Chapter Text
The sun shone down from the cloudless and perfectly blue sky in Hi no Kuni, the Land of Fire, providing a bit of warmth on this otherwise fairly cold autumn day. The leaves of the deciduous trees were beginning to turn all shades of brown, red and yellow, painting the scenery in warm colors while they scattered around everywhere.
"Tell me again, Sasuke. Why is it that Sakura-chan gets to stay at the house while we have to dig around in the dirt out here? And anyway, what kind of a mission is this? Field work? We're ninjas, not farmers or something…" Naruto let out a frustrated sigh while reaching for the next sugar beet, ripping it out of the soil and brushing off the remnants of dirt before putting it into the wheelbarrow beside him.
"Your complaints aren't getting us anywhere so would you just shut up already," Sasuke responded rather annoyedly and moved away from his blond comrade. And even though Naruto was sure that the Uchiha liked this mission just as much as he did, he dropped the topic… for now.
In Naruto's opinion this was one of the most tedious D-rank missions he's ever been assigned to. Didn't Kakashi have a little bit more faith in them to be handling C-rank missions by now? Instead, team seven was quite a few kilometres outside the village of Konohagakure on a little farm only run by an elderly couple. It's expected that they would need several days helping to reap and sow on all those fields with different crops - mainly being pumpkins and sugar beets - especially when there was close to no functioning agricultural equipment at all.
"How did that granny even manage to do anything alone since the old man fell ill? It's so much physical work!" the blond shinobi wondered but Sasuke didn't even care to react in the slightest. In fact, he just got away even farther from Naruto which didn't go unnoticed by him. It made the blond wonder what was up with him because it appeared that he annoyed the black-haired boy more than usual… But then again it could be his imagination driven by the fact that he was spending a lot of time only with him at the moment while Sakura and Kakashi were absent doing whatever.
Either way he knew that there was no avail to ask him about it. When Sasuke was annoyed, there was no chance you would get a proper answer to anything out of him, and at the same time when Naruto was the one to ask, it would be guaranteed to end in a fight, verbal or - even more probable - physical. And right now, the Uzumaki wasn't in the mood to fight with his comrade and rival.
He just wanted to keep complaining about the work they had to do, at least get a tiny reaction out of the Uchiha once in a while and get it over with as quickly as possible. We'd be a lot faster if Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei were helping… What's sensei doing anyway? Disappearing right after we arrived two days ago. More people would mean less work for each one of them, wouldn’t it? Wait a moment…
"That's it!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly out of the blue, but Sasuke still moved on with his work, not listening to his teammate. Meanwhile the blond chaos ninja brought his hands together to form a specific seal. "Kagebunshin no jutsu!" In an instant there were two more Narutos standing right beside the real one, one of them immediately running towards the Uchiha who was quite a distance away by now.
"Need some help, Sasuke?" the bunshin asked in a loud, enthusiastic voice for which Sasuke shot him a glare over his shoulder that went unnoticed by the real Naruto but affected the bunshin’s mood instantly. "What's the deal with him, really… ungrateful bastard…" Naruto's bunshin muttered irritated but got to work beside the black-haired shinobi, nonetheless.
It wasn't until Sakura came to bring them some food in the late afternoon that Naruto and Sasuke spoke or even interacted with each other again, the weather not once drifting away from its pleasant sunshine.
"Aww Sakura-chan, you're the best, really! I think I would've died from starvation if I had to wait until supper, I swear!" Naruto happily shouted while running towards her, standing beside a tree stump at the end of the field.
"What a great ninja,” Sasuke began teasingly, “does nothing but complain about easy tasks, annoys the ones that actually work and dies after six hours without food. Just wow." Without so much as looking at Naruto, the Uchiha slowly walked over to the pink haired kunoichi, grabbed a bento from her and examined its contents. Sakura watched her beloved Sasuke with hearts in her eyes - did she even hear what he'd said? - while Naruto on the other hand stopped in his tracks and now stood a few meters away from his teammates, dumbfounded, his clones continuing to work behind him.
Several seconds of silence passed, in which Naruto felt the anger starting to rise in his insides. It took him quite a bit of willpower to calm down enough to not immediately start a fight with that bastard. He wouldn't have minded normally but with Sakura there he didn't want to upset her. She always got so worked up when they fought, and the blond didn’t like to be the reason for that.
"Fuck this shit…" he mumbled eventually, turned on the spot and walked back to the field with hurried steps, his hunger fading to nothingness thanks to the swirling fury in his stomach. It seemed to take Sakura a few moments to realize what was happening on Naruto's side.
"Hey! What about the food, you idiot?! I didn't bring it for nothing!" she yelled but Naruto just kept going.
Why did Sasuke make him so damn furious with that stupid attitude and that stupid emotionless face of his?! "Bastard…" Naruto muttered rather loudly so that his nearby bunshin shot him a questioning look. Was it really too much to ask to be nice once in a while? Yeah, it wasn't unusual for them to bicker and fight, they were rivals after all. But somehow today felt different… to Naruto at least. And it bugged him to no end that he didn't know what exactly it was, that seemed to be out of order. Absent-minded he picked up the field work again, making sure that his back was facing his teammates. Why do I even bother about his shitty behavior? As if I'd care about such a jerk…
After a little while Naruto saw Sasuke return to work without even once looking his way and when he turned around, Sakura was already out of sight. Instead, there laid a bento box on the stump where the others had been standing before. Naruto's stomach decided to draw his attention to how hungry he really was by making a loud growling noise. Well, there were two possibilities. First, it was the full bento box that was supposed to be for the Uzumaki or second, it was the empty box that the black-haired bastard had placed there.
The blond really didn't want to go back to get the probably empty box and yet again get laughed at by his rival but… Argh, what am I getting so insecure for! Just go get that stupid bento box already! Naruto tried to convince himself. Cautiously he glanced over to Sasuke. He had his back turned to him, both his bunshin, and the place where their water bottles and the bento stood. His gaze wandered back to the food. A second box was nowhere in sight. Maybe he could just pretend to drink a bit and then check if there was something left to eat or not. Yeah, that actually sounded like a good plan.
Thus, Naruto laid down his work and walked over to the stump, keeping track of Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. Bending down to reach for his water, the Uzumaki thought about how high the chances were that Sakura would bring him food and then just take it away again. No, she wouldn’t be that mean. On the other hand, who said Sasuke hadn't done something funny to Naruto's bento? While drinking, the blond shinobi took turns mustering the box and the back of Sasuke's head.
Okay, he'd made enough of a fuss about all of this. The Uchiha wasn't even paying attention so even if it was empty, he wouldn't notice the embarrassment. Slowly Naruto put down the bottle and reached out for the bento, weighing it in his hand. It felt heavy. Naruto's stomach growled again in gleeful anticipation. With a quiet click the box opened and revealed its contents. Food! Fucking finally! In an instant the blond grabbed the chopsticks lying inside of the box, shoved everything into his mouth and was finished in what felt like mere seconds. Actually, he wouldn't mind another portion but for now this would be enough to give him a little energy for the rest of the day. Until it was time for dinner of course.
With a content expression, a sigh escaping his lips and a hand rubbing his belly, he turned around to go back to the field. In the process he couldn't help but steal a glance in Sasuke's direction even if he didn't know what he'd expected to find. Surely it wasn't his teammates eyes on him which Sasuke drove away the instant their gazes met. Huh. What's there to look at? A little bit irritated but content nonetheless, Naruto got to work besides his bunshin again, letting his thoughts wander to what delicious food he could expect at dinner and not at all thinking about the black-haired boy just several meters away from him. Nope, definitely not a single thought in his direction… Or so he told himself.
~ *** ~
"Is there something wrong, Naruto-kun? Don't you like the food?" the elderly woman named Hirayama asked, when all the blond shinobi had been doing for the last minutes at the dining table was digging in his food without even trying to eat anything. As if ripped out of deep thoughts, Naruto flinched and seemed caught whatever for.
"A- ah no, I'm sure it's delicious. I'm just not hungry, y'know… Would it be okay to leave?" Naruto returned unusually quiet, causing Sakura's expression to turn into something that could faintly be read as concern if the Uzumaki had bothered to look her way. Instead, he got up holding his gaze low, apologised for not eating the food and hurried to get away from the table… and particularly Sasuke.
Why. He bit down on his lower lip in order to get a hold of himself. Why do I react like that? As if it was new to be ignored, avoided … hated even. So why?! He bit harder, trying to bury the uprising anger over himself but more importantly to bury the disappointment. Naruto opened the door to the room he shared with his comrade. Or could he even call him that? He didn't bother turning on the light nor changing his clothes, he just tossed his jacket and shoes into a corner, got rid of his pants on the way and headed straight for his futon, throwing himself onto it face first. For a couple of minutes, he just laid there, head buried in his pillow while trying not to think about anything at all… but failing miserably.
Here I am, proving to be the idiot everyone believes me to be… because I thought he would be different, he thought bitterly.
Earlier that evening, when the work on the fields had been finished for the day and they had been on their way back to the house, Naruto hadn't wondered about Sasuke's silence because it wasn't a rare occurrence. But the moment he'd dispelled both his bunshin, he had gotten all their memories, most notably the ones of the bunshin that had worked with the Uchiha. That's when his mood had dropped instantly.
He'd been cursed about for nothing at all, glared at with so much dislike in the Uchiha's eyes, and in the end avoided as if he was contagious. At that moment Naruto had felt a sting in his chest like someone had stabbed him with a kunai. Obviously, Sasuke hadn't minded that Naruto had been falling back behind him, being unusually quiet on their way back. Or he hadn't even noticed at all… It's not that it was a rarity to get the cold shoulder from the black-haired boy but the extent of negativity he'd felt this time - and this only against a bunshin - was so strong that it was clearly out of normal.
Fuck, Naruto cursed in his thoughts when he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn't let it get to him this much. That Sasuke bastard wasn't everything. There were other people he could be on good terms with. Sakura for example. Sure, she didn't like him that much but…
Footsteps.
Oh God, that has to be him! He couldn't face Sasuke right now. Not like this. Naruto hurried in almost panicky speed to get under his sheets facing away from the entrance. Just in time it seemed because said door opened just a few seconds after but then all there came was silence. Nothing was to be heard for long moments and Naruto felt the pressure rise, thinking about Sasuke's eyes lying on him with an expression he didn't want to imagine, before the door was eventually slid shut. Then again, footsteps silently wandered away from him until they supposedly reached the bathroom.
After the bathroom door closed, Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Gasping for air he didn't dare to turn around. Was he overreacting? Maybe it wasn't as bad as it appeared to be? Maybe Sasuke didn't hate him, and it was just like their casual bickering they'd grown used to by time. But why did it not feel like that? What was it that had changed that Naruto couldn't put a finger on?
Argh! What the fuck! He wasn't the type to overthink things. This would get him nowhere, he had to ask him directly.
In that instant he heard the door to the bathroom slide open again and Sasuke coming out, seemingly getting ready for bed, and settling into his futon under the sheets.
Ask.
Just ask him, goddammit!
The nervousness rose with every second the longer he waited. The silence was deafening, he couldn't even hear his teammate breathe, even though he was so close beside him, their futons even touching. Minutes had passed until finally Naruto moved on the spot, now facing the Uchiha who was lying on his back. He couldn't tell if he was already asleep, but he had to get a grip of himself and try. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Fuck, he cursed. Why is this so hard all of a sudden?! He took a deep breath, calmed himself and tried again.
"Sasuke?" His voice was barely a whisper and if he hadn't heard it himself, he would have thought he'd failed to speak again. But even after waiting for seconds which felt like hours, he got no reaction.
His heart sank. What had he expected after a tiring day of work? That Sasuke would waste time lying around, waiting for Naruto to pour his heart out over whatever was wrong? He was about to turn around again, not being able to bear the image of his comrade right in front of him at the moment, when…
"Hm."
Was it his imagination or had Sasuke actually responded?
"Y- you awake?" Naruto tried cautiously, just as quietly as before.
"What is it." This time the response was clear but at the same time also the annoyance in his voice, sleepiness entirely absent. But he couldn't back down now.
"Can I ask you something?" this time a little bit louder but all the same cautious.
"What is it," he repeated, even more annoyed than before. Was it normal to be so happy that your heartbeat appeared to flutter only by getting a response, even if it was with such present annoyance?
"Uhm…" Now Naruto was unsure of how to phrase what was bugging him and he suddenly felt dumb.
"Usuratonkachi…" His tone became threatening.
"Ah. Uhm… I just - I just wanted to ask something, y'know…" Naruto repeated unnecessarily.
"Then ask."
"Uh, sure. Hehe. Uhm… actually I just thought… am I - am I really just a nuisance?" After letting it out he felt like explaining it further immediately. "Like… is it really that horrible being with me?"
Now he had spoken it out. And the silence that was spreading yet again was telling him that Sasuke hadn't been expecting a question like this. He shifted in his futon, now turning his back to Naruto. His heartbeat sped up because he was afraid of being ignored. But then came his answer.
"Who would even consider liking someone like you."
His tone was as indifferent as ever. He didn't care in the slightest about this topic which on the contrary was so utterly important to Naruto. And this was the second time that day Naruto felt like he was being stabbed. He didn't know how to react, being overwhelmed by the negativity of Sasuke's answer, cutting a deep wound into his chest right where his heart sat. Sure, he hadn't been expecting nice words or anything like that, but this answer wasn't even a joke. It sounded like he wanted to get rid of him completely.
I'm not wanted… again.
Naruto turned around again, facing the bare wall. If this really was what he wanted, maybe Naruto should just back off and bury his hope of finally having found someone to call a comrade, a rival and - someday - even a friend. His breathing became shallow, a lump forming in his throat and his breaths now matching the fast pace of his heartbeat.
No matter what I do, I'm nothing but a nuisance.
Obviously, he'd misunderstood where their relationship was headed… horribly. There was nothing left to be said so all Naruto could do was being as quiet as possible while getting used to the pain in his chest. He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted iron, in a desperate attempt to keep the uprising tears from falling.