Work Text:
Naruto and Sasuke were less than pleased to be crossing the Village gates with their hands still stuck together.
Kakashi nonchalantly checked them in, but Kotetsu and Izumo- the chuunin guards on duty- were clearly trying to hold back laughter. That is, until Sasuke turned a crimson scowl their way. Jeez, he’s pissed…
Naruto shuffled his feet antsily, wishing for all the world that they could just go already. It’s already embarrassing enough that all that happened when we were out in the woods. Now we have to walk around the Village like this…
His face had never burned so brightly from a blush before. He knew, without anyone having to tell him, that even his ears had gone red. The only saving grace was that Sasuke couldn’t make fun of him, because his were, too.
“Alright, kiddies, you’re free to go. You know where to find me if something comes up.”
“Okay, sensei…”
Sasuke only snorted in response, tugging Naruto by the arm.
“Let’s go, usuratonkachi.”
Naruto stumbled, whining already.
“What the hell, Sasuke?!”
“Let’s go .”
“Go where?” he demanded, righting himself and power-walking to keep up. Damn him and his long legs…!
“Market.”
“What?! No way!” he cried, digging his heels in. Sasuke grunted, putting his whole body into dragging Naruto along.
“We have to go if you want to eat!”
“Why can’t we just go to Ichiraku?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“So what, you’re gonna make dinner?” he scoffed. Sasuke rolled his eyes, shoulders dropping with a huff.
“ Yes . Now can we go?”
“Wh-!”
Sasuke pulled hard enough that the weird gooey substance coating their hands snapped, making Naruto stumble forward again.
“Ugh! Stupid-!” He shook his head. “What do you mean, Sasuke? Are you really gonna make us both dinner?”
“What else would I do?”
“Get Ichiraku!”
“No! We went before the mission, I’m not going again.”
“Why not? It’s the best food in the world!”
“It’s higher in salt than the damn ocean, dobe. You wanna make me sick while we’re stuck together like this?”
Naruto pouted. He does have a point. He always seems off after too much salt…
“Can you even cook?” he asked instead, ignoring Sasuke’s question altogether. Sasuke just groaned, frustrated that they were stopping again.
“ Yes , usuratonkachi. Now can we go before the market closes?”
Naruto pursed his lips. Hmm… on the one hand, I could probably annoy him into Ichiraku. But on the other… I could find out if Sasuke’s any good. And if he’s not, I can make fun of him for it ’til the end of time…
“Fine, fine! Let’s go, ya bastard.”
Thankfully, with the sun nearly set, most people were already inside having dinner. The market strip was relatively empty, mostly older shinobi and hospital workers getting off first shift. Still, Naruto felt uneasy as Sasuke wove them through alleys and stopped at different stalls. They’re staring. And it’s not just ‘cause our hands are glued together…
No, Naruto and Sasuke individually were subject to their own unique stares. Sasuke received pity, awe, and intrigue; Naruto hatred, scorn, and revulsion. But where Naruto felt hyperaware of every set of eyes that swept over them, Sasuke seemed totally unfazed. He picked his veggies carefully and saddled Naruto with the job of carrying all the bags, then snagged a cut of pork belly just before the butcher’s stall closed for the night. Not once did Sasuke look back at any of the people who passed them by. He didn’t even acknowledge the fact that they were looking to begin with. He just led Naruto out and into the mostly-empty streets of his neighborhood. How does he ignore it like that? Doesn’t it bother him?
Naruto wanted to ask, but didn’t.
Sasuke’s building had an elevator. Naruto’s nose wrinkled. Were the Uchiha loaded or something? I could never afford someplace so fancy… It didn’t matter that the thing shuddered and jolted the whole way up, or that the ceiling was mildewy. It’s still better than the broken stairs in my building…
Naruto’s suspicions were confirmed when Sasuke opened the door to his apartment. It’s really nice, too… The walls were painted a soft cream color, touched pink by the evening light. The floors were scuffed and his appliances were nowhere near new, but it was clean and sturdy. There were no spider-web cracks through his ceiling, no holes punched in the walls, no missing floorboards and no roaches scattering for cover when he flicked on the lights.
“What the hell?!” he squawked before he could tighten the lid on his big stupid mouth. Sasuke raised a brow, setting their groceries out on the kitchen table and sorting the ingredients.
“What?”
“Your place!”
“What about it?”
“You’re rich!”
Sasuke snorted.
“Hardly.”
“Then how-?”
“Unlike you, I’m actually responsible for the place I live.” Naruto’s head reared back with an affronted flare of his nostrils.
“And just what does that mean, you little bastard?!”
“It means I learned how to repair my piece of shit apartment instead of letting it rot around me,” he replied pointedly, tugging Naruto closer by their glued hands. “Make yourself useful and help me cut this.”
Naruto pouted, but he relented nonetheless. His stomach was starting to make its presence known. Sooner I cooperate, sooner I get dinner… Sasuke decided to start with the meat, making Naruto hold it down with a big fork while he cut at it with a knife. Their ridiculous glob acted as a paperweight, keeping the cutting board from shifting beneath them.
He could tell that Sasuke was relaxing. It was weird seeing the stiff set of his jaw and shoulders loosen even a bit, but it put Naruto at ease too. Naruto swayed and hummed to himself as they worked. The meat was simmering while they cut vegetables on a new board. Sasuke set the rice cooker going. He seemed unbothered by Naruto’s noises and movements. It was… pleasant.
Until Naruto opened his big mouth again, that is.
“So… are we gonna, like… talk about it?”
Sasuke’s jaw ticked, the only thing betraying his otherwise impassive expression.
“Talk about what, usuratonkachi?”
“Earlier! During the mission!”
Sasuke sighed heavily, stirring the veggies into a simmering broth.
“What’s there to talk about?”
“What’s there not to talk about! We’re keeping the same damn secret and you don’t wanna talk about it?!”
“Not so loud!” he hissed, eyes big. “The walls here are like paper!”
Naruto rolled his eyes, but consciously lowered his voice anyway.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Why didn’t you?” Sasuke shot back.
“You know why!”
“Then you know why I didn’t, either!”
“… oh, right…”
Sasuke shook his head, pushing his hair back from his eyes as he turned the pork over in a pan. He wiggled the pieces around, making sure they were evenly coated in the teriyaki sauce he’d whipped up so quickly Naruto had hardly noticed him making it.
“It’s… nice…” Sasuke started, haltingly, as if he were pulling the words out with a rope. “To know there’s… someone else like me…”
Naruto just stared at him for a long moment, heart thudding in his chest.
“Really?”
He shrugged. Naruto licked his lips, considering the situation.
“Yeah, I guess it is kinda nice, huh? I’ve never had someone I could talk about it with before. You?” Sasuke shook his head. “So yeah, I guess… I guess that is nice…”
Sasuke’s lips bowed, one corner raised just slightly. He’s… smiling…?
Naruto had never seen a genuine, happy smile from him before. Smirks of the smug and teasing varieties were Sasuke’s default. Occasionally he offered a grimace that resembled a smile, but filled with anger, fear, or anxiety instead of joy. This was… something else. It was warm and soft as the setting sun, framed by midnight hair and a glimmering star in the night of his eye. He’s so… pretty …
Sasuke nodded. Naruto forgot what he was even agreeing with. Jeez, this bastard is distracting me again, and this time he’s not even doing anything…!
“Our situations are different, but… there’s a thread of understanding there. Right, Naruto?”
His breath came just a bit faster. It always did when Sasuke actually used his name.
“Yeah…” he agreed, hardly more than a whisper. He shook his head and cleared his throat, picking up the spoon to stir the veggies while Sasuke occupied himself with checking the rice. “Yeah, uh, I get it, y’know? I mean, we were both kinda… born wrong that way, y’know?”
Sasuke’s lips pursed.
“Not wrong. Just different.” Naruto quirked a brow.
“Yeah? How d’ya figure?”
“Our bodies work, don’t they? We’re shinobi. We couldn’t be if it caused us major problems.”
He shimmied his shoulders.
“This thing’s getting annoying, though.”
“Your binder?” He nodded. “Yeah, mine, too... Maybe after dinner?” Sasuke just nodded again.
“Nearly finished.”
“It smells good.”
“It is good.” Naruto snorted.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Like your opinion matters, ramen boy.”
“Hey! Don’t use ramen’s name in vain!”
They bickered through the rest of the cooking, but had to stop and concentrate on moving everything to the table and plating it. They only spilled a bit of the instant miso soup Sasuke insisted they add as another component to the meal.
“Haven’t you ever heard of leftovers? This would normally last me three meals.” He shot Naruto one of those infuriating smirks of his. “But you eat like an animal when it’s something you like, so I doubt there will be anything left.” Naruto huffed at him.
“You’re so co… kor…korsheeted? Ker… cheated?” Damn it… “No, it’s con… Consh...“
“Conceited?” Sasuke finished, smug smirk now firmly affixed.
“Screw you, bastard!”
“Yap yap yap, that’s all you do. Just shut up and eat, dobe.”
They attempted to sit with Sasuke on the end, Naruto to the side, and the goop resting on a corner, but it kept sliding off the table and jerking them both back. So instead, they were forced to sit side-by-side, shoulders flush to keep their joined hands from falling off the edge again. Sasuke ate like a bird as usual, while Naruto begrudgingly shoveled it in.
“I take it the food is good, then?” Sasuke asked, blowing on a spoonful of miso.
“Only because I helped,” he grumbled stubbornly.
To his surprise, Sasuke actually laughed. It was barely more than a breath, but he heard the hint of a chuckle in it.
“You’re a real piece of work, usuratonkachi.”
“Like you aren’t!”
“Hn… never said I wasn’t.”
Cleaning up was just as difficult as actually making the meal, and getting undressed was practically impossible.
“We’re gonna have to cut this off,” Sasuke decided after several minutes of struggling.
“Aw, but I like this shirt!”
“It’s just a black shirt, Naruto, it can be replaced.”
“But the binder! These are so expensive, y’know!” he whined, flopping back onto the floor. Sasuke had no choice but to follow with a forced “oof!”
“Well, yeah, but there’s a way to do it…”
He traced a finger up the side seam of Naruto’s shirt.
“I have a seam ripper. Could probably sew it back together after…”
“You know how to sew?”
“You don’t?”
“Nobody ever taught me.”
Sasuke glanced over at that. There was something… oddly serious in his eyes, but a weird softness in his face. It made Naruto’s face feel warm.
“I’ll teach you, then.”
Naruto blinked at him.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
He turned away, pushing himself back up and tugging on their connection to bring Naruto up with him.
“You should know how anyway. Gods forbid you need to stitch your own wounds one day.”
“I know how to stitch, I was just freaking out! And that was one time-!”
Just like that, they were back to their usual selves. But Naruto could feel something was different between them. It was something in Sasuke’s smile as they sat together hand-sewing their binders.
It made the warm feeling move into Naruto’s chest, glowing there as they worked together.