Chapter Text
“I’m heading out, don’t wait up!” Haku tried his best to get to the door before Zabuza did, but the older man seemed to materialize in front of him despite the fact that Haku was sure he had been across the apartment a second ago.
“Hold on a second. Where are you going?” To everyone else Zabuza looked intimidating. With his arms crossed his muscles bulged, the mask he wore constantly hid most of his emotions rather effectively, and the way he towered over people had caused those who didn’t know him to shake with fear. Haku knew better and rolled his eyes at the display. He had lived with the man since he was nine and he was much more afraid of Zabuza’s cooking than the man’s looming presence.
“I told you earlier, I have another date with Naruto.” Haku tried to sneak around Zabuza but the man moved to block his path.
Zabuza was unfazed by the glare Haku sent him and pretended to look thoughtful. “Naruto huh? You still dating that boy?”
This earned him another eye roll. “Yes. And he’s not a boy.” Haku tried to dodge around Zabuza from a different angle but again the older man moved to stand in his way.
“He’s young,” Zabuza pointed out, widening his stance to better obstruct the doorway.
“I'm only two years older than him,” Haku countered, still searching for a possible escape.
“Then he’s…” Trying to use Zabuza’s pause while thinking as a distraction Haku crept for the doorknob, only to find his wrist in an ironclad grasp. Zabuza stared down at him, frown clear even through the mask. “He’s something.”
“Energetic?” Knowing there was no escape now, Haku held up one hand in surrender. His other hand was not released from Zabuza's firm hold.
“I was going to say hyperactive. Are you sure about him, Haku? Naruto seems very different than you.” It was as close to a confession of worry as Zabuza could ever get. He and Haku both struggled with expressing themselves but had put in active work to communicate better over the last few years. The fact that he hadn’t just grunted out a response showed major progress on Zabuza’s part.
Haku nodded, trying his best to convey sincerity with his next words. “I think that’s part of his charm. I’m happy with him Zabuza.” After a few tense moments his arm was released and the older man stepped away from the door. Zabuza’s version of approval. It would have meant more to Haku if they didn’t go through something similar every time Haku went out on a date. He knew Zabuza was concerned but it was also a touch ridiculous.
“Fine, but don’t expect me to roll out the red carpet for him,” the man huffed as he stomped through the apartment, leaving Haku alone in the doorway.
Not wanting to be one-upped Haku couldn’t help but to shout back. “Since you don’t even do that for me I wouldn’t even begin to presume!”
“Get out of here brat!” came the response, but Haku didn’t miss the quiet words that followed it. “Enjoy your date.”
Haku made quick work of jogging down the stairs and out onto the city streets. Knowing he still had a bit of time before Naruto picked him up, Haku walked down the road to grab a coffee. It was getting closer to dusk, with the sun just beginning to set in the distance, but Naruto had insisted that they meet later in the day. When questioned he had only said that it was a surprise and he couldn’t let Haku know why or the surprise would be spoiled. The fact that Haku agreed to these terms in the first place spoke volumes on how influential Naruto had been in his life.
While in line for his coffee Haku thought back to just how much he had changed in the last few months. Before he and Naruto started dating he never would have agreed to a surprise date, especially one that would run the risk of keeping him up late. At the time he had called it control. He had been in control of himself so he never stayed up later than 11 PM, he never agreed to something he didn’t understand every detail of, he was always punctual and upright and proper. Looking back, Haku now knew that he hadn’t been in control so much as suffocating himself. It was torture to constantly be watching how he acted, constantly ready to reprimand himself if he stepped a toe out of line.
He was momentarily distracted by ordering and picking up his coffee but able to return to his thoughts as he walked out of the coffee shop and sipped at his latte. Haku began to wander to the restaurant that he and Naruto always met at. It was a little ramen place that Naruto loved and meeting there meant about fifty percent of their dates ended with them either sitting down at the restaurant or getting food to go. A year ago Haku would have been annoyed by Naruto’s ramen obsession. Now he found it charming and humorous. Naruto seemed to have that effect on him.
Then again, the biggest change wasn’t Haku’s ability to loosen up. No, it was his new found love of being complimented. A year ago his rigidity would have never allowed him to accept a compliment he didn’t think he deserved, meaning he never accepted them at all. Naruto, however, changed that. The other man was constantly complimenting him. “You look amazing today!” “That top is cute on you!” “Your hair is so pretty!” Simple little words, never well thought out but always extremely genuine. Haku had tried to resist them as long as possible, denying them and telling Naruto that he only said them because they were dating. This had come to a head when Naruto had sat him down at a secluded corner of his favorite restaurant and asked him to stop, explaining that it was very upsetting that Haku constantly fought against the comments. In Naruto’s own words, it worried him because it made him think that Haku didn’t understand just how amazing he was. And Haku hadn’t, not at the time. It had taken quite a bit of work to be able to accept that he wasn’t being humble not accepting a compliment, he was denying that he had redeeming traits to begin with. It was a deeply rooted problem but one that he was proud to say he was making progress on.
Haku took out his phone to check the time, then paused for a moment to use his camera to examine his appearance. His hair was straighten and silky, styled with half of it pulled back into a loose bun with the other half framing his face. At Naruto’s insistence he dressed in something warmer, despite the mild weather. He had gone with a simple light blue t-shirt and a dark red hoodie that Naruto had lent him but never asked to be returned. He wore black skinny jeans and light blue high-top converse to round out the outfit. It was simple but he knew Naruto would like it.
A text notification buzzed through as Naruto explained that he was a few minutes away, followed by a slew of heart emojis. Haku replied with an affirmative, then a single red heart emoji of his own. Before Naruto, Haku had always thought emojis were silly and childish but he had never been on the receiving end of a text box full of nothing but heart emojis and declarations of love in the form of the little pictures. The first time Haku had replied with an emoji of his own Naruto’s response had been to start spamming him with even more emojis and sappy words. Haku couldn’t find it in himself to be mad, despite the fact that his phone hadn’t stopped buzzing at him for an hour. He had even taken screenshots to look back at the messages when he had a bad day.
Before he could pull up those screenshots to reminisce a hideous orange car pulled up beside the restaurant. The window of the Volkswagen Beetle rolled down, revealing Naruto’s grinning face leaning over the passenger seat.
“Hey Haku, hope you weren’t waiting long!” Naruto waved him over and Haku hopped in the rather run down car before it tore away. No ramen today then.
“I was just finishing up my drink.”
“Did you like it… a latte?”
Haku tried to hide the giggle behind his hand but Naruto’s grin told him that he wasn't successful. “Dork. I’ll have you know that you are correct, it was a latte and yes, I liked it a lot.”
“I’m hoping you like tonight as much as you liked your coffee then!”
“Do I get to know where we’re going yet or is that still a surprise?”
“If you really wanna know I’ll tell you but if it’s alright I’d like to keep it a surprise. It is a bit far away though. You alright with that?” Haku thought of the drive, the quiet music that would play in the background while Naruto chatted about anything that crossed his mind. The calm that was already washing over him as he relaxed into the worn out seat had him nodding, a smile already tugging at his lips.
“I don’t mind at all.” As predicted, Naruto spent most of their drive talking aimlessly. Haku responded at the appropriate times, his gaze alternating between the sunset and Naruto’s face. Unlike Haku, who usually kept his emotions to himself, Naruto wore his heart on his sleeve. Each emotion played out across his face, sometimes spreading into his gestures as well. He would frown, smile, laugh, pout, and smirk all in the span of a few minutes, making whatever story he was telling come alive. Haku couldn’t help but get lost in Naruto’s pure emotions and by the time he turned back to look out the window the sun had almost set entirely.
“Are we getting close?” Haku noted just far outside of the city they had gone, the tall buildings becoming tiny farm houses, the streetlights disappearing entirely.
“Yeah, we’re almost there. Do you remember my friend Kiba?”
“Yes. He’s studying veterinary medicine, right?”
Naruto nodded. “His family lives out here and they gave me the ok to hang out on their property whenever I want. Kiba showed me this spot that’s really cool and I wanted to show it to you.”
Hanging out on what was likely a farm wasn’t Haku’s first idea of a romantic date but he wasn’t about to say no to Naruto. The other man was so sincere. “That sounds lovely.” The smile he got in return practically lit up the dark car.
They drove on for about thirty more minutes before Naruto slowed down to turn onto a long dirt driveway. He stopped at a fork in the road, checked his phone, then nodded to himself and turned right. It was only a minute later before Naruto pulled over and parked.
“Alright, we’re here! Let me grab some blankets and stuff from the back real quick.” Haku nodded then climbed out of the car to look around. Despite the dark there was a full moon and plenty of stars illuminating the area. Naruto had parked the car about fifty feet away from a glittering lake, the trees around them thinning out enough to provide a clear view of the sky.
“Ok, think I got everything. Let’s go!” Naruto walked up beside him and in his arms were a pile of blankets and a shopping bag that appeared to be full of snacks. He led the way down to the lake, where he laid a blanket down a few feet from a creaky wooden dock. Once the blanket was spread out to his liking Naruto began to unpack his bag, handing Haku a bottle of green tea, a bag of chips, and a packet of his favorite fruit candy. Haku made himself comfortable on the blanket next to Naruto, who immediately began to tell the story about the first time he had visited the lake with Kiba and how they had both ended up falling into it not five minutes after arriving. Having met Kiba and seeing how he and Naruto teased each other, this didn’t surprise Haku at all.
After finishing their snacks and drinks they laid down on the blanket and huddled close, Naruto’s arm acting as a pillow for Haku’s head. Together they gazed up at the stars and Naruto began to make up wildly inaccurate tales for imaginary constellations that had Haku laughing so hard his stomach hurt. It was after one such laugh that Naruto went quiet. Haku turned to check on the other man and found him staring.
“Naruto? Everything alright?” If there was one thing Haku had learned about Naruto after all the time they spent together, it was that the other man was never quiet or still. He was constantly moving, making some kind of noise, so full of energy and life that he just couldn’t stop. To see him staring in silence with wide eyes was almost unnerving.
Haku waited for a response, not looking away from Naruto. The longer he waited, the more the tension that grew in his chest. This moment was important, something significant was about to happen. Naruto opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, finally ready to explain.
“You look really boot tonight.” It took both men a few moments to register what had been said, then in a sudden rush Naruto was sitting up, his hands covering his face. In the process he dislodged Haku, sending him rolling over to the far side of the blanket.
“Oh my god, I’m such an idiot. I wanted to say you looked cute but then I changed my mind to say you looked beautiful and I ended up saying that instead and oh my god, I’m so sorry. You don’t look like a boot, I promise.” Naruto continued to apologize and rant into his hands but Haku paid more attention to the man’s appearance instead. The moonlight was bright enough to be able to tell that Naruto was blushing and the way the light struck his hair caused it to shimmer a silvery hue. The shadows that fell down around him were stark but only helped to amplify his best features; how long his legs were, how broad his chest was, how wide his hands were. Haku wished he could see Naruto’s eyes, he had no doubt that they would practically glow even in the dim light.
When Haku finally came back to his senses he realized that Naruto hadn’t stopped talking. Still, he understood enough from the other man’s explanation at the start. Like always, Naruto was trying to be genuinely kind and compliment Haku, to the point that he had multiple compliments he wanted to give at one time. It was so Naruto that he couldn’t help but give a little laugh, only to stop when Naruto looked up, devastated. Quickly Haku sat up then leaned over, cupping Naruto’s face in his hands. The words escaped him before he had much chance to think about them. “Hey Naruto. You look very boot tonight too.”
Never had Naruto’s face been so red. It went from the top of his hairline to the collar of his shirt, even spreading to the tips of his ears. He began stuttering, shyly looking down even while Haku still had a hand on either side of his face.
After a full minute Naruto finally got a hold of himself to be able to speak a full sentence. “You really think I’m beautiful? And cute?”
“And so much more. I know I’m not always the best with words but you have done so much for me. You’ve shown me that the world doesn’t have to be cold. You brought warmth into my life, the first person to do so since Zabuza adopted me. I’ve never met anyone so bright, there are days when you beat out the sun. Naruto… I love you.” Haku had never poured his heart out like that. Certainly he hadn’t let himself be that open with someone before but now he could see why Naruto was constantly telling people how much he cared. The other man’s face was a mess of tears but his smile was so wide it must have hurt. He was a blubbering mess, unable to speak clearly but Haku caught a few words, enough to know Naruto was trying to reciprocate. He leaned in and gently kissed Naruto’s temple while the other man tried to regain control of his breathing. The kiss didn’t seem to help, however, because it caused Naruto’s breath to hitch and stutter along as he continued to try and speak. Haku moved back and began to gently stroke Naruto’s cheek with his thumb, wiping away the happy tears before they could get far.
The crying began to slow but the smile didn’t go away. As his breathing returned to a somewhat normal state, Naruto finally met Haku’s eyes. His earlier guess had been right, Naruto’s eyes were an amazing deep blue that seemed to glow, staring into Haku’s soul with so many emotions that he could never describe them all if he had to. “You really mean that?”
“Of course.” That simple confirmation had Naruto crying again, but the tears were slower this time. It was difficult to say who leaned in first but when Naruto spoke again his words were uttered onto Haku’s lips, the vibrations traveling to root themselves deep in his heart.
“I love you too, Haku.”