to fall rather short of the Christmas spirit.
All of these thoughts competed against each other in his head as he frowned, opening the door after returning from the hospital. His damp jeans slushed against the floor. He heard The Jingle Bell Rock playing the instant he let the outside air in. The labor center had been closed today, so Naruto spent his efforts elsewhere. While Sasuke was gone, Naruto had cut red and green construction paper into snowflake chains and decorated the house with them. There was tinsel on the rail of the stairs and much of the family room.
They hadn’t spoken a word to each other about Christmas, so Sasuke assumed that they were just going to disregard it. Maybe Naruto would make him a card and say “merry Christmas,” at the most. He really should’ve known Naruto better than that, he told himself. Sasuke wasn’t exactly the festive sort, but he couldn’t say the same about his boyfriend.
“Merry Christmas!” Naruto shouted, the moment Sasuke opened the door.
Naruto practically charged at Sasuke, whose mind went blank momentarily. He gave Sasuke a bear hug, lifting him off his feet and twirling him around for as long as his back would allow. Naruto certainly had been getting stronger.
“Yeah, you too,” Sasuke answered, looking around the house.
“C’mon, lemme show you everything!”
He led Sasuke through the house and then to the Christmas tree. Said decoration was a rather small and sorry looking plastic green tree Naruto had borrowed from another labor center regular. He’d done what he could to spruce it up and even put red and green Christmas lights on it. Despite their rather unfortunate financial situation, he’d even managed to put gifts under it for Sasuke.
“Amazing, huh?” he asked with a cheesy grin.
“You should’ve told me you were gonna do all this. I didn’t get you a present.”
Sasuke had been so preoccupied with everyone else that he’d made a rather silly oversight. How the hell could Naruto, of all people, ever ignore Christmas? He should have seen this coming.
“Well, you could always put a ribbon on your dick, and uh…” Naruto laughed loudly. “Rise to the occasion.”
Sasuke rolled his eyes and regarded Naruto rather dully, who simply swatted at Sasuke. Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke, ruffling his hair. Sasuke supposed he didn’t care much if Naruto fucked up his hair. He wasn’t planning on going anywhere.
“Seriously dude, it was supposed to be a surprise. I couldn’t have you Scroogin’ around all day.”
Sasuke grunted, still feeling quite outdone.
“Sasuke, when’s the last time you made cookies?”
“I can’t remember. I was probably a little kid.”
“Look what I found!”
Naruto skidded through the kitchen on socks, a skill which Sasuke had reluctantly taught Naruto much earlier in their relationship. He raised up a box of sugar cookie mix that Itachi had bought on clearance several months ago, the orange sticker reading “$0.50.” Cooking mix was one of those things that manage to somehow always be stocked even when you can hardly even pay for food, along with canned veggies, Jello, and condiments. For two boys who could barely afford to feed themselves, they had one hell of a lot of ketchup.
“You have to have cookies on Christmas!”
Sasuke never really cared for Christmas, but he nodded slightly.
“Wait a second… Sasuke have you eaten today at all?”
Sasuke thought back over the day, trying to recount anything he might have eaten. Itachi had a couple bites of his lunch sandwich left over, so Sasuke had eaten that. Otherwise, nothing.
“A little.”
“Pancakes!”
Sasuke tilted his head, giving Naruto a rather strange look, “Pancakes, at this time of day?”
Then again, it was one of the few things Naruto seemed to at least somewhat know how to cook.
“Pft! It’s just a cakey thing with maple syrup. What about that makes it always a morning food? You eat cake at all times a day. So what is it? The maple syrup? In Canada, they eat all sorts of maple things all day. Once my friend went to Canada and got maple salad dressing, and…”
“Enough rambling,” Sasuke interrupted.
“Dude, pancakes are totally Christmassy!”
Christmas morning, perhaps. But this could just as well have been Christmas morning, in all reality. Sasuke had into the living room to find presents under the tree and music playing, just like he had as a kid when he decided to start the holiday at six in the morning.
“Alright. We can make pancakes.”
Naruto beamed at Sasuke while putting the cookie mix aside, taking out some Bisquick. Sasuke actually did like pancakes. Sure, they weren’t exactly health food. But as long as they weren’t drenched in syrup, they weren’t so bad.
Naruto quickly had the ingredients ready, the music now switched over to “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Naruto gave Sasuke a look and a light smile as the song started, clearly making some connections. Sasuke merely looked away and fetched a pan. Naruto was mixing the ingredients, some of the batter falling onto the counter.
“Stop making such a mess.”
“But the mix isn’t mixing in right! I keep finding powder.”
“Hand it over,” Sasuke reached for the spoon.
“Hey, you act like I can’t do it myself!”
Naruto whacked Sasuke’s arm away.
“You can’t. You’re making a mess!”
Sasuke made another reach for the spoon.
“So? I’ll clean it up. Let me do it.”
Sasuke grunted.
“This is the only part I can do!   You’re gonna cook ‘em,” Naruto compromised. “I always burn them.”
Sasuke waited for Naruto to finish mixing and refrained from criticizing his technique. It took a longer than was necessary, but after all that pulverizing, it was the perfect consistency. As Sasuke poured the batter onto the greased pan, flipping over one pancake after another, Naruto cleaned up the countertop.
It took a considerable amount of patience on Naruto’s part not to grab for the first pancake. It was so fresh! Fluffy and hot too. But he waited. It was Christmas, dammit, and it was only for Sasuke that he’d wait. His stomach growled loudly.
“You can eat now if you want,” Sasuke offered.
There were already four pancakes ready, and half the batter was gone. Naruto shook his head.
“Nope. Christmas dinner we have to start together.”
It was a rather strange “dinner” they were making. Sasuke generated an eight pancake thick pile on the nearest plate quickly enough. Naruto had already set the table, leaving the butter out to come closer to room temperature and laying out the syrup. Naruto took one of the pancakes from the middle, the heat smothered in by the pancakes lying on top and bottom. Steam was still coming off of his food, and the smell was literally making him salivate. Sasuke joined him soon, casually taking off the top pancake.
“Merry Christmas!” Naruto proclaimed again because digging in.
“Yeah, Merry Christmas.”
Sasuke didn’t put syrup on his pancake this time. Meanwhile, Naruto’s were swimming.
“Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Naruto asked, dramatically gesturing towards Sasuke’s plate.
“I might ask the same of you. You’re eating sugar water for dinner, Naruto,” Sasuke sighed.
“You don’t just eat pancakes…and not use syrup,” Naruto informed Sasuke, shaking his head at his boyfriend’s lunacy.
“Pancakes are naturally sweet. I don’t need to immerse them in corn syrup to boot.”
“It’s maple syrup, Sasuke,” Naruto corrected in a know-it-all tone of voice. “It comes from a tree.”
Sasuke rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his pancakes. He had buttered them, at least. He pointed towards the bottle of Log Cabin syrup.
“That has just about as much maple in it as a bag of Cheetos.”
Naruto gave Sasuke a hesitant glance, “Cheetos have maple in them?”
The sophomore groaned, resting his forehead in his hand and shaking his head.
“What?!” Naruto asked indignantly. “It was a valid question!”
“Neither of them have maple, dumbass.”
Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke’s obvious attempt.
“Please, Sasuke, I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“I shouldn’t have expected you to know such a thing, it seems,” Sasuke sighed.
Frustrated by Sasuke’s front, Naruto crossed his arms. Of course he’d act so damned smart. He was just trying to trick Naruto. The minute he gave in, Sasuke smirk and tease him for being gullible.
“Sasuke, it’s called maple syrup,” Naruto said with a hint of frustration.
But Sasuke rotated his pointer finger in a circle patronizingly, lowering his face to Naruto’s level.
“Read the back.”
Naruto stared at Sasuke for a few seconds. If he turned that bottle over…  That would give Sasuke proof that he’d tricked him. It would be Sasuke’s victory, and he would never let it go! Sasuke crossed his arms and seemed to be looking at him impatiently. All part of the act, no doubt.
Thus, Naruto was rather shocked when Sasuke easily jerked the bottle out of his unsuspecting hands and began to read.
“Ingredients: Corn syrup,” Sasuke enunciated the first ingredient clearly and glanced at Naruto rather arrogantly. Naruto crossed his arms and looked away with a pout. Sasuke continued, “Liquid sugar, water…”
“Fine, already!” Naruto jerked the bottle out of Sasuke’s hand, reading hurriedly. Sasuke waited for Naruto’s reaction as his eyes darted over the ingredients list. “There’s…”
The look on Naruto’s face almost made Sasuke feel guilty. Well, it was about time someone told him the truth. After all, you can’t go on believing in Santa Claus forever.
“No maple…” he said quietly, and Sasuke swore he saw his lip quiver.
Sasuke was silent, allowing Naruto time to process his loss of innocence.
“Why the hell would they call it maple syrup if there’s no maple?!” Naruto asked, wildly gesturing to the offending syrup bottle with outrage.
“It’s artificially flavored.”
“Then…” Naruto shoved the bottle to the side distastefully. “Is… I mean why even have maple syrup at all then? I mean is maple even an actual thing?”
“Are you suggesting that maple trees are imaginary?” Sasuke asked, his brow arched, crossing his arms on the table and leaning into them.
“I don’t know, okay!” Naruto shouted. “A lot of confusing things are happening right now!”
Naruto had subconsciously moved his chair a few inches from the table, his arms nowhere near it. Sasuke let out a deep sigh. He really didn’t know this would unsettle Naruto so much.
“There is real maple syrup. They sell it by St. Magdalene’s for like fifteen bucks a bottle.”
“What?! So real maple syrup is only for the rich, and we all just gotta eat sugar water? This is some serious bullshit. This is…totally…wrong. It’s just plain wrong!”
Naruto grasped the bottle back, his brows furrowed into anger as he read the back label. He picked up the landline and quickly began dialing.
“Naruto, what the hell are you doing?” Sasuke asked with a frustrated sigh.
“I’m making a difference!”
“Wash your hands right now. Your fingers are sticky.”
Naruto was pacing around the dining room table now. He sighed finally acquiescing and rinsing off his hands.
“Who are you calling?”
“I’m calling Log Cabin customer affairs! The number’s on the back along with the proof of their lies.”
Sasuke’s bangs fell forward as he rubbed his temples and tried to burrow a little farther into his jacket. Shit, it was cold, or at least it was for Sasuke’s Californian blood. But they still refused to run the heat. He couldn’t believe the idiot was taking this so far…
“It’s not just Log Cabin. Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth…”
Naruto was horrified by the words leaving Sasuke’s lips, as if he were reading out a death toll after a war. Maybe Naruto had recognized a few of his friends and relatives.
“Well I have to start somewhere, don’t I?!”
“Naruto…”
“Shit! It’s closed!”
“Closed for Christmas? Imagine that,” Sasuke commented sarcastically. Naruto was forced to hang up the phone and sit back at the table, beholding his pancakes he’d so ignorantly drowned in “maple” syrup.
“Eat your pancakes.”
“They lied to me,” Naruto said sulkily, tucking his chin in as he crossed his arm.
“It’s on the bottle, jackass. Read before you eat.”
“You’re taking their side?!”
“Eat your fucking pancakes.”
“I can’t… It hurts my integrity.”
Sasuke shrugged.
“Well, I’m not going to eat it. You destroyed them. We’ll just…” Sasuke paused, glancing at Naruto for full effect. “Throw them away.”
Naruto looked at Sasuke like a small child who had for the first time heard their parent drop the F bomb. He was faced with a dire dilemma. The food before him represented dishonesty and disillusionment, the shattering of his naïve beliefs. However, there existed an evil far worse than deception.
“I’ve changed my mind. I will eat these pancakes. The ultimate evil is…” Naruto hung his head. “Throwing away perfectly good food. I’d go straight to hobo hell.”
He began to eat, quickly now.
“Even the front of the bottle doesn’t have the word ‘maple’ written on it.”
Naruto looked at the bottle, which read, “Log Cabin Syrup.”
“It doesn’t even… I feel like the world’s biggest dumbass.”
“I see you’re finally accepting reality.”
Naruto whacked Sasuke over the head quickly.
“I said feel! Not am! There’s a difference!”
Naruto was now enjoying his pancakes for what they truly were: starchy little bread patties covered with artificially flavored corn syrup. There was a certain honesty in this knowledge, and he felt that he fully accepted his meal, for all of its strengths and flaws. He was very much at peace as he guzzled down the caramel dyed syrup.
“Knock it off, dumbass,” Sasuke shot back, flicking Naruto’s cheek with his pointer finger.
Naruto griped for a while before returning to his meal. Sasuke stopped at two pancakes, and Naruto was finishing his fourth.
“Guh, I’m getting full…”
So was Sasuke, honestly. He didn’t need as much to eat as Naruto did.
“Leftovers?”
Naruto nodded, fetching a bag for the pancakes while Sasuke worked away at his own plate. He took his own plate to the sink and washed it out with warm water and soap. He heard Sasuke pull out his chair.
“Gimme your plate. I’ll wash it.”
“Thanks,” Sasuke responded, handing Naruto his nearly clean plate, fork, and knife. Pancakes weren’t such a messy food when no syrup was involved.
He relaxed against the kitchen wall as Naruto cleaned, silently watching him work as his mind wandered. Naruto’s hands and forearms were sudsy up to the elbows, and Naruto was temporarily distracted by a rogue soap bubble floating up towards the ceiling.
“Cookie time?” Naruto asked with a molar to molar smile.
“You’re still hungry?”
“Well no… But cookies take a while to bake. Besides, we gotta wait for ‘em to cool, or the icing just melts.”
“Alright. We’ll use the same bowl for the cookie batter.”
Naruto set it out for Sasuke, who was now perusing the directions for cookie dough. He set the oven and dried off the wet bowl with a paper towel. Naruto, meanwhile, was shaking his hands off. Sasuke gave Naruto the damp paper towel to dry them with. Naruto began to peer over Sasuke’s shoulder for a better look at the instructions. His breath was impossibly sweet.
Naruto was allowed to carefully pour the mix into the bowl if Sasuke was allowed to crack the egg. This tended to be Naruto’s favorite part, but Sasuke didn't trust Naruto with the only egg in their refrigerator. Naruto was also given the pleasure of mixing up the dough, yet again, if he promised to be neater this time around. Naruto mushed it all together, grinning before he dunked his finger and neared it to his mouth. Sasuke grabbed his arm.
“That has raw egg in it.”
“And it’s delicious,” Naruto responded, trying again to consume in the well-earned treat. He’d gotten the dough on his fingers this time and was just about to eat.
“If you eat this, you’ll get no Christmas kisses. It’s one thing if you want to risk puking for two weeks because of salmonella poisoning, but I’m not catching salmonella because you can’t wait twenty minutes to bake some fucking cookies.”
Naruto stared at Sasuke, laughing as he shook his head, “Dude, c’mon… It’s just cookie dough.”
“You’re not supposed to eat raw egg,” Sasuke told him severely. “That’s common sense.”
Naruto let out a loud, exasperated sigh, “Yeah, everyone says that. But who’s never eaten cookie dough?”
“I’ve never eaten cookie dough.”
All of Naruto’s body parts seemed to immediately fail him and relax. His jaw seemed especially affected, dropping abruptly as he stared at Sasuke in shock and sick curiosity. Dammit, if the maple syrup conspiracy had been wrong, this was incorrigible. Eating raw cookie dough is an unwritten right of childhood. It’s part of the job description. Sasuke had been deprived.
“Never?”
“Never.”
“Why not?”
“My mom wouldn’t let me. Said I’d get salmonella.”
Naruto shook his head.
“Dude, Sasuke… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve eaten cookie dough, and I’ve never gotten salmonella. Live a little.”
Sasuke shook his head.
“It probably just tastes like a bunch of sugar anyway.”
Naruto walked up towards Sasuke, placing one hand on his shoulder as he stared deeply into Sasuke’s eyes.
“Sasuke, you could die tomorrow. You could die without ever having the very basic experience of eating cookie dough. You’d have to deal with the gnawing regret of that.”
“I suspect I’d be too busy being dead to regret not eating cookie dough.”
“I’m…uggghhhh,” Naruto was trying to compose himself and deliver his point as convincingly as possible. “I’m just trying to say that you need to experience life! You could die any day, so eat the fucking cookie dough!”
“What if I die because of the cookie dough? How would you feel then?” Sasuke asked with a malicious little smile.
“Dude no… Don’t go there.”
Naruto still had the cookie dough on his fingers.
“Eat it.”
He shoved his fingers towards Sasuke’s mouth. Sasuke tilted his head away and glared at Naruto.
“No.”
“C’mon dude, haven’t you seen Rocky? He ate like…raw egg smoothies! And did he die? No! He became a fucking boxing world champion!”
“That was a movie, Naruto,” Sasuke told him tiredly.
“And here you are, bitchin’ and moanin’ about one little egg.”
“I have no interest in cookie dough, dipshit.”
“Oh, I get it…” Naruto paused, grinning. “You’re scared.”
“Are you seriously suggesting that I’m afraid of cookie dough?” Sasuke asked flatly.
“Well, apparently you’re afraid of flowers. I’m not sayin’ you’re a pussy, but your track record with unreasonable phobias is a little eh.”
“I’m not afraid of flowers,” Sasuke corrected testily. “I find plant roots unpleasant.”
“You shouted and threw it across the plot.”
“It was flying for my face. It’s called a reflex.”
“Oh yes…” Naruto said in a quaking tone to mock him. “Reflex. Self-defense! Oh no! It’s a flower! I’ve taken a daisy to the hip!”
Naruto began to hobble around the kitchen dramatically.
“Sasuke buddy, call me an ambulance. I think they’re gonna have to amputate. Oh GOD no, a begonia!”
Naruto veered to the right, dodging the imaginary object.
“Quick, run down to the bomb shelter with the kids! The terror! This is no world. This is hell!”
Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto’s display, opening his mouth to cut in before Naruto sprung into action again.
“Stand back!” Naruto yelled, placing his arms in front of Sasuke and pushing Sasuke behind him. “I’ll save you!”
“Jesus Christ, I’m not afraid of flowers!” Sasuke nearly shouted.
“I call total bullshit! I saw the look of fear on your face that day!”
“I’m not afraid of flowers! It’s the roots!”
“Ah HAH!” Naruto said, pointing at Sasuke menacingly with his cookie-dough laden second finger. “You admit it! You’re afraid of plant roots!”
“I never said that.”
“It was implied.  Heavily implied.”
“I’m not afraid of them! They’re just gross!”
“Just like you’re not afraid of cookie dough?” Naruto asked, arching a brow.
Sasuke crossed his arms, looked away, and huffed, just like he normally tended to. Naruto had seen it coming. He put his finger in front of Sasuke’s face.
“Eat it.”
“No.”
“Hmm… Maybe you’d like to check out your flower garden in a little more detail.”
Sasuke paused, staring at Naruto.
“Isn’t the vascular system of plants interesting? Those roots, all around the ground, reaching everywhere. Such a wide spread that you don’t even know where they are. Probably an inch underneath your feet though, sucking at the dirt and trying to even suck at you! Let’s observe.”
“No.”
“It’s okay. Since you don’t want to eat cookie dough, I could always bring it inside for a hands-on demonst-”
Naruto’s word cut off abruptly. Sasuke had tightly grasped his forearm and had moved Naruto’s finger to his mouth, sucking on it lazily. Cool eyes stared directly at Naruto as Sasuke’s tongue lapped up the remaining dough. Naruto could’ve sworn he felt the temperature rise. Now, if only a certain other body part had been in Sasuke’s mouth at the time. There, Sasuke thought. That would shut him up.
“It was far too sweet.”
“Why is it that everything you do reminds me of sex?” Naruto inquired honestly, before his brain got a chance to tell his mouth to cram it.
“Because you’re a horny sixteen-year-old boy with a boyfriend too attractive for his uncontrollable sex drive to handle, and you’re stuck with him in a house, alone, without parental supervision.”
“Mmmm, baby, I love it when you talk dirty to me,” Naruto told him with a wink.
“Trust me. I’m well aware.”
Naruto swallowed, staring at Sasuke’s pale lips a little harder as they settled into their traditional smirk. Normally it was Sasuke’s dark eyes that left Naruto helpless. His bangs just barely went past his jawbone. Naruto suddenly found himself with an insatiable urge to kiss him.
Naruto rested his hand on Sasuke’s face, looking at him hesitantly, almost as if asking for permission. Sasuke moved forward, kissing Naruto slowly, both of his arms hanging straight down on either side of his body. He slid his tongue over Naruto’s, the taste between them so incredibly sweet from the cookie dough and the “maple” syrup. Naruto’s tongue lethargically rubbed against his own as his hand pushed a soft chunk of hair behind Sasuke’s ear, petting him softly.
Sasuke rested his hands on either side of Naruto’s hips, but he didn’t pull their bodies closer together. No, this wasn’t as lust-filled as their normal romps, despite the rather provocative lead in. Both of them were able to move at the same slow and steady pace, neither getting bested by their hormones.
They’d been living together for months now. This was no longer new territory. They were both so much more controlled than they had been at the start, but they were just as passionate. Sasuke was sure they’d have incidents like the old ones as well, when both of them seemed to be in a desperate competition to undress the other first. But this was something new, these mellow yet intimate caresses. Sasuke wondered if this was just one of the things that could happen as relationships matured.
Sasuke rubbed his head into Naruto’s hand, opening his eyes to glance back at Naruto briefly. Their lips parted, and Naruto smiled back at him. The younger draped both arms around Naruto’s back, unsure of what motivated him to do so, and loosely embraced him. Why? It was Christmas. He thought it would be horrible and lonely, or at the best, bearable. Sasuke leaned his head against Naruto’s shoulder, and Naruto followed suit.
Sasuke wanted to cherish this. He didn’t want to think about losing Naruto. It was Christmas, and they were making pancakes and cookies and arguing about stupid shit, and there was a tree, and presents, and Naruto was here now. He had to appreciate that while he still could. Sasuke could feel him breathing, feel his body’s warmth.
Naruto knew he was safe with Sasuke here. Whether or not he could stay in the Uchiha home, he didn’t know. But just for now, Sasuke could protect him. There was no sleeping in parks, huddling up to blankets for warmth, or group homes. Just this house, now so distinctly smelling like breakfast, the holiday season, and Sasuke.
They parted slightly, their foreheads pressed against each other as they stared down at the ground. Naruto was the first to look up at Sasuke, having to incline his chin just slightly for the height difference.
“What an irresponsible boyfriend, putting me at risk for salmonella,” he chided softly.
“Live a little,” Sasuke responded with a faint smile, using Naruto’s words against him.
They kissed one more time, just a peck on the lips before they separated, Sasuke glancing over at the bowl of batter.
“Now, if you don’t mind…” Naruto announced, moving through and dunking his hand in the cookie dough, munching on a large glob.
“Sexy,” Sasuke remarked sarcastically.
Naruto merely grinned back with a mouth full of cookie dough. He began to ball the dough into appropriately sized lumps, placing them on the tray along with Sasuke. However, every cookie or two, Naruto found it necessary to take another bite of the dough.
“There aren’t going to be any cookies left if you keep stuffing your face like that.”
“But the dough! What’s the point of even making cookies if you don’t getta eat some of the dough? You might as well just buy it from the store.”
“You’ve eaten plenty of dough.”
“Can never have enough dough, bro,” Naruto said, starting to laugh. Sasuke crossed his arms, sighed, and tapped his foot.
“Get it? Cuz it rhymes, but also you know…dough, as in money, which you can never have enough of.”
Sasuke momentarily felt embarrassed for associating with the guy, even in the privacy of his own home.
“Ingenious.”
He lifted up the wrack, finally prepared, and put it in the oven. He turned up the temperature to 350.
“Presents!” Naruto exclaimed, jumping up and pulling Sasuke to the tree. Sasuke followed, though with a little less gusto than his lover.
“But first!” Naruto interrupted, pointing his finger in the air. “You must put the star on the tree.”
Sasuke sat on the couch, waiting for Naruto to rummage through some decorations to look for the star. He finally found it, staring at Sasuke eagerly as he placed it into his hand. It was made out of several long silver twist ties with glittery extensions, bent together to make a rather dilapidated star.
“Put it on the tree!” Naruto told Sasuke, barely able to contain himself. “It’s the finishing touch!”
Sasuke walked over to the tree, which leveled off at half between his knee and hip. He bent over and attached the star to the top of the tree, twisting the tie around the top branch. The negligible weight caused the branch to slouch, the star hanging crookedly but still upright.
“Hell yeah!” Naruto cheered, tackling Sasuke from the side as if he’d just scored a game-winning point and kissing his cheek. “Merry Christmas!”
Sasuke looked at the rather pathetic tree, the construction paper decorations, and the twisty tie star. Naruto didn’t need a lot to be happy. He was probably just relieved to have a tree at all, or even a roof to spend Christmas under. What was last Christmas like for Naruto, anyway?
Maybe the actual act of placing the star on the tree was rather anticlimactic, but Naruto’s reaction certainly wasn’t. Sasuke remembered the way he’d felt the time he’d bought Naruto ice cream at the park, the first day they’d run into each other outside of St. Magdalene’s. Such exuberance over something so mundane. His expression now was very similar. Sasuke smiled, despite himself.
“Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too. Yet again.”
“Now…  Presents!”
This was the undying enthusiasm Sasuke was so accustomed to when he’d first met Naruto. He wondered if Naruto knew that this might be a particularly difficult Christmas for him and was trying to distract him. Whatever the case, he was doing an excellent job. Sasuke had hardly a moment to think. Naruto was already dragging him to sit down by the tree, Naruto quickly falling his knees. Sasuke followed with him. It was a shame that not a single present under this tree was for Naruto. He was still kicking himself for getting so caught up, but of course he wouldn’t let Naruto see that.
“Here!”
He crammed a small package to him, and Sasuke’s pressing fingers recognized a telltale texture. Hard noodles. Sasuke opened it to find a Top Ramen bag, creamy chicken flavored.
“Are you sure that was for me?”
“We can eat it together!”
Naruto already picked up the next present and tossed it towards Sasuke. It seemed to be spherical, and the wrap job was rather ghastly. There were bits of scotch tape fastening down rogue pieces of paper. To give Naruto credit, wrapping something spherical might have just been one of the most difficult tasks known to mankind. Really, just go for a gift basket.
Sasuke pulled back the massive reserves of tape, revealing a bright yellow ball with a black happy face on it. “Smile more,” was written on the back.
“It’s a stress ball, see?” Naruto told Sasuke, giving the ball a squeeze, the features morphing and reforming slowly.
Sasuke gave it a squeeze of his own, the tendons in his slim wrist showing dramatically.
“I thought it’d do ya good, because you’re so tense all the time. Maybe it’ll teach you to chill a little!”
“Smile more?” Sasuke asked skeptically, reading the back.
“Yeah, you know, I saw something on TV the other day complaining that the average man smiles eight times a day.”
“Really now?”
“And you smile what… Eight times a month? Eight times a year?”
“I smile almost every day, dumbass,” Sasuke griped.
“No,” Naruto butted in, “You generally make that expression when you think you’re better than someone else. You do this…crooked little lip raise smirk thing, just before you’re about to say something insulting. See, like this…”
Naruto tried his best to imitate Sasuke’s smirk, but it fell rather short. He looked like perhaps he’d had some sort of nerve damage around the mouth region and was doing his best to compensate, or was perhaps sick to his stomach. He pointed to his face before declaring, “This is not a smile.”
“Christ, I’d hope not.”
“I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen you smile open-mouthed. C’mon, Sasuke, I wanna see those pearly whites.”
“Yes, and I want a Lamborghini. It’s not gonna happen.”
“Come oooon,” Naruto whined. “I got you presents for Christmas, even if they’re all ghetto, and the tree is about to collapse. And all I’m asking for is just one Christmas present.”
“My smile? That’s what you want for Christmas?” Sasuke asked, arching a brow.
“Yup! You got some nice pearly whites. Use ‘em!”
Sasuke shook his head.
“That’s pretty corny.”
“Well, ya might as well open your last present under the tree before you make up your mind. Here.”
Naruto handed him an orange envelope. A card? No, it felt too pliable. A letter? Sasuke very neatly ripped through the seal, Naruto impatiently leaning in close. He pulled out a black and white piece of newspaper print, the edge of it slightly ripped. There was a picture of a large bowl of soup on it with chicken and a dinner roll, and it read:
“St. Magdalene’s Soup Kitchen!

Every Thursday, 5:30 to 8:30, rain or shine!

Everyone is welcome!”
Sasuke held the paper in his hand, flipping it over in search of some sort of date. He could find none.
“What’s this?”
Naruto looked down.
“Several months before I met you, I found this in a Burger King parking lot. I thought free food sounded great, ya know?”
He peered up at Sasuke, smiling.
“So I decided to check this whole St. Magdalene’s thing out, and the people there were so nice! I felt like I fit in. It pulled me through some rough times. So… I decided to keep the clipping.”
So this was how Naruto had found out about the soup kitchen at St. Magdalene’s? This was the same newspaper he’d read? He couldn’t believe that Naruto had kept it with him all of this time, especially given that both his belongings and Naruto himself had no home. Sasuke was watching him quietly, White Christmas playing in the background.
“But the real kicker is that that’s where I met you, and… You changed everything,” Naruto said, his voice going quiet.
“Hey, Sasuke…” Naruto began, after he composed himself. “What did you do last Christmas?”
“Honestly?” Sasuke frowned.
Reporting the truth was, perhaps, against his better judgment.
“Honestly.”
“Itachi couldn’t make it. He tried, but his boss was a dick and said he’d fire him if he didn’t show up on Christmas Day. It was my first Christmas since…yeah, and I was all alone. They had me on Xanax at the time, so… I just took a bunch and passed out until the next day,” Sasuke admitted, frowning and looking towards the wall.
It would have been the worst Christmas of Sasuke’s life if he could’ve even remembered half of it. He couldn’t bear it. He’d lost his parents just three months ago, and the place felt so lonely. His house had gone from four occupants to, currently, one. The very last thing he wanted to do was be conscious, so he slept through it. Binging on panic attack meds just to get through Christmas made for a rather depressing Yuletide story. He hated to put such a damper in the mood, and Naruto seemed pained to hear it.
“What about you?”
“Me? Ah…” Naruto started, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “It was my first Christmas on the streets. I just kinda hung out and people watched. Some really nice family gave me a Christmas plate with tin foil over it, so I at least wasn’t hungry. The food was really good.”
Neither of them had particularly outstanding Christmases last year, though Naruto was able to put a positive spin on his own. He seemed to be able to put a positive spin on everything.
“It’s the damnedest thing, how just finding that clipping changed my whole life. Here I am this Christmas, with you, and a roof over my head, and food, and I’m safe, and…” Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke’s back, kneeling next to him over the presents. He held Sasuke’s body close, as if he might disappear. “And you’re here.”
Naruto wiped at his eye, which was beginning to water. Sasuke frowned, slightly, reaching out to Naruto. They were together, for who knew how much longer. Sasuke prayed that this wouldn’t be their last Christmas.
“No, it’s cool,” Naruto answered, beaming back at him. “Happy tears.”
“Naruto…”
“So…” he continued, gently pushing Sasuke’s hands, which clasped the newspaper clipping, towards his body. “I thought that you deserved to have it.”
“Thank you,” Sasuke answered softly, holding it for a while before neatly placing it on the coffee table.
“So…” Naruto asked mischievously. “How ‘bout that smile?”
“Naruto… I actually wish I could for you, but I don’t think my face works that way.”
Naruto guffawed, slapping Sasuke on the back, “Your face doesn’t work that way? You have a stroke or something?”
“No, it’s just… It’d look fake.”
Sasuke really did want to try. At this point, Naruto had earned it. But he just didn’t seem to react to things the way most people did. He could be sad without crying. He could be afraid without quivering. And he could be happy without smiling. And his dignity wouldn’t allow for creepy-looking forced smiles.
“Okay,” Naruto stated, resting his chin on his hands. “Let’s test this. Smile as big as you can.”
Sasuke actually gave some effort. His lips didn’t open, but the sides of his lips inched forward barely. It the basic “I don’t want to be here” expression people tended to give in photographs they were ordered to smile in.
“Good! Now, crank up the volume.”
Sasuke wasn’t getting very far.
“Um…” Naruto squinted his eyes, thinking. “Weiner dogs. Pupu platter. A platypus in a fight with a dodo bird. People who say h-what instead of what.”
Again, no progress, other than an arched brow.
“Come on, Sasuke! Smile! You can do it!”
“It’d just come out wrong. I don’t think…”
“Okay!” Naruto answered with a knowing smile. “I got a last ditch effort. Close your eyes.”
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“It’s your real last Christmas present.”
Sasuke sighed, becoming rather tired of this pursuit.
“Alright…”
He heard Naruto walk upstairs. Clearly, this wasn’t something he could’ve put under the Christmas tree. He walked down the stairs, slowly, and Sasuke could’ve sworn he heard a faint sound that wasn’t human.
“Ssshhh,” Naruto spoke quietly.
And now, on Sasuke’s lap rested something warm. And furry. Wonderful, Sasuke thought. Naruto had done the stereotypical Christmas thing and bought them something stupid like a puppy dog with a bow on its head. Though according to these oddly familiar meows, its weight, and the structure of its feet, it appeared to be a cat.
It was so like Naruto, to have such a big heart and such a little brain as to take some bratty animal in with such horrible timing. Probably a stray. What was Naruto thinking? They could barely afford to take care of themselves. A cat was a big commitment. Great. Now they were stuck with some needy feline to clean up after. Would it kill him to be a little more practical?
“Open your eyes,” Naruto told him, his voice full of excitement.
And Sasuke did. He opened his eyes, with a look of frustrated boredom that quickly gave way to unadulterated shock. His mind went blank, and his heartbeat began to flutter. How was this possible?
Naruto’s jobs at the labor center had taken him all over town. He’d worked at McDonald’s, the sewage plant, the landfill, the garden of a convalescent home… Eight days ago, he was lucky enough to work at an animal shelter, though his job was pretty much just cleaning animal hair and shit off of cages and floors. Eventually, he came across a rather friendly looking cat. Naruto put his face up to the bars, and the cat immediately came forward, mewing rather forlornly. A shelter worker nearby was filing some papers.
“He’s a friendly little guy. What’s his name?”
“Ferret,” she answered with a smile. “She’s one of the sweetest cats here.”
Ferret… Ferret… Hadn’t Sasuke said he’d had a cat named Ferret? But she’d died in the fire.
“How’d he get named Ferret?” Naruto asked, staring at the cat and mistaking her gender once again.
“When we found her, her nametag only said ‘Ferret.’ So we kept the name.”
Naruto wracked his mind for any description Sasuke had given of his late cat. They’d once had a chat about all the pets they’d had over their lifetimes, including Naruto’s pet pigeon and squirrel. He remembered Sasuke mentioning that the cat was grey and white with green eyes. She had a white stripe going between her eyes that lay more to the left, but her most striking distinction was that she had six toes. The cat in front of him met all of those descriptions, except that her paws were mostly obscured by the bars.
“Hey, can I hold her?”
“I don’t see why not.”
The worker unhinged the cage, handing Naruto the cat. He grabbed her front paw, separated the toes, and…
Six toes.
“Hey! Hey!” Naruto exclaimed, hardly able to contain his enthusiasm.
“Yes?”
“I know the guy who owns this cat! He lost her last year!”
“That’s wonderful!” the woman said. “We’ve been trying to find a home for Ferret for so long, but it’s hard with older animals, you know?”
“My only request is that you hold her ‘til Christmas. I wanna surprise him.”
“Well, we’ve held her this long. Sure.”
Naruto hadn’t just been decorating while Sasuke was at the hospital this morning. He took a quick bus ride to the animal shelter and bailed Ferret out once and for good, setting her in his lap with a dopey grin on his face as he rode the bus home.
The cat looked up at Sasuke, giving a quiet “mew” before burrowing between his arm and his chest, refusing to come out. The two hadn’t seen each other in a year. Sasuke had assumed she was dead. After all, he’d practically slammed the door in her face as he stormed off after that fight with his father, too angry to mind the scenery. He felt like he unknowingly trapped her to be burned alive. He’d blamed himself.
Sasuke lost everything in the fire. It wasn’t just his parents. The destruction of all of his electronics and clothing was just a mild annoyance compared to the damage that had been done. It didn’t break his heart the way that having every present, card, and note from his parents devoured by flame did. All of his parents’ clothing, jewelry, recipes, and favorite knick knacks were destroyed. Every single one of his pictures of his late grandmother, the pen he’d found on the ground after his first kiss, his basketball trophies, that wretched violin his dad made him play, his yearbooks… All gone. All he had was his brother, one outfit, and text messages on a cell phone screen.
He’d assumed Ferret had just been one among the rest. He’d locked her in the house. And with all the commotion, with planning the funerals, wrapping up all the loose ends of their parents’ financial business, finding a new house, moving, Itachi’s job and schooling, custody battles and Child Protective Services trying to place Sasuke into foster care, and Sasuke’s psychiatric state… Finding a cat already presumed dead couldn’t demand too much priority. There was no way Ferret could have lived.
Yet here she was. Sasuke and Ferret were the only ones who had escaped from the house that night. She curled up in his lap, purring more contently than he’d heard since she was a kitten. She’d finally been reunited with her owner, one year later. She was the only thing left from that day, and he was holding her. Warm. Alive. And there was Naruto’s Christmas present, right on Sasuke’s face.
“What the hell?” Sasuke asked, laughing, the corner of his eyes crinkled from his wide smile, molar to molar, just like his boyfriend.
Sasuke couldn’t stop petting the cat, scratching her ears, a low rolling of purrs accompanying his movements.
“How is this even possible? I closed the door on her, Naru.”
“She must’ve gotten out somehow,” he answered, smiling at Sasuke. He never wanted to forget the look on Sasuke’s face right now.
“How’d you find her?”
“The center sent me to an animal shelter last week. They had her listed as Ferret, and I recognized her from your description and her toes.”
“Holy shit…” Sasuke answered, still in a state of shock. He held the cat up closer to him, staring down at her. He could’ve sworn on his life she was dead.
“Hey, Ferret…” Sasuke whispered, gently stroking the soft fur on Ferret’s head and neck. Why did he almost feel like crying? He’d hold it in. He was still smiling widely, his lips closed now. “Hey…”
Ferret looked up at Sasuke curiously, licking his wrist again before butting her head into his hand to request more pets.
“Thank you, Naruto,” Sasuke said with a slight quiver to his voice, looking up at Naruto as he pet Ferret’s face with his thumb.
“Well duh! I wasn’t just gonna leave her there or something!”
Sasuke shook his head, laughing.
“Itachi’s going to flip his shit.”
Ferret had been a family cat, but she had originally been bought for Itachi, who, to this day, refused to disclose why he’d named her Ferret. This would be a nice surprise for him to come home to. His favorite pet had essentially come back from the dead.
They were distracted by a rather unpleasant aroma coming from the kitchen. They both looked at each other. Shit. The cookies.
Sasuke moved quickly in, Ferret following closely behind. Naruto grabbed Ferret to keep him safe from anything that might have happened to be burning. Without hesitation, Sasuke grabbed a towel off the stove wrack and opened the oven. A large cloud of smoke came out, revealing some charred black cookies. Sasuke removed them quickly and shut the oven, turning it off.
“Sasu… Are you…okay?”
Sasuke cast Naruto an odd look before realization dawned. Right. Naruto had assumed that once again, the smoke would be a trigger for Sasuke. Yet Sasuke dove right into the stove without even a hint of anxiety in his mind. In fact, the connection to the fire hadn’t even occurred to him. Something like this would have easily set off a panic attack, even just a month or two ago.
“Yeah, I’m fine, though I can’t say the same for the cookies.”
Sasuke grabbed the tray and moved for the trash can.
“Wait!”
“You can’t be serious,” Sasuke stated, staring at Naruto skeptically.
“Don’t throw away food!”
“Naruto, this is inedible. It’s practically carbonized.”
“No!” Naruto ordered, placing Ferret on the ground again, who curled up next to Sasuke’s feet. “It’s a little bitter, sure, but that’s why we got the icing!”
Sasuke stared at Naruto with a mixture of disgust, shock, and sick curiosity as he caked on an inch thick layer of white icing onto the cookie. He shoved it in his mouth, the cookie crunching loudly as he consumed it.
“Owww! Ow, hawt!” he spoke through the mangled dessert, jumping from foot to foot.
He finally finished, swallowing hard.
“Okay… Maybe not,” Naruto conceded meekly.
“I’d think not.”
Naruto grinned at Sasuke triumphantly, regardless.
“But aren’t you glad you ate the cookie dough?”

Hope everyone liked this rather warm and fuzzy chapter. I love comments and wanna thank everyone who's been giving me feedback.
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