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They pull into the gas station at around 2AM. It’s a self service pump, open twenty-four hours. The rumble of the motorcycle is loud in the silence of the night, announcing their presence some time before they stop at the second pump. They both take off their helmets.
Naruto blinks wearily, half asleep despite the movement and noise. Now his ears ring with quiet, and he squints against the glare of artificial lights. Mito glances down at him briefly before moving off. He wobbles slightly but stays on the seat, much colder now that the heat from her body has rescinded.
The little convenience store has a single light on. It’s still open, miraculously enough, despite the late hour. A place like this probably didn’t get a lot of business this late, so staying open the whole day seems a waste of money. It’s probably a family owned business. Or somewhere that deals in under the table payments. Either way, it’s better for them.
They haven’t come all this way to deal with reputable establishments.
Naruto is too short to get down alone, being all of six years old and small for his age. Mito grips him under the armpits and puts him on the ground. His legs and butt tingle from sitting for so long. He runs around a bit to get rid of the feeling, while Mito focuses on refueling. There’s nothing else of interest around aside from the convenience store. They rode up a long, empty interstate bordered by empty fields and forests, and though it’s dark, that’s about all that he can see before them as well.
He looks back to Mito. Her red hair is pulled up and out of her face, and her dark eyes scan their surroundings with knife-like precision. Her motorcycle helmet hangs from the handlebar. Compared to him, she is tall and strong. His protector.
A door opens. The chime of a bell fills the air.
Naruto scurries away from the road and back to Mito. She glances sharply to the convenience store doors as a figure steps out. The only other car is parked by the side, so the person exiting has to be the worker.
“Late night for you, isn’t it?”
Mito doesn’t put her hand out for Naruto. It’s smarter to keep her hands free. She finishes refueling and gives the man — because it is a man — a careful look. Nothing about her expression screams approachable.
“Can I help you?” Her words are colder than the night, and though she remains relaxed, Naruto knows she can react faster than light.
The man comes closer, just enough so he’s illuminated under the lights. He doesn’t try to get into their space, keeping a good distance between them. He’s an older fellow — well, from Naruto’s perspective. A shock of silver hair defies gravity, but the color doesn’t suit the age. It’s either dyed or natural. Naruto thinks he looks kind, with crows feet and a soft look in dark eyes.
“No, no, I’m not here to trouble you.” The man gives a small grin to Naruto, who blinks wide blue eyes in return. “Just wondering if you needed anything.”
“We don’t. Just gas.”
The picture they paint is an odd one. A child and a woman alone in the early hours of the morning, their only mode of transportation being a motorcycle. There’s nothing strange about it to Naruto, who sees it as cool. He’s not yet old enough to get societal norms just yet, if he ever does at all.
“Dad?”
Mito snaps to attention, her eyes flickering over the man’s shoulder. At the entrance to the storefront is a child, a bit older than Naruto and perhaps only an inch or two taller. He has the same wild, silver hair as his father. The Uzumaki woman looks back to the man. She still remains untrusting. Too many people use children to get others to lower their guard.
Naruto, however, perks up at the sight. He doesn’t get to interact with other children often. At the same time, his stomach rumbles rather audibly. The sound makes him shy back behind the motorcycle in embarrassment. He hasn’t eaten in the past ten hours and it’s starting to catch up to him.
“Hungry?” The man asks, his face still kind. “Kakashi, why don’t you grab some sandwiches from the freezer.”
Kakashi frowns, his cherubic face even cuter when it’s scrunched up. Still, he doesn’t complain and turns back into the store.
“We’re not—”
“It’s okay.” The man interrupts calmly. “Don’t worry about paying for it.”
“Sounds like a bad business plan.” Mito comments.
He shrugs in return. “I’m sure it won’t hurt us too badly.”
Kakashi returns, cautiously approaching them with a large paper bag in hand. He comes up right behind his dad, glancing from Mito to Naruto. He seems to come to some conclusion and approaches Naruto.
Smart.
Naruto peeks at the older boy and the goodies in his hands. He takes it when the bag is held out to him, staring very intently at Kakashi. The older boy’s cheek flush crimson and he huffs before turning away.
The man laughs at his son.
In the bag are a few sandwiches, chips and two bottles of Gatorade. It’s more food than Naruto expected, and he practically bounces in place.
“Thank you!” He exclaims, beaming brightly at Kakashi.
Again, the boy’s face burns, this time all the way up to his ears. He’s so pale that the flush is easily visible on his face. Kakashi merely grunts and retreats back to his father, surreptitiously hiding behind the man’s leg.
Naruto’s stomach rumbles again. It’s another two hours to the safe house. He’s not sure he can wait so long to eat. He glances at Mito, who returns the look with one of her own. It’s more calculating. The cogs turn very carefully in her mind.
“Feel free to eat inside.” The man offers, patting Kakashi on the head and smushing some of those silvery spikes.
Mito sighs. “Ten minutes.”
“Yay!” Naruto practically drops the bag in his hurry, running towards the storefront. “Hey, hey, Kakashi, let’s eat together!”
“What—why would I—Hey! Let go! What are you—!”