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. |
Itachi cranked up the heat a little higher as their car quickly gained altitude. Sasuke waited until Itachi was done to fiddle with the radio on the car’s console, starting up a mix CD he had made. The car was beginning to smell distinctly like pine, traveling up the windy mountain road. They passed another large patch of muddy white.
“Oh my God, it’s more snow!” came an eager voice from the backseat.
Sasuke supposed that he couldn’t blame Naruto. After all, this was Sasuke and Itachi’s very late present to Naruto for his eighteenth birthday. Naruto’s birthday was in early October, but for this specific present, they’d need to wait for colder weather. Sasuke could hardly believe it when Naruto admitted once, in casual conversation, that he had never seen snow before. He supposed it made sense, given that Naruto had never really had many resources, but still, snow was only two hours away by car. The mountains there, rugged and covered with rock and pine, reached up to eleven thousand feet, causing the temperature to plummet dramatically.
Itachi’s GPS informed Sasuke that they were only about two thousand feet above sea level. The roads were more winding than they were steep, so it would probably take them at least another half hour until they hit the thick, fluffy snow Sasuke had promised Naruto. Unfortunately, this meant listening to Naruto beg every time they ran into a patch of nasty mud slush for the past fifteen minutes. Of course, every patch of snow was just slightly more attractive than the last, renewing Naruto’s vigor.
“Can we stop this time?” Naruto asked.
Itachi rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he smiled at Sasuke. Itachi seemed to be much more patient with Naruto than Sasuke could ever be. At this point, Itachi had known Naruto for two years, so “you just haven’t gotten sick of him yet” was no longer a valid excuse for Sasuke.
“No, we can’t stop this time,” Sasuke answered quarrelsomely. “This is just slush.”
Naruto pouted, sitting up on his shins for a better view, his breath misting against the window.
“Can’t we just stop for a few seconds? Look, we can pull over there,” Naruto insisted before pointing to a small patch of mud next to a precipitous drop. “I just want to touch it.”
“You’ll have plenty of snow when we get to the top,” Itachi reassured him patiently.
The seat squeaked noisily as Naruto bounced up and down. Sasuke found his enthusiasm rather daunting, though Itachi couldn’t help but find it endearing.
“I can’t believe it! I can’t believe I getta see snow today!”
Sasuke sighed, smiling slightly and reclining his seat. Itachi’s new slate Audi was comfortable, leather seating supporting his back nicely. Itachi’s red Toyota had broken down last year, but with the salary of a magna cum laude UCLA attorney, replacing it was no great challenge.
Naruto had offered to use his car to take them up to the mountaintop. It was a kind offer, but given that this car was almost as old as Sasuke and had a few more miles than any automobile ever should, the Uchiha brothers politely declined. Naruto had worked all through school and the summers to afford it. It fortunately wasn’t dilapidated to the point of being unsafe, though it had broken down three months ago on the way to school. Luckily, Sasuke’s first period teacher had been understanding.
Naruto made a big show out of driving Sasuke to school. On his way to Sasuke’s house, Naruto overshot the school by several miles, but he couldn’t have his lover riding the school bus, after all. While the senior found Naruto’s “Hey, hot stuff, need a lift?” comments occasionally annoying, he didn’t feel too self-conscious about his lack of wheels. He’d raised enough money tutoring and working summer jobs to easily pay off a car, but he was saving all of his money for college tuition.
And it was partially a display of possession, as well. The fact that Sasuke had been taken since sophomore year didn’t change the fact that he was one of Konoha’s most sought after students. Naruto wouldn’t be letting the student body forget just who had brought Sasuke to school every single damned day of the school year, and who would bring him home. That’s right. Uzumaki Naruto.
Their setup had actually been quite fortunate. In fact, Sasuke and Naruto had both agreed that it would have been difficult for the situation to have turned out much better. Naruto was immediately churned into an interim “emergency care” foster home upon arriving at the police station. At least for the time being, they would keep him local. Sasuke’s jaw dropped when Naruto, with a trembling voice, told him over the police telephone the name of the man with whom he’d be staying: Umino Iruka.
Mr. Umino had been both Itachi and his fourth grade teacher. When it came to the troublemakers in the class, Mr. Umino could lose his temper on occasion, but he had never been anything but kind and mild to well-behaved children like Sasuke and Itachi. Sasuke had been able to reassure Naruto on those grounds, which did wonders for Naruto’s anxieties.
It was difficult to place someone as old as Naruto. At the age of sixteen, social services explained to both Naruto and Iruka, prospects for being adopted were very poor. Temporary foster care homes were usually the only option, and Naruto would stay with Iruka until a longer-term solution was available. Social services had already explained to Iruka that Naruto was likely to be more anxious upon arrival, as he had been severely abused by his former foster parent.
Iruka watched the way Naruto panicked and isolated himself when he first entered his home. He only left his room for quick meals, and whenever he was spotted, he’d give a quick, nervous wave and return to his bedroom, which he always locked. Iruka always had to give Naruto fair warning whenever he approached to spare Naruto’s nerves. Over a period of weeks, Iruka managed to bring Naruto out of his shell. They soon got along remarkably well, though they did tend to rub each other the wrong way at times and end up squabbling. Still, they connected in a way that Iruka had connected with no other foster child.
Iruka hated the idea of Naruto having to continuously repeat this painful adaptation process with each new foster family. While Iruka certainly hadn’t been planning on taking in anyone for two years, it was becoming clear that he was Naruto’s best hope. Prior to Naruto’s arrival, he had only been taking in foster children for short periods of time, ranging from several days all the way up to six months. He tentatively agreed to take Naruto for another six months, but by the end of the fifth month, Iruka was already filing to adopt Naruto. Naruto had never been adopted before, and he was beginning to feel like instead of just finding a place to live, he’d found a family.
Iruka had been onboard with Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship from the start. He was actually quite pleased to be reacquainted with the brothers, though he was equally sorry to hear that their parents had passed. Naruto told Iruka this before he met Sasuke to avoid any awkward moments. Naruto could have sworn that he saw his new father’s eyes tear when he solemnly informed him of the news.
Naruto was surprised when Iruka told him that he’d lost both of his parents as well, though at the early age of five. He’d gone through foster care at well, though his experiences had been much more positive than Naruto’s. That was actually why he’d decided to become a foster parent; he empathized with these kids. Iruka told Naruto that he had known Mikoto and Fugaku reasonably well from events like parent-teacher nights and field trips, but no, he did not know whether they sang in the car or not.
In terms of logistics, the situation also worked out well. Iruka’s house was only a ten minute drive from Sasuke’s. Sure, it wasn’t the same as sleeping in the same bedroom, but they had certainly been preparing themselves for worse. Iruka had originally been reluctant to allow Naruto to spend time with Sasuke unattended. However, Naruto eventually reached a point with Iruka where he felt comfortable telling him about exactly how he met Sasuke and what happened from there. After additional input from Itachi, Iruka was a little more lenient when it came to “sleepovers.”
Naruto’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out to check who it was, as these days, it could be any one of dozens of people. Iruka. He’d texted Naruto, wanting to know if they’d gotten to their destination safely. The mountain roads were known for being a little treacherous at this time of year, which of course Iruka played up in his typically anxious mother hen manner.
“Almost there! Don’t have an aneurysm!” Naruto texted back. He hoped that correctly spelling the word “aneurysm” would impress his father. He could thank Sasuke for teaching him that one.
“Iruka?” Sasuke asked dully.
Naruto nodded. It was the third time Iruka had texted him.
“He’s going to give himself grey hair at this rate,” Sasuke remarked.
“Yeah, really! I’m a legal adult now. He doesn’t need to worry so much about me,” Naruto said, sounding awfully proud of that fact.
“He has plenty reasons to worry about you, dipshit.”
“Oh?” Naruto challenged, leaning forward to make sure Sasuke heard him. “Like what?”
“Like the fact that you’re hopelessly clumsy and impulsive,” Sasuke listed. “You don’t pay attention to your surroundings. You-”
Naruto cut Sasuke off, “Oh please, you’re just jealous that you’re still a minor, and I’m an adult.”
It had bothered Sasuke a little, though like hell he’d ever let Naruto know this. It was silly, after all. Nothing changed after Naruto’s eighteenth birthday, but that didn’t keep Sasuke from feeling just the slightest bit jealous that his boyfriend was a legal adult, and he was still, legally, a dependent.
“We’re nine months apart, Naruto,” Sasuke answered, rolling his eyes.
“Wait a second…”
Sasuke could practically hear the gears in Naruto’s head turn as he consolidated his next thought.
“Does that like…make banging you illegal?” Naruto asked, looking to Itachi for confirmation.
Sasuke would have felt like retreating into his shell if he weren’t already so accustomed to Naruto’s indiscretions. Seriously, who in their right mind would ask someone if having sex with their ward was legal or not? His boyfriend, apparently. Well, to be fair, Itachi was the only lawyer in the car.
“Technically?” Itachi asked, cocking his head backward for confirmation. He saw Naruto nod in his rear view mirror. “Yes, Sasuke’s jailbait, I’m afraid.”
“Seriously?!” Naruto squawked, almost dropping his phone. Itachi tried not to laugh. Sasuke cringed inwardly, not appreciating being referred to as “jailbait.”
“Technically,” Itachi clarified. “But there’s no precedent in this country for convicting someone when the age difference is that minimal. Someone would have to press charges, and even then, the case would almost certainly be dropped.”
“Phew!” Naruto answered, holding his hand to his forehead theatrically. “Guess the thug life just isn’t for me.”
Sasuke huffed at Naruto’s choice of words. He’d never heard him use the phrase “thug life” before meeting his friends, and it sounded beyond unnatural and awkward coming from Naruto.
“I think you’ve been listening to Suigetsu a little too much.”
Naruto had had the privilege of meeting all of Sasuke’s friends, both the new and the old. Suigetsu had just gotten out of juvie last year. He never went back to school, as he’d passed his GED while incarcerated. He did, at the very least, have a high school education to his name now, and his record had been wiped clean on his eighteenth birthday. Suigetsu wasn’t enrolled in college and didn’t currently have much direction, doing construction jobs to pay his folks some rent and have some spending cash. At least he was staying out of trouble.
Unfortunately, Itachi did eventually discover what had happened to Suigetsu and Kabuto, as he was bound to. And he did discover exactly how Sasuke had managed to raise so much money so quickly. Itachi had asked Sasuke point blank, and Sasuke refused to lie to the man. This was a day that Sasuke would have rather forgotten. Itachi understood Sasuke’s motivations, but that didn’t excuse dealing drugs. He could hardly believe that his little brother, of all people, had been involved in such a thing, even for a short time. Sasuke’s interactions with his brother were a little strained after that for some time, though their relationship had come too far to be permanently damaged that easily. Itachi was honestly just glad that Sasuke had been smart enough to get out of the situation instead of ending up like Suigetsu and Kabuto.
No one had heard from Kabuto in the past year, although he had apparently apologized to Karin at some point for landing her boyfriend in juvie and told Karin to deliver Sasuke an apology as well. That didn’t go far with Sasuke, however, who wasn’t too keen on giving people like Kabuto second chances. Sasuke ran into Deidara at the mall once, who told Sasuke that Kabuto was now much better at staying out of jail. Of course, that didn’t mean he’d stopped committing criminal offenses. On the contrary, he was allegedly even more active than ever. While juvie seemed to have straightened Suigetsu out, jail just taught Kabuto new tricks. Whatever the case, Sasuke didn’t give a shit about what Kabuto chose to do with his life. The less he knew, the better.
Karin had graduated last year as well. She was currently attending the local community college to learn medical coding. She insisted that this choice had nothing to do with Sasuke’s career prospects, though Naruto was a little skeptical of this. Karin and Suigetsu, perhaps remarkably, were still a couple. Sasuke didn’t frequently encounter Suigetsu and Karin during their daily routines, but that didn’t keep Sasuke and Naruto from hanging out with them occasionally. Naruto had made a very interesting first impression on Sasuke’s two friends, to say the least, and they appreciated Naruto’s presence.
However, much more frequently, Sasuke and Naruto visited Juugo. In fact, if Juugo hadn’t had a midterm coming up this Monday, he would have joined them on this trip. Juugo had passed his exit exam last year, graduating along with Karin and Suigetsu. He was majoring in English, of all things, dyslexia be damned. Sasuke tutored him several times a week, and usually Naruto sat around to learn what he could. That, along with Juugo’s specialty tutor, set him on track.
Juugo’s goal was to become a teacher for kids with special needs. With Juugo’s patient disposition and surprisingly big heart, Sasuke knew that this would be a good fit for him. Juugo’s college coursework was challenging for him, so he’d been going through an emotional slump the past couple months. Still, Juugo was determined to succeed. If Naruto could adapt to high school, Juugo figured, he could adapt to college.
Unfortunately, not a single member of Sasuke’s old clique still went to school with him. Upon returning for school for the second semester of sophomore year, it had only been Sasuke, Naruto, and Karin. Sakura was the first member of his old social group to reach out to Sasuke. At her request, he brought Naruto and even Karin to eat with the lot of them at lunch. Even Sakura and Karin were able to make amends, much to Sasuke’s bewilderment. He wondered if this had something to do with the fact that Sasuke was unavailable now regardless.
Naruto was loud and extroverted, bridging the gap between Sasuke and his old friends, who were more than a little sore at Sasuke for the thoughtless and delinquent behavior he’d exhibited over the past year. The reconciliation did require Sasuke to swallow his pride and give some explanations and make apologies, which Sasuke was only able to do after some serious encouragement from Naruto and Sakura. Now their lunch table seated nearly a dozen people. Sakura, Shikamaru, Gaara, Neji, Kiba, Chouji, Lee… And that was just off the top of his head. The group managed to be big while still feeling cozy, and Naruto and Sasuke both felt as though they truly belonged.
Of course, none of these people knew Naruto’s secret. They didn’t know that Naruto had been ever homeless, and they didn’t know how Naruto got those scars on his face. The official story was that Naruto enrolled at Konoha after Naruto’s foster family in Bakersfield sent him out to Iruka due to money issues. The only ones who knew were Sasuke, Itachi, Juugo, and Iruka, and Naruto was quite content to keep it that way. As much as his personality favored being an open book, some things he just couldn’t handle people, even close friends, knowing. He projected a certain image at school: cheerful, energetic, outgoing, and a little spacey. He didn’t want that being questioned.
Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, who was already putting on his gloves and scarf. There was no way he needed them at this time. He was just being overly eager. Naruto leaned his face on the window, which now had reached the temperate of ice.
“It’s freezing!” Naruto chirped.
Sasuke glanced over at the car’s console to look at the outside temperature. It was nineteen degrees Fahrenheit, below freezing point by a good margin.
“It’s nineteen out, Naruto,” Sasuke told him. He knew that Naruto had been keeping a close eye on that number, which was quite the novelty for him. Naruto would get a kick out of that.
“That’s the coldest weather I’ve ever been in in my life!”
Naruto hadn’t technically been in it, as he hadn’t left the car since their pit stop at a local diner about forty minutes ago. However, Sasuke wouldn’t draw attention to this fact, as it would certainly result in more requests to pull over.
“Are we gonna make a snowman?” Naruto asked expectantly, rubbing his gloved hands together.
Sasuke and Itachi had made a snowman every time they came up to the mountains. The last time they had ever gone was with their parents. Sasuke wondered what would happen to his mood on this trip, but he was actually staying pretty level. After all, it was difficult to feel too gloomy with someone as cheerfully enthusiastic and curious as Naruto around. He was distracting.
“Of course we’re going to make a snowman,” Sasuke told him.
“Heh,” Naruto answered simply, a wide grin on his face.
They’d brought toboggans as well, one of which could fit two people. One of these was from Juugo, and another was from one of Itachi’s classmates. They didn’t have a problem loaning them a few items, as almost no one in southern California would use such things frequently.
They were gaining even more elevation, at almost four thousand feet. There were now actually patches of pure white rather than that disgusting muddy slush they’d been passing. It still looked more like solid, packed ice though. Naruto literally crammed his face on the window. They were on a very narrow two-way street, with one lane for each direction of traffic. Sasuke wondered if the seldom cars passing them in the opposite direction would be getting a good view of Naruto’s smashed nose.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said the snow would get better!” Naruto said, looking back at Sasuke. “Are we there yet?”
“Yes, get out of the car,” Sasuke answered dryly.
Naruto ignored Sasuke’s jab.
“How many more minutes?”
“Probably about fifteen,” Itachi told him.
Naruto knew he was being childish, but he couldn’t help it. He’d heard about snow from so many people and so many places. It seemed to be something just about everyone had experienced, other than him. He’d always been curious about how snow felt, and the explanation “like crushed ice” never satisfied him. He’d been expecting this trip for seven weeks, when Sasuke had placed a fake voucher coupon in Naruto’s birthday card. He felt like his car’s radio was intentionally taunting him every time it played the song “White Christmas.”
Naruto thought that the voucher coupon was adorable, and it didn’t seem like something the ever-so-practical Sasuke would produce by himself. It even had a little drawing of a snowman on it. Sasuke had probably gotten some input from a friend, but it didn’t change the fact that the gesture was genuine. Sasuke generally had to get a lot of advice from people, come holidays like Valentine’s Day and anniversaries. Still, Naruto appreciated the fact that Sasuke at least put in the effort. Knowing that Naruto certainly was a romantic, Sasuke thought it was a worthwhile endeavor. Currently, Naruto was looking forward to Christmas, so Sasuke knew he would have to figure something out. He couldn’t have Naruto showing him up again like he had their first Christmas.
Naruto had filled the car with chatter about what they’d do once they got up to the top, all the times he’d seen snow on TV, and how he was just dying with curiosity. He thanked Sasuke and Itachi again, profusely. He continued to bounce up and down in his leather seat as Sasuke sipped on his coffee. The insulated cup had kept it nice and hot. He would have offered some to Naruto, but caffeine was one of the last things he’d want Naruto ingesting right now.
Naruto actually had mellowed out over the past couple years. He wasn’t as spastic as he used to be when Sasuke met him, and his social skills had improved. Being around kids his age so frequently had helped him with that. Sasuke’s personality had actually gone in the opposite direction, if ever so slightly. Having so many active friendships, as well as Naruto’s cajoling, brought Sasuke out of his shell by just a little bit. He was becoming a little more outgoing, though there was a certain level of aloofness that was just inherent in Sasuke’s personality. He genuinely did like the people he hung out with at school. And while Naruto had generally managed to tone down a little of his excess spunk, today was a special occasion.
The snow was becoming denser. Now, it appeared that it had actually had to be plowed out of the road, a wall of about two feet on either side of the car. This excited Naruto so much that Sasuke wondered if Naruto might actually piss himself. Finally, Itachi found their old familiar parking space. His parents had it set as a favorite in their GPS, which had survived the fire in their parents’ car. It was packed down with muddy white snow, wood planks framing the parking areas.
“It hasn’t changed a bit,” Itachi remarked idly, with a nostalgic sigh.
Sasuke nodded, remembering putting on his boots by their car at the age of twelve, his mother scolding him for not wearing a scarf. Yet he found that the memories brought him more joy than they did sadness. It had been three years since his parents’ death, and slowly, he was healing.
Itachi turned into their parking space now, putting the car in park.
“Now, we put on our…” Itachi told the boys.
“Voucher redeemed!” Naruto shouted, placing the voucher Sasuke had made him on the backseat. Naruto had seriously brought that with him? Naruto’s car door swung open, Naruto sprinting into the deep, fluffy white snow and falling on his face as he tripped over a concealed tree root. He got up again, laughing and slamming himself on his back, making snow angels.
“…Boots,” Itachi finished, sounding rather defeated.
Sasuke and Itachi watched Naruto manically run through the snow back and forth, alternating between packing snowballs and aiming them at random trees and making more snow angels. They could even hear Naruto shouting through the car doors. “Snow! Snoooooow!!” Naruto was going to have wet socks now, but fortunately Sasuke had had the foresight to tell Naruto to pack extra.
“I’m pretty sure people on crack are calmer than that,” Sasuke sighed, watching Naruto’s antics from the car window.
“But you wouldn’t know about that, would you?” Itachi answered casually.
Sasuke, sadly, actually had seen people react to that substance, so he was quickly regretting his remark. He’d attended a few too many wild parties in freshman and early sophomore year. Sasuke merely sighed, hoping that Itachi would just dismiss it, as it was a rather common comparison to make. “Like a squirrel on crack” was a pretty overused phrase, wasn’t it?
Sasuke noted that Naruto had left his cell phone in the back seat in his hurry. Sasuke picked it up and began texting Iruka.
“We made it. Naruto is too busy making snow angels to talk. –S”
The phone quickly buzzed in response. Iruka must’ve been waiting for this text.
“Thanks for the update, Sasuke! Have fun!”
Sasuke grabbed his boots out of the back seat, opening the car door so he could hang his feet out and put them on. Shit, it was cold. It had been years since Sasuke had been out in this kind of weather. It was six degrees out. He wouldn’t allow his teeth to chatter, covered in goosebumps now. He was too prideful, and he refused to complain. Initially, the sensation of cold on Sasuke’s body had demanded most of his attention, but as he adjusted, he noticed the scent of pine and the quiet whipping of the wind. The sky was overcast.
Itachi followed suit, putting on his boots and a thick windbreaker over his sweater. Itachi could handle the cold well now; he’d made a full recovery. Sasuke did the same, adjusting his black scarf and beanie, which Sasuke actually pulled off pretty well. Both of them were ready to leave in several minutes. Itachi and Sasuke trudged out in the snow.
“Time to rein in your boyfriend before he gets himself sick.”
Sasuke grunted, approaching Naruto, who was just close enough to be within yelling distance.
“Come here, you idiot! You didn’t put your boots on.”
Naruto, who already had snow in his hair and all over his body, shook his head, the fluffy pieces of snow falling to the ground.
“Awww. But do I really need them?”
Naruto’s shoulders slumped, but at least he stopped moving for a moment.
“Do you want to be able to feel your own feet?” Sasuke asked irksomely as he stubbornly stopped moving towards Naruto, waiting for his lover’s return.
“Eh… I don’t really care.”
Naruto tended to be very tolerant of cold and heat. This seemed to be the case even in these temperatures. Really, it was no wonder why.
“Just get over here,” Sasuke snapped.
“What’s in it for me?” Naruto teased, stretching out that last word playfully.
“You live.”
“Come on, what’re you gonna do? Count to ten?”
“I won’t have sex with you for the rest of the month.”
Naruto was silent, glancing at Sasuke appraisingly. Naruto wondered if this would have punished himself or Sasuke worse. Regardless, he knew by now not to call Sasuke on his threats. He sighed, reluctantly walking over to Sasuke. Itachi unlocked the car for them, and Naruto sat in the passenger seat, taking off his sneakers. His socks were already drenched, so Sasuke got both his boots and a new pair of socks for him.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Sasuke picked at him.
Even though their personalities couldn’t be more different, Sasuke still reminded Naruto of Iruka at times.
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Mom.”
Naruto couldn’t deny, however, that it felt nice to get his wet socks off of his feet and replace them with new dry ones, which felt much warmer against Naruto’s ice cold feet. Naruto struggled to get his boots on, so Sasuke gave them an extra tug in the back to help him along. Naruto gave Sasuke a grateful smile. Naruto’s scarf had become undone in his frenzied antics, so Sasuke tied it for him. He finally placed a snow cap on Naruto’s head, making sure that his ears, now reddened by the cold, were covered by the garment.
Naruto blushed, feeling oddly pampered and cared for. He glanced over at Itachi, who had begun building a miniature snowman by his feet as he sat on a rather distant tree stump. Sasuke leaned forward, kissing Naruto gently. Their lips were cold, as were their cheeks, but their mouths were still just as warm. When Sasuke stopped kissing him and moved away, Naruto moved forward and kissed Sasuke again. Naruto was barely stifling a moan. They couldn’t get too carried away here, so Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto’s chest, separating himself.
“It’s not like crushed ice, ya know,” Naruto said absently.
“Only crappy snow is like crushed ice,” Sasuke explained. “It happens at the end of the season, when the snow melts in the day and gets refrozen at night.”
“Oh, okay!” Naruto nodded, taking in the information. He wanted to know all about snow.
“This is more like…” Naruto stopped to think, a dopey grin on his face. He looked like the stereotypical prepubescent schoolgirl describing a crush. “Like the best snow cone I ever had. Soft and kinda airy.”
Sasuke couldn’t help but smile, even if only mildly, at Naruto’s joy. Naruto wasn’t a morose guy by any stretch, but it was rare to see him so genuinely and intensely happy.
“You’re all set now. Want to make a snowman?” Sasuke offered.
Although it had seemed impossible, Naruto’s smile grew even more.
“Hell. Yes.”
It had been years since Sasuke had made a snowman. He didn’t think that he’d care much either way. Really, who cares? A snowman serves no practical purpose. You go to the trouble to pack all the snow, roll it up into spheres, stack them on top of each other, do something or another to decorate the face, maybe snap a picture with your phone, then leave it there. But something about Naruto’s enthusiasm was infectious, and even Sasuke found himself getting impatient to get out there and get to work.
They began to walk away from the parking space now, navigating through a thick patch of trees.
“If you’re done messing around over there,” Sasuke yelled out to Itachi, who was still tending to the pint-sized snow creature by his feet, “We’re going to be over here making a real snowman.”
Itachi wandered up to them leisurely, the three of them walking a bit farther through the trees until finding a large patch of white snow. For whatever reason, not many trees had grown there. Even the hills were purely coated with white powder. Not many people knew about this spot. It had always been the Uchiha family’s stop. The car was out of sight.
Sasuke scanned the area, looking for an area that would be out of their way after when they would toboggan. He pointed to the area, and by the time Itachi caught up, Naruto and Sasuke were rolling up the base of the snowman.
“Like this?” Naruto asked.
“Yes, but you have to pack it,” Sasuke answered, compressing the snow with his large black glove. At the age of seventeen, he’d finally begun to grow into those large hands of his. He was still growing, however, and he’d probably breach six feet soon.
Naruto helpfully packed whatever areas Sasuke couldn’t quite get to, characteristically eager to help. Both of them were on their knees, working close to the ground. Itachi had already begun to roll another snowball for the middle of the snowman.
Sasuke glanced down at Naruto, reminded of how Naruto used to insist on helping him clean up at the soup kitchen and pick up garbage in the park. That same earnest expression was on his face, but Naruto looked much different now. He was stronger, taller, and most certainly older. Sitting this close to him, Sasuke could see that he had just the slightest bit of stubble and would soon be due for a shave. Sasuke would remind him to shave soon. With proper nourishment, Naruto’s body had launched through puberty. He no longer looked like a boy, but at the age of eighteen, was that really such a surprise?
In fact, much to Sasuke’s chagrin, Naruto actually looked a good bit older than he did. Sasuke still had that damned baby face… Sasuke’s features seemed so perfectly placed and formed, almost petite, despite his broad muscles and his height. It would probably be with him for his entire life, but at least that might not be such an unfortunate trait come his late twenties. Still, currently, it was something of a hindrance. Naruto honestly thought that Sasuke’s face was beautiful, though he knew better than to admit such a thing. Sasuke’s youthful looks certainly brought their fair share of teasing from Naruto, though Sasuke was still a couple inches taller than Naruto.
“This should be big enough,” Sasuke announced.
Naruto practically sprinted over to Itachi, who had already completed the smaller lump for the midsection. Itachi rolled it over to the snowman, and Sasuke helped him lift it up. Itachi and Sasuke both began to pack a little snow between the base and the midsection of the snowman to reinforce it.
“This is to keep it from falling over,” Itachi explained to Naruto.
Naruto stood back and watched the brothers build, concentrating for a moment as he took in the sizes and dimensions of the snowballs. They’d gotten the base and body awfully round. Without all of that packing and reinforcing, it probably wouldn’t have been very stable. Naruto began to excitedly work on the snowman’s head, humming to himself. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Naruto, a fleeting smile on Sasuke’s face which even Sasuke didn’t notice.
Naruto now started to pack the snow while Sasuke and Itachi sat on their shins, resting and waiting for Naruto to finish. Naruto seemed to be taking this very seriously, hard at work.
“Is this a good size?” Naruto asked, sounding very eager for praise.
“It’s perfect,” Itachi confirmed.
Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, silently and excitedly awaiting his input. Sasuke nodded, his padded hands giving Naruto a thumbs up sign. Naruto grinned at them rather vapidly for a few seconds, pleased by his success.
“Are you going to bring it over here any time soon?” Sasuke asked impatiently.
Naruto seemed to jerk to attention.
“I was getting to that!” came Naruto’s prickly response.
He was able to carry the head over. He placed it on top of the snowman’s body, dead center. He packed it a little bit with some snow. The brothers let Naruto take over.
“So, got any ideas for the name?” Naruto inquired.
“We’re naming it?” Itachi responded curiously.
Sasuke, however, wasn’t surprised. Of course Naruto wanted to name it. Naruto wanted to name everything, even the spider he found in Sasuke’s bathroom last weekend. She went by Charlotte formally, but around close friends such as Naruto, Charl would suffice.
“Of course! Don’t you guys name your snowmans?”
The brothers would be kind and not tease Naruto for how awkward the word “snowmans” sounded. The word “snowman” was unfamiliar to Naruto, after all.
“No,” Sasuke revealed. “We didn’t.”
Naruto seemed awestruck by this revelation.
“What… I thought you guys knew about making snowmans!” Naruto shouted, gesturing to the two passionately. He was the only one of them still standing. From Sasuke’s point of view, he saw Itachi fighting back a snicker as Naruto used the word “snowmans” yet again. “How can you know about making snowmans if you don’t even name them!”
“Of course you’d want to name a lump of snow.”
Naruto tsk’d, seemingly just on the brink of dishing back an insult.
“What did you want to name him, Naruto?” Itachi asked, interfering before the two younger men had the chance to squabble.
God, Itachi had the patience of a saint.
“Don’t know yet,” Naruto answered, not even pausing to consider his response. “I can’t know until we make his face.”
“Ah,” Itachi answered, as if this had been glaringly obvious all along. Silly him for making such a foolish oversight.
The body of the snowman was ready. Now all they needed to do was accessorize.
Naruto took in the snowman’s body structure before announcing, “Okay! Face!”
He sprinted off, gathering twigs and pebbles. Sasuke sighed, taking a seat in the snow as Naruto darted from one brown patch of mud to the other, digging for stones. He placed them in his jacket pockets, which were now beginning to sag. Sasuke glanced up at the sky. It had been bright blue earlier, but now thick white clouds were beginning to form. Sasuke wondered if the day’s weather forecast would be accurate; he could only hope.
Itachi likewise plopped in the snow, yawning as he perused his text messages. The brothers figured that now would be an apt time for a break, as Naruto seemed to have no trouble gathering materials. Besides, Itachi was mentally fatigued from that long drive. The roads were windy, sometimes with dramatic drops on one or both sides of the car. Sasuke lazily watched Naruto, who every now and again let out a loud “Hah!” or a “Perfect!” A happy Naruto wasn’t all that difficult to come by, but it had been quite some time since Sasuke had seen him this happy.
Naruto came back a couple minutes with a bunch of sticks and four pockets full of rocks – two pockets from his jacket and two from his pants. Stopping in front of the snowman, Naruto reached down his hand to help Sasuke up. Sasuke accepted, and Naruto hoisted him up.
“Lazy!” Naruto chided as he handed the sticks to Sasuke.
Itachi stayed seated, watching Sasuke break one of the twigs so that both were of equal length. Two people were surely enough to decorate this snowman, but he’d be around to give his input regardless. Sasuke stuck one stick on either side of the snowman’s body as Naruto placed pebble “buttons” up his middle section.
Naruto stood back, staring at the snowman for a while with his chin balanced between his thumb and forefinger. He contemplated for a while longer until tentatively placing two evenly sized pebbles for the snowman’s eyes. Naruto dug several unevenly sized pebbles in to form the snowman’s mouth, which came out looking rather sloppy and lopsided. Naruto sighed in frustration, clearly displeased with the product.
“Let me try,” Sasuke offered. He cleared the pebbles off of the snowman’s face, covering the resulting pits with new snow from the ground. He picked up the remains of one of the twigs, and traced a small smile over the snow. “I always do an outline first.”
Sasuke placed one pebble on each end of the mouth, offering Naruto more pebbles to fill in the area between.
“Seven of them should do it,” Itachi said, trying to be helpful where he could. “Three on each side and one in the middle.”
Sasuke and Naruto went through the pebbles in Sasuke’s hand, trying to find five that were approximately the same size. Itachi smiled at the image of both boys staring down at Sasuke’s large palm, one occasionally moving a rock to the side. Despite the fact that Sasuke was nearly an adult and would graduate from high school within months, sometimes all Itachi could see when he looked at Sasuke was his kid brother.
They finished the mouth, and at last, it the time came for the nose. Naruto tried a particularly large stone, encrusting it in the center of the snowman’s face.
“Is this supposed to be Elmo or something?” Sasuke asked.
Naruto didn’t seem too pleased with it either. Otherwise, even Sasuke didn’t know if he could burst the kid’s bubble.
“Something long…pointy…”
Naruto went through the small mound of items he’d collected while scavenging. Finally, Naruto seemed to have a revelation, cramming his hand underneath his coat to reach his thinner jacket’s pocket and pulling out a ballpoint pen.
“The sacrificial lamb,” Naruto announced solemnly, making a spectacle of slowly raising the pen up in his two upturned palms. “To create life, one must sacrifice. All that is good comes with sacrifice.”
Sasuke cast Naruto a very strange look, then gazed back at Itachi, who merely shook his head in secondhand embarrassment. Sasuke took a seat by Itachi, quietly observing the theatrics. Naruto very slowly poked the pen into the snowman’s face, writing side facing outward.
“It has come to be!” Naruto remarked loudly, pointing at the snowman dramatically. “And now, the christening!”
“For God’s…” Sasuke began, rolling his eyes.
“All are silent at the christening!” Naruto interrupted. “Show your respect!”
Naruto picked up a long stick that remained, tapping one side of the snowman’s body, where the shoulder should be.
“I pronounce you…”
Naruto seemed to be deep in thought, taking a little extra time before tapping the stick on the other side of the snowman.
“Is this supposed to be a knighting now?” Sasuke mumbled under his breath, only to have Itachi quickly whack him upside the head out of Naruto’s vision.
“Frank!”
Naruto began to clap, though neither brother joined him. Itachi did, however, give a respectful nod.
“What now?” Naruto asked, squinting as he looked at their supplies.
“Now? Now I have some business to attend to by that grove of pine trees,” Itachi answered, pointing to a distant and secluded section of the mountain.
“Huh?” Naruto asked, cocking his head and tilting his eyebrow dramatically.
Sasuke huffed, rolling his eyes at Naruto, who seemed to have a moment of revelation.
“Oh, I get it! You’re taking a piss!”
Sasuke wasn’t sure whether the petite smile taking his older brother’s face issued from embarrassment or amusement. It was likely a mixture of both. Sasuke groaned inwardly.
“Dude, you should totally write your name in the snow!” Naruto chimed in.
“I’ll consider,” Itachi answered appeasingly, flicking a wave as he walked into the denser area of vegetation.
Itachi’s footsteps grew fainter as he walked away from them. The moment they became inaudible, Naruto glanced at Sasuke wearing what Sasuke had come to regard as “the look,” raising his eyebrows a couple times.
“No.”
“C’mon, Sasuke,” Naruto weedled, edging into Sasuke and holding his hand.
“How long can it take to take a piss?” Sasuke responded, angling his body away from Naruto. “He’ll be back any second.”
“So? We’ll hear him before he can see us. Clothes stay on.”
White mist left Sasuke’s mouth as he huffed. He supposed that this was true. This was the first time they’d been alone all day.
“Just kiss me,” Naruto told Sasuke with half of a smile, leaning into his body and pressing his lips close to Sasuke’s.
It wasn’t that Sasuke’s willpower was forsaking him. He was merely capitalizing on an opportunity, which just so happened to be pressed up against him, its hot breath soothing his cold, pale lips. There was only a sliver of space between the two men’s lips, and so Sasuke moved forward just as Naruto did. Their lips met, and quickly after came their tongues.
The cold air bit their cheeks, but it was so warm between their mouths. As they parted, just momentarily, for air, the cold hit the saliva on Sasuke’s lips. It only made Sasuke more eager to unite with Naruto’s warmth, which now became heat when contrasted with their freezing surroundings. Although Sasuke had been in snow before, he was still unfamiliar with temperatures this low.
Naruto’s gloved hand, dusted just slightly in snow, ventured under Sasuke’s jackets. Instinctively, Sasuke flinched, his abs clenching upwards at the cold applied to his warm stomach. Sasuke’s eyes opened quickly, as he only now realized that they’d been shut. His stomach relaxed as it became accustomed, and even accepting, of Naruto’s hand.
Sasuke cast his gaze across the snow-covered mountaintop as Naruto bit at Sasuke’s earlobe, tugging on his horseshoe earring, spikes on each end. Sasuke had only gotten his ears pierced about half a year ago. Sasuke gave a pleased smirk, keeping his eyes on the area Itachi had disappeared to. In front of Sasuke proudly stood the snowman, Frank. He was visible to Sasuke as Naruto kissed him again, Naruto’s back to their creation.
But Sasuke’s eyes lingered on Frank. Frank’s nondescript, pupil-less pebble eyes seemed to be staring everywhere and nowhere all at once. Sasuke tried to ignore it, but the more he tried to look away, the more he felt as if he were being watched. As Naruto moaned, Sasuke glanced over at Frank, that same smile on Frank’s perfectly round face as he stood. Stood, smiled, and watched.
It was only now that Sasuke began to realize that Frank was a little bit creepy. It was a little ridiculous, admittedly, but Sasuke was finding it difficult to get into the mood now. Obviously clueless, Naruto moaned and kissed down Sasuke’s neck, biting the fleck there as Sasuke scaled his hand down Naruto’s back. Sasuke couldn’t help but feel, in some distant, neglected portion of his brain, like Frank was judging them.
There was only one way to fix this. As Naruto caressed Sasuke’s chest and neck, Sasuke smirked, staring directly at Frank, and proudly displayed his middle finger, completely out of Naruto’s view and over the sound of his moaning. Sasuke felt his reservations drift away at his small victory, lifting Naruto’s chin up before kissing him just a little more hungrily, if only to spite Frank. Silly? Perhaps. But Sasuke wasn’t to blame. It was the high altitude messing with his brain.
But now Sasuke heard Itachi’s footsteps, approaching from the distance. Naruto seemed to hear them as well, pausing and chuckling sheepishly as he separated from Sasuke. He smiled at Sasuke, who smiled back just slightly begrudgingly.
Itachi quickly came close, walking briskly.
“What took so long?” Naruto asked with a grin. He so knew it. Itachi was totally writing his name in the snow.
“Who knows?” Itachi teased, flashing the two of them a wicked smile. “What were you two doing while I was gone?”
One veiled accusation to match another.
“Uh…” Naruto answered quickly. “Admiring Frank?”
“Uh huh,” Itachi answered, with that “who are you fooling” expression on his face that Sasuke had memorized over the years. In reality, Sasuke assumed that Itachi had chosen to take his time to give him a little time alone with Naruto, given that this was for his birthday. He was very silently appreciative, Itachi joining them now.
“You up for tobogganing, Naruto?” Itachi asked, grabbing the single-person toboggan and leaning against it.
Naruto looked like he was a hair away from pissing himself.
“Let’s do this.”
Itachi and Sasuke scouted the area, searching for their familiar path, one free of trees. As a family, they’d always slide down this hill. Sasuke remembered being young, only going up to just above his mother’s hip. This was the first time Sasuke had ever gone tobogganing. She placed him in her lap and wrapped her arms around him, protecting him. As they gained speed, she began to laugh, and so did Sasuke, giggling as they zipped down the hill together.
Thus began the long trek up the hill. Itachi held his single-person toboggan, while Sasuke and Naruto carried the double-person toboggan up jointly. Both had attempted to carry it single-handedly. Naruto claimed that he did this only out of chivalry, to which Sasuke responded that it was only fair for the strongest party member to carry the toboggan. This was, surprisingly, poorly received, and Itachi was forced to intervene with a compromise.
Itachi righted his toboggan at the top of the hill, staring down all the way at the bottom of the slope. Naruto and Sasuke were reaching the top, moving a little awkwardly as they shared the long toboggan. It would have been much simpler to have one person carry it.
“You’re going first?” Naruto asked Itachi.
“Watch and learn, Naruto.”
Itachi’s toboggan flew down the slope. Naruto paused for a while to watch, letting out a low whistle.
“Look at him go…”
Itachi looked like he was having fun. Sasuke was glad. Naruto wasn’t what Sasuke would call childish…well, not generally. But he did have a childlike eagerness that made everything seem fresher. It even made Sasuke feel younger. Although Sasuke hadn’t been alive for a long time, he sometimes felt like a very old soul.
Naruto placed the toboggan down just as Itachi had, taking the front. Sasuke got in behind him, his legs on either side of him. Itachi had finally finished his descent, standing and waving at the two from the bottom of the hill.
“Ready for blast off, lieutenant?” Naruto called, glancing back at Sasuke.
“Just push off,” Sasuke grunted.
Naruto began laughing as they started moving, quickly gaining speed as the snow on either side of their toboggan blurred white. The trees flew by them. Sasuke leaned his chin on Naruto’s shoulder, the cold air biting his face. He didn’t mind it. It was interesting, however, to be the one in the back.
The three of them made several more runs. As they whipped down the hill for the fifth time, Naruto felt cold specks begin to hit his cheek, stinging on the way down. When the toboggan slowed, Naruto and Sasuke both stood up. Naruto peered directly up. Sasuke smiled. The forecast had been correct after all.
“Is it… Is it snowing?” Naruto asked, hardly able to curb his excitement.
Naruto opened his mouth, allowing a snowflake to fall on his tongue.
“What do you think, dumbass?” Sasuke teased, placing his hand out to catch a few snowflakes, which contrasted keenly with his black glove. He patted Naruto on the head condescendingly, ruffling his hair.
“Holy shit, it’s snowing!”
This seemed to trigger Naruto every bit as much as originally finding the snow had. He ran in large circles, his arms outstretched and mouth wide open, trying to catch snowflakes in midair. Itachi soon joined them at the bottom of the hill, placing his smaller toboggan aside.
Sasuke could hardly recall the last time he saw Naruto like this. He wouldn’t bother to rein Naruto in for some time now. It was probably best to let him tire himself out first. Itachi chuckled under his breath as he watched Naruto gallivant about the terrain. Sasuke glanced up at the clouds, watching snowflake after snowflake float down. It had been a while since he’d seen it snow himself. He let it fall on his black glove, inspecting the specks of white carefully.
Itachi’s cell phone rang, the tune of a The White Stripes song dueling with Naruto’s cries of joy for recognition. Itachi slid it out of his pocket quickly and glanced at the call ID.
“It’s Sayuri.”
That was Itachi’s girlfriend, as of about eight months ago. Sasuke liked the woman…so far. He couldn’t make a final judgment at this stage; it was too early to trust her. She seemed satisfactory, at the least. She was beautiful and very intelligent. Yet Sasuke would only want the best for his older brother.
“You better get that,” Sasuke grunted.
Itachi nodded, answering the call and speaking with his girlfriend for a while before motioning to the general area where the car was. It was well out of sight now.
“This’ll be a while. I’ll warm up in the car.”
Sasuke nodded. He didn’t mind. Naruto was here, after all. Naruto zipped off to Sasuke as soon as he noticed Itachi leaving.
“Hey, where’s he going?” Naruto asked, sounding a little disappointed. He was standing behind Sasuke.
“Sayuri called, so he’s going to talk to her in the car to warm up.”
Itachi walked around several trees, now out of view. Naruto draped his arms over Sasuke’s shoulders, kissing his neck.
“This was the best birthday present of my life. Thanks.”
“It was nothing,” Sasuke answered casually. Yet his face still blushed just slightly, because he knew Naruto well enough to tell when he was exaggerating and when he wasn’t. He knew that Naruto meant it.
Naruto turned Sasuke around to face him, kissing him gently. Sasuke’s lips, which felt like they were about to become chapped in this cold breeze, slid against Naruto’s gently. When their faces parted, Naruto was beaming at him.
“You look like such an idiot with that big smile of yours,” Sasuke told him, rolling his eyes.
Sasuke had told him once that when he smiled in this way, scars and all, he looked strong. Naruto wouldn’t let Sasuke fool him, smiling even wider.
“Okay, now you’re creeping me out,” Sasuke said as he took a step back, causing Naruto to laugh.
They had some time alone earlier together, but it was quick. For the first time today, they had substantial, uninterrupted time alone. Naruto sighed for a while, his brows scrunched.
“Hey, Sasuke…”
“Hm?”
“Can I ask you something?” Naruto inquired hesitantly.
Sasuke raised a brow, shifting his weight onto one foot. It wasn’t like Naruto to ask for permission.
“Sure, but I can’t promise an answer.”
“I saw an envelope with Stanford’s logo in your kitchen.”
Sasuke took a deep swallow. He knew exactly what Naruto was talking about. He’d opened it with a knife, the cut neat and clean, before reading the contents. He tucked it under some other mail, but he hadn’t anticipated that Naruto would be going into the kitchen today regardless. He had expected to bring this up to Naruto on his own time, after a bit more preparation.
“I see…”
He’d applied to Stanford in October. It was his first choice, and he’d applied during the earliest round. He only heard back from them yesterday. Stanford was about an eight hour drive north. It was no simple trek, and it was expensive. There was only about a foot between them, as Sasuke had taken a single step backward after their kiss.
“What did it say?”
Sasuke frowned, watching the snowflakes settle on his lover’s shoulder.
“Let’s not talk about that now,” Sasuke said as he glanced away. Sasuke moved to turn away, but Naruto braced his hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
“If that’s on your account, okay. But don’t hold back on my account,” Naruto paused for a moment, placing his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “I want to know.”
Sasuke’s brows knit, and he stared at Naruto a while before continuing. He hadn’t been expecting to tell Naruto this until later. He didn’t want Naruto fretting over it during their trip. Sasuke sat down in the snow, folding his legs as he wrapped his arms together for warmth. Naruto followed suit.
“I was accepted.”
Naruto lagged for a bit before answering.
“Congratulations!” he answered, appearing to need some time to put on that happy face. “I shouldn’t even be surprised.”
Sasuke didn’t even know why Naruto bothered trying to deceive him, after all of this time. He’d been able to read Naruto surprisingly well two months into their relationship. Two years in, there wasn’t much Naruto could get past him.
“I might not go. It’s expensive and far. It depends on...”
True, Itachi had repaid Sasuke’s college fund, and Sasuke had saved some money on the side. Still, a sum of about $40,000 a year plus living expenses was nothing to sneeze at. The Uchiha household was well off, but it wasn’t exactly wealthy. Without some serious financial aid and scholarships, Sasuke might just have to consider another school. Sasuke also didn’t like being so far from his friends, from his family.
“This is such great news…” Naruto continued.
“Naruto,” Sasuke said tiredly. “Shut up for a second and listen to me.”
Naruto sighed, looking at Sasuke.
“There are a lot of other factors involved. I still don’t know what scholarships I can get there or at other schools, or where I’ll get in. So don’t bet on it just yet.”
Naruto nodded for a moment. The dilemma was clear. Naruto was a junior, one year behind Sasuke. He’d only been able to enter freshman year during spring semester the year he returned to school because of all of Sasuke’s tutoring. Naruto’s grades were surprisingly good, which he largely owed to his own hard work, with a little help from Sasuke. He had a solid 3.8 GPA. The smile faded from Naruto’s face.
“Sasuke, when it comes to picking a college, don’t let me bias you. You’ve worked too damned hard for too long to compromise.”
Sasuke appreciated Naruto’s selflessness. While he was clearly anxious about losing Sasuke over the distance, he would not allow Sasuke to give up his ambitions for him.
“’Sides,” Naruto added with a shrug. “Even if you do go to Stanford, or even Harvard or somethin’, I’m sure there will be a good enough school for me to attend nearby. My grades aren’t too shabby either, and I’m only graduating a year later.”
Sasuke’s eyes widened for just a moment.
“You’d follow me?”
“Didn’t I tell ya, Sasuke?” Naruto answered, rocking back and forth on his feet. “You’ll never get rid of me now.”
“Naruto…” Sasuke frowned. “There’s still that year we have to spend apart until you finish senior year. No matter where I go, we can see each other over breaks, but…”
Sasuke was graduating one year ahead of Naruto. They didn’t know where Sasuke would attend college, but it certainly would be nowhere nearby. UCLA or Cal Tech would be the nearest locations, and even those took a couple hours of driving. Itachi was planning on moving to Los Angeles, where most of his work came from, and Sasuke would live in a dorm for freshman year at least. Whatever the case, Sasuke’s living situation, and thus the dynamics of their relationship, would change this August.
Naruto gripped Sasuke’s hand, their gloves pressed against each other. Naruto grinned wide, all the way back to his molars, eyes almost closed.
“C’mon, we made it through me being homeless, Itachi getting sick, you almost getting yourself killed by some psycho druggie dude, and foster care. You think we can’t make it through one measly year of long distance?”
Naruto let out a jovial “heh,” and it didn’t seem entirely forced. Sasuke could see that Naruto was truly confident, confident that they would last despite distance, despite not being able to hold or touch each other. And after all, it was only about nine or ten months until Naruto could follow him wherever he went.
“You’re the one I’m worried about, dumbass,” Sasuke chided, though he certainly didn’t have Naruto convinced. “You hardly know what to do with yourself when I’m not around.”
“Hey, I lasted for a whole year on the streets. If I can do that…”
“Living off of Skittles?” Sasuke teased.
“Hell yeah,” Naruto answered with full bravado. “That’s how I roll.”
“At least you finally get Skype,” Sasuke grunted.
It had taken Naruto a while to grasp the instant messaging platform, actually. He had a little trouble setting up his webcam.
“See? So there’s nothing to worry about.”
Sasuke would have known by now if Naruto was putting on a brave face for him. He wasn’t. Naruto had faith. And if Naruto had faith, so could he.
“I suppose not,” Sasuke admitted with a shrug.
The two of them were silent for a while, Naruto toying with a twig indecisively. There was no awkwardness in this situation.
“Though I see a lot of webcam sex in our future,” Naruto stated, mischievously nudging Sasuke’s upper arm.
Sasuke snickered, remembering all of the sexting they used to do the instant Iruka bought Naruto a cell phone. It had been rather awkward when Iruka had stumbled across their conversation, which Sasuke was sure Naruto would rather not be reminded of.
“I might have a roommate.”
“And I’ll be forever jealous of that son of a bitch,” Naruto groaned.
“Maybe you should feel sorry for him instead,” Sasuke replied with a small and sinister smile. After all, if Sasuke didn’t like a person, it was glaringly obvious. Naruto laughed, leaning back as more snow dusted his shoulders.
“Maybe so.”
Naruto smiled softly as he held his broad palm out, watching as snowflakes fell on his gloves.
“You know, it won’t be too horribly long…”
“Hm?”
“Until I fall asleep with you and wake up with you beside me. Until it’s like old times. We just have to get past this lump first.”
Old times… They had almost come to take it for granted at the time. Now it just seemed like a distant dream. Naruto and Sasuke lived at their respective homes, just like any other high school couple, with their own guardians. Those two months existed in only their memories, as well as in the minds of Juugo, Itachi, and Iruka. It had been two years since then, and the thought of returning to that way of life, even if almost another two years later, was a hope so optimistic that Sasuke didn’t know if he dared hold it.
Sasuke leaned against Naruto. Naruto’s most difficult challenge these past two years had been acclimatizing to life without Sasuke and learning to trust Iruka. Sasuke didn’t need anyone to depend on; he was just fine on his own. But Naruto had grown over these years. He’d become strong. Both of them had, really.
Sasuke leaned forward, kissing Naruto slowly. Against the harsh cold, their mouths felt so hot, tongues sliding against each other smoothly. They curled against each other, Naruto moving forward now and pushing Sasuke back, just slightly. Naruto moaned as their kiss became hungrier, tongues venturing farther back and beginning to lash against each other They were amidst the luscious pines, snow falling down on them slowly.
Naruto pushed Sasuke down, straddling over his stomach as Sasuke finally rested, his back against the snow. What if Itachi came back? It was silent here. Even over moaning and panting, Sasuke was sure they could hear him coming far away. Sasuke was at a slight incline, his face just above his feet so that he could look down and survey the area. Naruto kissed Sasuke’s cheek, his collarbone…
As Naruto kissed down Sasuke’s neck, his lips felt so hot, the slightly bit of saliva cold against his soft skin. Sasuke didn’t ordinarily let Naruto occupy this position, but he wasn’t exactly keeping count here. Whoever was dominant ended up coming down to what kind of mood the two of them were in. Still, he was shocked when Naruto tugged at his jeans, unbuttoning them quickly. Things were moving quickly.
“Aiming to freeze my dick off, Uzumaki?” Sasuke grunted.
“Heh,” Naruto answered, sounding so characteristically awkward. “When we kissed, your mouth was so hot. I wondered what this would feel like…”
Naruto freed Sasuke’s cock, now just slightly hard, and gave it a slow lick. The weather was painfully cold against the sensitive organ, but Naruto’s tongue was so forgivingly and even arousingly hot in comparison.
“Don’t worry,” Naruto stated, more sure of himself now. “I’ll keep you warm.”
Sasuke shuddered, closing his eyes tightly, and Naruto reveled in the sight. It was painful, waiting out in the cold for Naruto to make his move.
“If you’re going to do it, then do it,” Sasuke ordered him. “It’s too cold to wait.”
Naruto didn’t waste time. He took as much of Sasuke’s length into his mouth as he could, sliding his warmed hand out of his glove and gripping the base to keep Sasuke warm. Naruto’s saliva rapidly cooled, even as he slid his face up on Sasuke’s cock. Sasuke, still looking out for any sign of Itachi, grasped Naruto’s blond hair, emitting a low moan. As Naruto’s mouth returned to the parts of Sasuke’s flesh that had cooled, his mouth seemed almost searing hot, the texture of his tongue and cheeks so pronounced against it.
His cock shifted from cold to what seemed like steaming hot in comparison as Naruto moved, and Sasuke heard his boot digging into the powder snow. It didn’t take much time for Sasuke to become fully erect, his panting breath misting in front of his face as snow fell onto Naruto’s hair. Sasuke absentmindedly dusted it off. He felt his lower body begin to quake, and the fresh snow fell off of his thighs and stomach as he did so.
“Shit, Naruto…”
Naruto moaned against Sasuke’s cock in affirmation. Itachi’s conversations with his girlfriend tended to be long, perhaps a little longer than even Itachi would have preferred. But there was a growing chance that Itachi would return, and they would just have to pull themselves together in a split second.
“Nngh…”
Sasuke grasped Naruto’s snow jacket hard, his hips bucking as he finally unleashed into Naruto’s mouth. His body drained itself, diminishing spurts leaving him blissed and calm. His endorphins still ran quickly through his system, and gently, Naruto put Sasuke back together, zipping and buttoning his pants for him.
Sasuke felt as if he should be returning Naruto’s kindness, but Naruto dragged himself up, lying beside Sasuke. Both of them were on their backs, light snow falling against their faces. Naruto had put his glove back on, one holding the other as they lay there, staring up at the clouds together. Naruto gave a quiet chuckle as a snowflake fell in his eyelashes, wiping it away. They lay there for several minutes now, both of the men calming.
“I’ll miss you, though,” Naruto admitted, his voice a little quieter.
“We’ve got a good nine months until then.”
“So,” Naruto grinned. “We’ll make them count.”
Author’s Note: I can hear what you’re thinking. No, this is not the last chapter! But we’re coming close. Very close.
Where to begin… I’m very sorry about the big lapse in updating. I stayed in the hospital a few days while someone close to me had surgery for lung cancer, and another loved one died. My health took a steep downturn, so I was sick on top of it all. But I’d never abandon Soup. =) I might need two weeks for the next update though.
Anyhow, thanks for your patience and understanding. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as well as the fates of the characters.
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