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
- 60
- 61
- 62
Itachi returned from the car about twenty minutes after Sasuke had told Naruto about Stanford. Naruto acted as though nothing had happened, and Sasuke knew it was sincere. Perhaps Naruto had already realized that something like this was destined to occur, given that they were in different years. Whatever the case, he seemed entirely confident that they would both outlast what lay ahead in August. Sasuke knew that his happiness wasn’t a front.
They tobogganed for another hour. They raced each other, a team of two against one. This was necessary, as one toboggan fit one and the other fit two. Sometimes it was the brothers in the two-person toboggan, sometimes Naruto and Sasuke, and sometimes even Naruto and Itachi. It seemed that the two-person toboggan had somewhat of an advantage; it flew by faster maybe three out of four times. This came out to Itachi’s advantage originally, as he was usually the person in the two-person toboggan due to his long legs. But after enough switch offs and repetitions, it became pretty clear that the toboggan itself naturally carried more momentum.
Again, they finished another one of their runs, the three of them pausing at the bottom of the slope to dust the snow off of their outfits. It was still snowing, though it had calmed considerably. Sasuke went silent, gazing off into the trees.
“Sasuke?” Itachi asked, the first to perceive this.
“I was just thinking… Ferret seemed a little sluggish when we left.”
“Did she?” Itachi frowned.
“Yeah, but she was fine yesterday. You remembered to feed her this morning, right?”
“I did,” Itachi confirmed.
“Alright,” Sasuke answered with a shrug. “I’m sure she’ll be fine then.”
Naruto chuckled just slightly.
“You’re sure attached to that cat, aren’t you Sasuke?”
Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek. It was just that Ferret was always there, no matter what Itachi was up to. Itachi worked just as hard as ever, juggling clients and giving his best in the Orange and Los Angeles County courtrooms, hours away from home. However, now that Naruto had a car, Sasuke’s house was very seldom empty. If one were to count Ferret, Sasuke was never truly alone. But it wasn’t like he was obsessed with the cat, like some weird, crazy old cat person. Sasuke smirked, formulating an insult in response.
“This, coming from the guy who tucks in his stuffed animal every night?”
Naruto’s face reddened. How could Sasuke have gone there, especially in front of Itachi? Besides, he was sure plenty of people did stuff like that! They just didn’t talk about it. He lunged forward to jab Sasuke’s arm, and Sasuke quickly whacked his arm away. Naruto swayed backward, and his feet, numb from the cold, tripped over a branch, causing him to fall flat on his ass. Sasuke stared down at Naruto, smiling smugly.
“Need a little help, dumbass?” Sasuke asked coolly, leaning down to offer Naruto his hand with a heavy dose of sardonic derision.
Naruto saw two possibilities here. In the first, he would take Sasuke’s hand. Hell no. As if he needed Sasuke’s help. In the second, he would swat Sasuke’s hand away and right himself. This seemed to be the most favorable decision until a blessed third possibility came to mind.
It was difficult for Naruto move, as far as he’d fallen into the downy snow, so he would accept this truce…momentarily. He took Sasuke’s left hand with his right, discreetly scooping as much snow as he could in his left hand without getting noticed. As Sasuke swung Naruto upwards, Naruto used the momentum to advantage and swung his hand around. Sasuke saw it coming for just one precious second, yet with his left hand so tightly latched onto by Naruto, he didn’t have time to dodge. Naruto smashed that mound of snow right into Sasuke’s self-satisfied face.
Sasuke took a few steps back, stumbling and quickly clearing the snow off of his face. Sasuke sneered, and Naruto knew what was in store. He rose to his feet to run, but rigid snow had already struck Naruto directly on the cheek. Sure, Naruto could cram snow directly into someone’s face. But did he have aim? Doubtful.
“Tch. That’s the last time I try to help you.”
Itachi chuckled under his breath, leaning back against a tree.
“You had that one coming, Sasuke,” Itachi chided gently.
And so Sasuke wasted no time rolling up a similar shaped ball of snow and chucking it at Itachi. His brother hadn’t been expecting it, so it hit him right in the ear as he turned to glance at Naruto, who had just recovered from Sasuke’s hit. The snow fell down Itachi’s windbreaker back down to the ground. Sasuke couldn’t remember the last time he’d landed a solid hit on his brother.
“By now, you should know better than to wage war on me, brother,” Itachi said in a mockingly sinister tone, bending to the ground to pick up his snow.
“I’m not twelve years old this time,” Sasuke responded insouciantly, likewise leaning to the ground but never taking his eyes off of Itachi and Naruto. “I’m sure I’ll manage.”
Naruto watched with his mouth ajar, springing up as he was excited by the charged atmosphere. He felt like he’d been given a window into Sasuke’s and Itachi’s past lives. It wasn’t often that Naruto saw them feud, but it seemed so natural.
“Of course you will, Sasuke,” Itachi answered calmly.
And quicker than both of the men could process, Itachi grabbed one snowball in each hand, hurling each limb to the opposite side of his body. The two snowballs were set in motion in opposite directions, topspin bringing it close, fast, and unpredictable. Sasuke attempted to dodge and was hit in the back. Naruto, who was completely unsuspecting, was hit square in the face.
“Hey!” Naruto shouted back defiantly, waving his arms, “What the hell was that for?”
Really, Naruto wondered if he should be asking how rather than why. How could Itachi throw two snowballs in the opposite direction and hit two separate targets? Was there anything he wasn’t good at?
“You started this whole thing, didn’t you, Naruto?” Itachi asked with mocked nonchalance. “It’s because of you that I got hit.”
Naruto grinned ear to ear. So, it was a fight the Uchiha brothers wanted? He wouldn’t be one to disappoint. And there was a quieter part of his mind that felt almost like a third wheel, intruding on the brothers’ rivalry. After all, the brothers had probably been having these snowball fights since before Naruto could read. Had Itachi realized this and made an effort to include him? Naruto never could figure that guy out, but either way, he was pleased.
But before Naruto could even gather enough snow to return the favor, Itachi whacked him again on the shoulder. Sasuke had barely dodged Itachi’s aim and had just thrown again. Itachi attempted to sidestep it, so that it only collided with his left hip. Itachi quickly hid behind a tree. However, very unfortunately, Naruto and Sasuke were both in open space. Every now and again, a snowball would fly out of seemingly nowhere and pelt Naruto or Sasuke.
Naruto could hardly even get up enough time to make a snowball of his own. By the time he did, Itachi was still out of sight. Naruto found that he hardly even had time for Sasuke anymore – not with Itachi on the loose. What the hell was with this guy, anyway?
Sasuke soon discovered Itachi’s hiding spot. To Sasuke’s credit, he did get a solid blow to the back of Itachi’s hooded head. Naruto and Sasuke both had him in their sight now. Itachi soon turned around, a pile of perfectly crafted snowballs at his feet and another four resting in the crook of his arm.
“Shit,” Naruto muttered.
One after another came flying. They didn’t even have time to gather the snow.
“Naruto! Here!” Sasuke yelled at him.
Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who pointed to a densely vegetated area of the mountain. They lost visibility about ten feet in the distance, all view obscured by pines and logs.
Sasuke charged off towards the nook, followed closely by Naruto. Naruto knew that he’d easily lose Sasuke if he didn’t follow closely, just as they were trying to lose Itachi. Itachi snickered, leaving with only four snowballs in his hand as he ran after the two. But Itachi had had to distance himself from the boys to frame his attack. He was too late.
“I’ll be waiting for you, Sasuke!” Itachi called out, his voice loud in the relative silence. The only other sounds issued from Sasuke’s and Naruto’s thickly padded clothing rapidly brushing against itself as they ran, ducking under branches and jumping over logs. They’d lost Itachi now. Sasuke found a narrow alcove that jutted into the rocky mountain at an acute angle. Sasuke jutted his chin at it, quickly curling up and hiding himself in the recess. Naruto followed. They would only be visible from one very obscure angle.
“Dude! What the hell was that?!” Naruto asked incredulously. His voice echoed slightly, the rock around them bouncing back the sound.
“Itachi had foresight to his advantage. He planned.”
“No, no, I get it. He had shit to hide behind, and we were sitting ducks in the open, but…”
“The fact that Itachi got our school’s baseball team to state finals his sophomore year almost singlehandedly isn’t really helping our odds here,” Sasuke admitted sheepishly.
Right, how couldn’t he piece that together? He’d seen Itachi’s picture on a frame in the hall in the school gym, looking to be just under Sasuke’s age and decked out in full baseball attire.
“Dammit, Sasuke!” Naruto swore, shaking his head. “Why did you have to choose basketball instead of baseball?”
Sasuke had made quite the name for himself as well as Konoha’s basketball captain. He was known for his three-pointers; he required his new contact lenses for those, however. Last season, Sasuke had brought them to state. This was something his father never thought Sasuke could manage, bringing that “joke of a team” as he called it even a token of success.
Sasuke didn’t resent his father for trying to force him into pursuing baseball, which had a better team at the time and a much higher probability of success. Now, more than ever, he understood where he was coming from – concern for his future. Sasuke just wished his father could’ve seen him last year when he scored one of the most impressive three-pointers in his life during the final quarter of the game that took them to state. He wished his father could’ve seen that final score lit up, hear his classmates scream and shout as their flunky basketball team went to the California State Finals for the first time in nine years. But Sasuke wondered if, somehow, his father did know. Despite all of his freshman and sophomore year mishaps, he’d like to think his father would have been proud.
“You actually wouldn’t be the first to ask me that,” Sasuke answered with a wry smile on his face.
The reference seemed to have gone over Naruto’s head. He leaned back into the uncomfortable rock, which had begun to dig into the flesh between his shoulder blades. The area produced a sylvan scent which Naruto was unfamiliar with.
“So, what do you suggest we do now? Just hide here until we get frostbite and die?”
“Of course not, idiot,” Sasuke responded quickly, lightly whacking Naruto upside the head.
“Then what?” Naruto replied irately, rubbing the afflicted area.
“We plan a counterattack, and quickly. It’s only a matter of time until we’re discovered.”
Naruto nodded, his facial expression intense. Sasuke sighed, surveying their surroundings.
“We should split up,” Sasuke announced.
Naruto pouted, appearing rather reluctant to take any more orders from Sasuke than was absolutely necessary. His plan did, however, make sense. Itachi would have much more trouble hitting and blocking two points of attack. Also, if one of them were discovered, the other could always come to his rescue. This way, they at least had a chance of overwhelming Itachi.
“See that log, about two hundred meters off at seven o’clock?”
Naruto tilted his head and raised his brow.
“What the hell are you talkin’ about, Sasuke? I don’t know meters. We’re in America! Seven o’clock?”
Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes and grabbing Naruto’s head, roughly directing his face towards the point that Sasuke was speaking of.
“Right there, dumbass.”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“Go there. Quietly. Itachi will eventually come into view. When I whistle, attack from behind the log. Remain unseen for as long as possible.”
Naruto pouted, stubbornly jutting his heel into the snow.
“Why do we always have to use your ideas?”
Sasuke always thought he was so smart. So bossy. It was frustrating…at least outside of the context of the bedroom, and sometimes even in there.
“If you have a better plan, I’d love to hear it.”
Did he have a better plan? Sasuke’s did seem plausible, but he wanted to figure something out, if only out of principle. He could plan just as well as Sasuke could.
“We should attack him dead on!” Naruto cheered, pumping his arm. “Let’s get a bunch of snowballs in our arms and just throw ‘em all at him at once as we run at him! He can’t recuperate from so many heavy hits so fast!”
“Naruto, I could’ve made a better plan than that when I was eight,” Sasuke answered dully.
Sasuke hadn’t even given his plan a chance, Naruto noted resentfully.
“What?! What’s wrong with it?”
Naruto gesticulated defiantly. Why did Sasuke have to be so rigid?
“There’s no element of surprise to it at all. We’ll basically be in the same situation we were in before. He’ll see us coming and know where we’re throwing from. He can also see us make the throws. With his baseball experience, I’m sure he can read a pitch and guess the target. He’ll dodge them, and his pitch is far better than ours. And he’ll probably come prepared.”
Naruto crossed his arms, appearing severely disheartened.
“I think it would work just fine. I can throw snowballs really good. You haven’t even seen me do it seriously.”
Sasuke highly doubted this, given that this was the first time Naruto had seen snow altogether, and his motor skills tended to be rather…lacking, to put it kindly.
“Your plan is completely infeasible,” Sasuke responded stubbornly.
“Your plan is wimpy and boring!”
“Ssh!” Sasuke whispered. “He’ll hear us.”
“Good! Let him hear! At least then I won’t have to freeze my nuts off until he randomly shows up!”
“Shut up!” Sasuke hissed, bumping Naruto’s side with his elbow.
“We’re using my plan, Naruto,” Sasuke insisted icily, glaring at Naruto.
Naruto glared back with matching intensity, until suddenly, something in his expression broke. He was smiling now, and Sasuke couldn’t hide the puzzled look on his face.
“Okay, Sasuke. We’ll use your plan.”
That had been…surprisingly easy, Sasuke thought. Was everything adding up here?
“No messing around,” Sasuke said in a steely tone of voice.
“Scout’s honor.”
“Okay, you hide over by that log. I’ll hide across the clearing. We won’t be able to see each other, but see that bush near that broken tree?”
Naruto squinted his eyes. He saw it. Sasuke very quietly got out of hiding.
“That’s me. We’ll make our way to our spots. On my whistle, attack.”
Sasuke quickly maneuvered his way into his hiding spot, careful not to snap a single twig on his path. Naruto, remarkably, moved with like grace. What a surprise, Sasuke thought. Naruto could actually be quiet if enough depended on it.
And then the waiting. Sasuke supposed that this was the portion of his plan that Naruto objected to the most. But still, any good plan required patience and forethought – traits Naruto both had shortages of. The minutes passed. Sasuke wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it couldn’t have been too long. He saw Itachi now, wandering slowly and aimlessly into the empty area between the two attack points. Naruto needn’t have complained. Now they had the perfect opportunity. His brother, having unwittingly walked right into their trap, was in deep shit.
Sasuke whistled, grinning as he readied for the attack. And then, his vision was lost to white as a deluge of frigid snow fell upon him. A toboggan full of snow had just emptied itself on Sasuke’s head. Astounded and covered with snow, Sasuke turned around to see none other than Naruto, grinning with another snowball in his hand. Itachi pivoted quickly, running over to Sasuke. Itachi’s uncertainty had been an act. Naruto had betrayed him.
“You fucking asshole!” Sasuke shouted, pushing Naruto back and throwing poorly formed lumps of snow at him. Itachi’s attacks were coming quickly, both Naruto and Itachi pelting him simultaneously.
“Who says I can’t plan!” Naruto said with a grin.
Sasuke highly doubted that Naruto had much say in it. Itachi was probably the mastermind behind this.
“You’ve gotten better, brother,” Itachi said with a grin, pelting Sasuke once again. “Without your boyfriend’s help, I might not’ve stood a chance.”
Sasuke grit his teeth, smirking dangerously. He braced himself. Juugo had taught him this move. The redhead had taken down dozens of players on the football team this way. Sasuke braced his feet on the ground and squared his shoulders. He charged at Itachi, hitting him in the gut and easily tackling him onto the soft snow.
“Man down!” Naruto cried out.
Itachi was laughing.
“Holy shit, Sasuke! You’re not as light as you look.”
Itachi’s surprise seemed strangely uncharacteristic. Sasuke took pride in it.
“It’s all about technique, brother,” Sasuke added mockingly.
Completely disregarding whatever Sasuke had to say about technique, Naruto threw himself at Sasuke’s back. Itachi took the opportunity to jerk Sasuke down, and now Sasuke fell to the ground. Itachi and Sasuke shoved loose snow at each other, their “attacks” random and disordered. They were both panting, and just for good measure, Naruto decided to join them, jumping onto the ground and throwing snow wherever he could.
This aimless feuding continued over the next several minutes, the quiet, snowy landscape punctuated by panting, swearing, shouting, and laughter.
“Guys…” Itachi called out.
Sasuke and Naruto finally stopped, but Sasuke got one last jab at Naruto before doing so. Despite the fact that this was supposedly all fun and games, Sasuke was still a little sore at Naruto for treacherously thwarting his scheme. Sasuke was competitive, after all.
“I’m spent. If I’m going to drive us home, we should leave now.”
Naruto shook his head.
“I can drive us, Itachi. You’ve driven too long for one day.”
Surprisingly, Naruto’s driving was actually reasonable. That is, as long as he wasn’t distracted.
“Thanks, Naruto,” Itachi answered politely.
The three of them grabbed their gear, and Naruto gave a very lengthy and formal farewell to Frank, whom Sasuke decided that he most certainly would not miss. They trudged through another half a mile of snow soundlessly, other than the noise of their breathing and the blowing wind. Sasuke found his chest a bit tighter, which he assumed was that cold-induced asthma coming into play again. He knew that once he hit an altitude below several thousand feet, it would no longer be an issue, so he refused to complain.
However, Itachi’s pace slowed just slightly, as did Naruto’s. Sasuke was fairly convinced that Itachi, if not Naruto as well, had heard his labored breathing. Slightly embarrassed, he did his best to ignore the change and keep pace with the other two. This was much easier.
It seemed like ages had passed by the time they reached the car. Itachi and Naruto did what they could to shake the snow off of their boots and clothing, though doing so was a rather futile endeavor. However, neither of them were as hopeless as Sasuke, who had gotten a whole sled’s worth of snow dumped on his head. Sasuke did what he could to get himself clean, but ultimately there was only so much that could be done.
Itachi tossed Naruto the keys, and the Audi gave a quick series of beeps as it was unlocked.
“We’re going to have to pull over and change,” Itachi noted, glancing at the rest of them.
All three of them had brought spare outfits. Naruto must have missed that “pull over” part, as he proceeded to strip naked just outside of the car. Neither brother was shocked at this point. At least there was no one else present, though now a small red car was approaching from the distance.
“Take your time,” Sasuke said sarcastically. “No rush.”
Nevertheless, Naruto was soon seated in the driver’s seat, the car’s only dry inhabitant. He was wearing a gunmetal blue jacket that buttoned slightly off to the side (Sasuke had told him this was fashionable) as well as loose camouflage pants. Sasuke and Itachi both took off their larger jackets, leaving only a sopping wet long-sleeved thermal behind in Sasuke’s case and a long-sleeved black turtle neck in Itachi’s. Naruto blasted the heat, which both brothers were appreciative of, although Sasuke was looking more and more like he’d been thrown in a pool.
Sasuke took the seat next to Naruto, and Itachi took the back, sprawling his legs out over the back row. Naruto grinned as he cranked the ignition.
“Maaan,” he beamed, stroking the steering wheel. “I love driving this car.”
It drove smoothly, had a sharp turning radius, and its horsepower was certainly no joke. Naruto backed out of their spot quickly, confidently driving down the road and actually following the speed limit. Sasuke was about to comment on this but decided against it, given that Itachi was in the car. Of course, Sasuke and Naruto always went the speed limit. Naturally.
Perhaps that idiot had figured that given that it was the first time he’d driven in snow, he’d best be cautious. It didn’t take long for them to find their first rest stop with restroom facilities. Sasuke was the first to change. He entered the cabin-style restroom with an empty grocery bag in which to put his wet clothing. He gladly stripped his shirt, goosebumps announcing themselves all over his cold and wet skin. He padded himself dry with some toilet paper – the best he could do in this situation.
He changed into a snug pair of blue jeans, so dark as to nearly appear black. He exchanged one pair of boots for another, the plaid red pattern showing as the tops of the boots, which would have otherwise approached his mid-calf, flipped backwards. His defined calves, which he’d developed for basketball season, showed even through the thick denim. A maroon V neck shirt and a black leather jacket completed the look. This was, actually, authentic leather, hugging Sasuke’s frame at just the right places. It had been a birthday present from Itachi.
There was a scuffed and slightly yellowed mirror in the restroom. Sasuke scowled as he beheld his own reflection. It seemed like no matter what happened to Naruto’s hair, it dried the exact same way. Sasuke’s bangs and hair were weighted down by melted snow, and when Sasuke took off his beanie, the damage was even worse, his wet hat hair frizzing upward. With a resigned sigh, Sasuke flipped over his reversible beanie so that the drier dark grey side was up. He’d shower and blow dry his hair once he got home. He gave his ears a quick double check, making sure he hadn’t somehow lost his horseshoe earrings in the scuffle. All was well.
He returned to the car feeling much warmer and more comfortable. Naruto had reclined his seat, resting his eyes as Itachi left the car to replace Sasuke in the restroom. Sasuke relished the temperature shift as he took a seat next to Naruto on the black padded upholstery. It was nice to be warm and dry again. Naruto opened a single eye, glancing over at Sasuke and taking in his new outfit.
“Hot,” he commented bluntly.
In all seriousness, it never failed to surprise Naruto how Sasuke managed to pull these outfits out of nowhere, even in a random restroom in the middle of the mountains. It was like he was physically incapable of looking bad. Then again, Naruto hadn’t gotten the chance to see what Sasuke’s hair looked like under his beanie.
“Aren’t you used to that by now?”
“It’s not too much to handle. After all, I have to look myself in the mirror every day,” Naruto grinned back. Sasuke rolled his eyes as Itachi entered the car, white button down and black jacket, and stretched his legs out on the back seat. It would appear that they were ready to leave.
“Alright, are we all ready to go home?” Naruto said with a grin, still able to maintain his energy. After that snowball fight, both brothers were spent.
“Just start the car,” Sasuke told him, not sounding entirely dismissive.
Naruto turned on the radio to the local alternative rock station, playing the music loudly enough to hear the lyrics but softly enough so that they could converse if necessary. However, for the most part, Sasuke and Itachi remained silent as Naruto sang to the radio, mumbling over the lyrics he’d forgotten.
As they lost altitude, Sasuke’s ears began to build up pressure. Sasuke popped his ears by forcing himself to yawn. The road was becoming less curvy and steep. Naruto had handled the drive very well, as neither brother felt even the slightest inclination to reach for the “oh shit” bar. They’d been driving for about ten minutes when Naruto’s cell phone rang. Naruto always kept the volume at full blast, and even still, he frequently didn’t hear his phone ring.
You’re the best around! Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down.
Naruto jumped in his seat, bouncing up and down now. Sasuke knew whose ringtone that was, sighing and rolling his eyes.
“Answer! Answer!” Naruto chimed in quickly.
“It’s illegal to talk on your cellphone and drive, Naruto.”
This was true in a sense. It was illegal for one to use a cell phone without a hands-free device in the state of California. However, speakerphone was a different story. Sasuke had two motivations here. First of all, he knew how easily distracted Naruto was while driving. This was partially why Sasuke and Itachi had been so silent in the car, aside from their exhaustion. Secondly, Sasuke knew that their only option would be either speakerphone or Sasuke talking directly to the garrulous person on the other line and playing messenger. Neither appealed to him.
“Speakerphone!”
There was no getting past this, with a drawn-out, reluctant sigh, Sasuke turned the phone on speakerphone.
“Hello? Naruto?”’
His voice was pressured as always. The guy seemed to constantly be in the midst of delivering a motivational speech. He just never lost steam.
“Lee! What’s up?”
“Naruto!”
Sasuke perched his head on his hand, staring out his window and rolling his eyes.
“How were your adventures?” Rock Lee asked enthusiastically. “You have to tell me!”
Naruto was beaming, and suddenly he was driving slightly over the speed limit.
“Oh! Oh! First I built a snowman! Itachi and Sasuke both helped, and it was perfect! Then we made his smile, but we didn’t have a nose for him, so we used my pen.”
“You relinquished your pen?”
“It was a generic pen. But it’s really a shame,” Naruto sighed. “I think Frank deserved better.”
“Who is this Frank?” Lee inquired. “Did you make another friend during your journey? What an adventure! Nothing says adventure more than a new friend!”
Naruto chuckled sheepishly.
“Well, that’s just what I named the snowman. Frank. But then I went tobogganing, and we went so fast! And then guess what happened!”
Both brothers were silent, though Sasuke was growing a little uneasy. It seemed like Naruto’s turns were getting wider.
“Tell me!”
“It started snowing!” Naruto almost shouted, hardly able to contain himself.
“How lucky! Did you catch a snowflake on your tongue?”
“Yes!”
Naruto was grinning wide now. Sasuke saw his tire leave the lane for a moment.
“Did you make snow angels?”
“Yes!” Naruto responded with increasing zeal. “I did everything!”
Naruto very much reminded Sasuke of a dog, at times, in that he fed off of others’ energy. If it was Sasuke or Itachi around, Naruto usually remained relatively calm, by his standards. Of course, today was an exception. But with Lee? It was like running around in circles in front of a puppy with a stick and shouting, “Go get it!” And then, of course, they fed off of each other, and the energy level in the room tended to skyrocket. That was when Sasuke usually found something else to preoccupy himself with.
“I’m so happy! You truly deserve it, Naruto. I am so glad you had fun.”
As Lee responded, a white pickup truck came swerving the other way, previously unseen due to one of the mountain’s curve. In all fairness, it had been hugging its way into Naruto’s lane, but just as Lee finished his sentence, Naruto had to jerk the car to the outside of his lane, which was bordered by an impressive drop. The other driver honked loudly, although he, rather than Naruto, was largely to blame. They’d narrowly missed a collision.
“Shit!” Naruto hissed.
Sasuke braced himself, but he didn’t lose his cool.
“Naruto?!”
Lee must’ve heard the other car honk. Naruto didn’t respond for a moment.
“Naruto! Are you okay?”
Sasuke took matters in his own hands now, reluctantly turning off speakerphone and taking the phone for himself.
“No more distractions for you,” Sasuke grunted. Naruto pouted in exchange, but he couldn’t really argue. Even Naruto seemed a little bit shaken up.
“He’s fine, Lee. He just got distracted,” Sasuke told him. “You know how he is.”
“Hmph,” Naruto complained. He wouldn’t fight Sasuke on that one, even though this particular incident wasn’t really his fault.
“Wait…” Lee paused. “Naruto wasn’t talking on his cellphone while driving, was he? That’s breaking the law, Sasuke!”
Sasuke tried not to snicker at that. Even after all this time, he was still getting used to having friends who actually cared about breaking the law.
“No, he had it on speakerphone.”
“I…was on speakerphone?” Lee asked. Naruto had a nasty habit of not informing people when this was the case. Sasuke had probably overheard a few more conversations than he should’ve, but it wasn’t like Sasuke would actually do anything with the information, or even care for that matter.
“Mhm.”
“Oh…” Lee answered, sounding a little taken aback. He rebounded quickly, however. “Sasuke, you are as quiet as ever! You should participate more. Life is too short for the sidelines!”
“I had nothing to say,” Sasuke responded simply. This would make for an awkward conversation for most any other pair, but Lee was too oblivious to notice and Sasuke was too indifferent to care.
“Well, did you have a fun time too? It sounds like the three of you had quite the adventure!”
Naruto was driving nicely again, right on the speed limit. To Sasuke’s initial surprise, Naruto was an outstanding driver, provided that no one actually spoke to him while he was driving.
“Everything was great, other than the fact that it turns out that my boyfriend is a traitor,” Sasuke scoffed.
“What?! A traitor?!” Lee answered, clearly shocked and outraged.
“Mn.”
“This is no way for a man to conduct himself! A true man has integrity! I cannot let my good friend go astray! I have to talk to him right now! Tell him to pull over!”
Sasuke cast the phone a rather strange glance. He had thought, for quite a while, that it was impossible to find anyone weirder than Naruto. He was sorely mistaken.
“Lee, it’s fine.”
“Are you alright, Sasuke? Do you need to talk about it? Don’t you worry for an instant! I will right all of this, so mark my words!”
Sasuke groaned, rubbing at the bridge area between his eyebrows.
“Lee,” Sasuke interrupted. “It was just a snowball fight. I was joking.”
There was a pause over the line.
“Really?” Lee asked, sounding hesitant and still a little concerned.
“Really.”
Lee sighed with relief.
“Oh, that is so great to hear! I hate it when you two fight! But then again, it’s like you’re always fighting but really aren’t at the same time! I’ve never heard lovers speak to each other in such a way!”
Sasuke was starting to run out of ways to respond to Lee.
“Uh… Okay?”
“But it works! You’re both happy, and that’s all that matters to me! In fact, how long have you been together?”
“Two years,” Sasuke answered bluntly, glad to finally have a concrete response.
“It’s so beautiful, the love you two share!”
Sasuke felt increasingly uncomfortable. Sometimes people went over the top talking about how great their relationship was just because they were two guys, Sasuke felt. It was like they had to make up for all the other assholes out there who would give them shit, or even try to score a few “politically correct” brownie points. It often was the same sort who would talk ad nauseam about how open-minded they were and their many, many non-heterosexual friends.
Yet this certainly wasn’t the case with Lee; this was just the way Lee was, probably the way he always had been. Sasuke wondered if the guy was even capable of insincerity. Why did Lee have to be so touchy feely?
“Thanks?”
“In fact, I see you guys marrying one day! It’s legal now! And you’ll grow old together, and I’ll be old too! But I’ll still run. I won’t stop until the day my legs give out from under me!”
Lee was on the track team, and it was no wonder why. He certainly had the energy for it, the living personification of the exclamation point. In fact, despite giving himself a stress fracture from overexertion just six weeks ago, Lee was already training for next season. Honestly, as much as Lee could get on Sasuke’s nerves, he respected him for his dedication, resilience, and authenticity.
Despite how oddly the encouragement had been worded, it caused Sasuke to smile, if only somewhat. Naruto’s eyes were on the road (thank whatever deity), and Itachi was looking out the back window calmly.
“I don’t doubt that,” Sasuke answered vaguely, though his voice conveyed a slight bit of warmth.
Lee laughed heartily, his laughter audible to Naruto and even Itachi.
“You can bet on it, Sasuke!”
Sasuke smirked, his own breed of affirmation.
“Anyhow, we’re all tired, and Naruto can’t talk worth a damn while driving, so I’m…”
“Oh, of course! I’m so sorry to have tired you further!”
“Don’t sweat it. See you Monday.”
Lee was, after all, one of the many members of their lunch group.
“Monday, Sasuke. Bon voyage!”
“Bye.”
Sasuke was much relieved to press the “end call” button.
“Lee is the coolest!” Naruto chimed in.
“No talking from you,” Sasuke ordered. “Just drive.”
Sasuke did allow Naruto to speak through the mountains, but only if he promised to keep his focus. This was no easy task for Naruto, as he’d just had what he termed a “life-changing experience.” Once they’d returned to flat ground, Sasuke allowed Naruto a little more reign. This was all familiar territory for Naruto and posed no issues.
Now, they neared the intersection just before the Uchiha residence.
“It seems so much faster on the way home!” Naruto remarked.
“Probably because you were about to piss yourself the whole way there,” Sasuke mumbled.
“Well, I’d never seen snow before. Can ya blame me?”
Sasuke and Itachi both smiled.
“I suppose not,” Sasuke conceded as Naruto rolled up the driveway.
Naruto’s car, a red sedan which had a large dent on the bumper from the day Naruto bought it, waited for them on the street curb. Familiar with the layout of Itachi’s car, Naruto reached for the button on the front visor to open the garage door. Once Naruto had parked the car, all three left it. It still surprised Sasuke how much the temperature could change over such a relatively short drive. It was hardly light jacket weather.
Naruto had driven himself to Sasuke’s house so that the three could leave for the mountains together. Also, Sasuke and Naruto had planned on hanging out at Naruto’s house after they returned. Itachi would be staying home accumulating some billable hours for a client tonight, and Iruka had vaguely referenced having some sort of “plans” at around seven in the evening. Naruto and Sasuke had had such little time alone today, so it would work perfectly.
Itachi yawned while getting out of his backseat.
“So, you guys are heading out now, huh?” Itachi asked.
Naruto nodded, so Sasuke didn’t bother to respond.
“Do either of you want anything to eat before the drive? It’s been a long day.”
“Itachi, you should know by now never to offer me free food,” Naruto joked, grinning.
Itachi chuckled quietly.
“It’s really no trouble, Naruto. You’re welcome to anything in the house.”
“Like hell he is,” Sasuke interrupted. “Last time you said that, he ate all of my Triscuits.”
“They were just lying out there!” Naruto shouted defensively. This wasn’t the first time this incident had been used against him. “I was hungry!”
Indeed, he remembered finding the evidence very clearly, a trail of cracker crumbs on the carpet and on the corner of Naruto’s lips. Sasuke had just gotten out of the shower.
“You finished two full boxes in thirty minutes, and they were dill flavored. They don’t sell that anywhere in a twenty mile radius!”
“Sasuke, I’m kinda concerned that you would know something like that,” Naruto said, but Itachi didn’t look surprised.
“I’ve lived in this town my entire life. I know where to find my Triscuits.”
“Weirdo,” Naruto jabbed.
Naruto took mental note to find these dill-flavored Triscuits and buy Sasuke a year-long supply come Christmas. That is, if they’d even keep that long. How long do Triscuits keep anyway? Suddenly, Naruto noticed that the brothers were looking at him. They seem to have asked him something. That’s what he got for being distracted.
“Huh?” Naruto asked.
“Itachi asked you if you wanted anything to eat. Again.”
Naruto shook his head.
“Nah, actually I’m good this time. I have more leftovers than I know what to do with back home.”
Itachi nodded.
“I’m fine too,” Sasuke added.
“Alright. Call me if you need anything. Will I be seeing you again tonight, Sasuke?”
“Probably not,” Sasuke shrugged. “I’ll call you and tell you either way before you go to bed though.”
“Sounds good.”
With that, Itachi waved. Sasuke and Naruto left the garage, and Itachi closed it after them. Naruto walked up to his car with the chipped red paint. It wasn’t his favorite color, but it was close. As the two of them walked, they noticed that there was a slight wind, and the downcast sky was barely drizzling.
“She waited for us all this time!” Naruto stated with a grin, affectionately patting the roof of his car. Sasuke rolled his eyes, getting into the passenger seat. The upholstery was black leather, just slightly cracked from thirteen years of sun exposure. The odometer read 179,989 miles. Naruto cranked the ignition, holding it in place for that extra second his car needed to get up and running. He backed up off of the curb, laughing to himself. Sasuke perked a brow.
“Hey, Sasuke, look…” Naruto said, continuing to navigate his car around a Land Rover that had parked behind him. “I’m pulling out.”
“Che, idiot.”
Sasuke shook his head, questioning himself why he’d even bothered as Naruto’s car left the block, once again tinkering five to ten miles per hour above the speed limit as it approached its destination: a compact two-story townhouse on the opposite side of town.

Author's Note:
I apologize for getting so far off schedule. I had to unexpectedly have surgery on May 29 and was in two different car accidents, one of which was on the way home from my surgery! I wasn't driving for that one, though neither accident was my fault. No one was hurt, so no cause to worry about me. Even prior to the surgery, I spent about 40-50 hours a week in hospitals, which caused me to get sick right before surgery. I barely beat it in time. I'm recovering every day. I can't do much, now that I'm all laid up, but hopefully I can find the energy to do some writing in my spare time as I recuperate.
Hang in there, everyone. We're getting really close to the end! I sincerely appreciate the dedication of my readers and am so sorry I've left you in suspense!
Anyhow, be sure to tell me what you think. I hope everyone enjoyed.
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