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“Naruto.”
Sasuke’s voice is stern and the tip of his slender black tail swishes left to right. Naruto’s pupils are wide, the usual slits almost round as they follow the movement.
“Seriously, Naruto, stop it.”
A bushy orange tail thumps against their wooden floorboards, natural wood because Sasuke wanted Naruto to feel at home.
Naruto’s nose twitches, making the whisker-like markings on his cheeks jump. His ears tip forwards, only moving when Sasuke speaks again.
“I dare you, you menace. Find something else to play-aaaaaah. That’s it!”
Sasuke pounces and Naruto winces below him. The reaction makes Sasuke chuckle, his fangs gleaming, gums tingling as he snaps his jaw and catches a black-tipped ear, nibbling playfully.
“Noooo! Sasuke! Ow ow ow, let go!”, Naruto whines, squirming and wriggling but never truly ripping himself away. He wants to be close to Sasuke. Always has. This is a game they have been playing since the day they met.
—————
The summer heat has been relentless. Mikoto makes sure her boys are donned in a ton of sunscreen to protect their delicate skin while Fugaku grunts, mumbling something under his breath his wife cuffs the back of his head for.
Sasuke loves the summer. It’s when he gets to play outside until the glowy worms come out, dancing in the fading light of the sun. He likes hunting them, just the way Itachi showed him. He lowers himself to the ground, tries to breathe as quietly as possible and lets his eyes focus. That is the hard part. His brother said it’s going to get easier with practice, that it’s an instinct he has to hone. He intends to do just that and what target would be better than glowing bugs in the twilight he has to force himself to watch and watch and…
“Aaaaaah!!”
Sasuke stumbles back, tripping over his still far too long tail, ears flat to the top of his head. What was that? Where did it come from? He was so focused on the bug, everything else had been fading out and now…
His eyes look around frantically, nose twitching, trying to discern where the noise came from but there’s nothing. Not even a scent he can catch which is strange—he’s good at smelling things! Mother has been telling him so and father’s grunt sounded approving when Sasuke managed to name every single herb mother had put into his breakfast this morning. So why can he not sense anything now? It was so loud a second ago, the fireflies jumped apart and are still in disarray. They’re beautiful.
A twig cracks and Sasuke turns his head immediately. He can feel his ears moving, turning forwards, left, right, trying to make sense of what they hear. Another crack… and then a whine.
Sasuke’s too curious for his own good. He inches forwards on all fours, moving as slowly and quietly as he can through the high grass and shrubbery.
The whining stops and then there’s a sniff. A rustle. Nothing.
Sasuke stays in place, tries to listen, to focus. There’s something between the blades of green in front of him. Orange. It’s orange and moving. What could—
“Raaaaaawr!”
The world tumbles and Sasuke shrieks, hisses. His claws dig into something soft, they scratch along skin and Sasuke’s heart flutters.
Someone attacked him. Someone tricked all of his senses and jumped him and now he’s buried beneath hot and heavy fur and a panting snout and…a grin? No. That’s pain on that face.
The mouth twists and Sasuke can see the yelp travel up a tan throat before he can hear it.
“Ooooowww, why would you do that?”, his attacker exclaims.
Sasuke swallows. His heart is still slamming against his ribs but beneath the panic, the heat of guilt arises.
“Sorry”, he mumbles, averting his eyes, “You surprised me.”
Sharp fangs glisten above Sasuke and there’s the grin he thought he’d seen earlier.
“Hell yeah, I did. Mom says I’m super good at hunting! I told you…”
The guy stops mid-sentence and cocks his head to the side. Fluffy orange ears twitch and Sasuke can see that they’re black at the tips. Cute. What kind of cat has markings like that?
Above him, the head reels back and behind it, Sasuke can see a tail—no—tails. Tails . Puffy and fuzzy and with a white tip, waving high in the air.
“You’re a fox,” Sasuke deadpans, meeting golden eyes again. The fox’s nostrils are flared wide, his breathing is ragged and he keeps swallowing.
“You’re a cat.”
Sasuke wants to cross his arms in defiance but the stupid fox is still on top of him, so instead he purses his lips, squirming and bucking until the other gives.
“Oomph, ow...”
They both sit up and dirty hands card through silky-looking orange fur. Sasuke’s ears twitch and his nose itches. The fox shakes his head and Sasuke sneezes. That has the other boy looking up, blinking at him.
“What?” Sasuke asks, defensive. Now he can finally cross his arms and look the part. Like father when he’s disappointed.
The fox shrugs, shudders and rises to his feet.
“Nothing, you’re just odd.”
“I’m odd?!”
Sasuke’s on his feet in an instant, wincing when he steps on the tip of his tail in the process, but not backing down. Not even when he sees the other look at him, ugly golden eyes focusing on the ground, on the place his tail is…
A thump and Sasuke screams. “Stop it!”
It is a little funny. The fox looks up at him now, the tip of Sasuke’s tail between his teeth. Sasuke can feel his jaw move when he tries to talk around it, not understanding a thing. And it tickles. The hairs on his arms stand up.
“Let go,” Sasuke demands and blonde hair moves frantically as the boy shakes his head. Sasuke thinks it’s a boy but it doesn’t matter because he’s yanking his tail and it hurts .
“Stop it!”
He’s screeching now, Shisui would laugh at him, a kitten calling for their mother, like a baby. His cheeks heat up.
The fox spits out his tail. It curls up instantly, Sasuke’s fingers soothing the places tiny pinpricks have punctured the skin. There’s no blood but his fur is still wet. Ew.
Sasuke makes a face and the fox grins triumphantly.
“Got you again!” he exclaims and Sasuke’s lower lip juts out.
“That was just luck! And you bit my tail!”
Another shrug.
“It was moving a lot.”
Sasuke gasps and takes a step back as grabby fingers reach out for him.
“Of course it was! It’s a tail!”
His gaze follows the way the fox turns his head to look at his own tails as if he forgot they were there.
“Mine don’t,” he says, then thumps both of them on the ground.
Sasuke huffs. “Well, maybe that’s because you’re dumb.”
He can see the fangs in the other’s mouth as he opens it to protest and readies himself for an attack of his own, ears tipping back.
The fireflies scatter again as Mother steps into the clearing. Leaves rustle and the fox is gone.
“Sasuke? Are you okay? I heard you scream and I…”
Mother smiles as he turns around with a pout. Her hands are soft in his hair and Sasuke’s tail wraps around her wrist.
“Let’s get you home, baby. You can play more tomorrow.”
He doesn’t tell her that he wasn’t playing. He also doesn’t tell her about the fox boy. His parents don’t like foxes. Why, Sasuke doesn’t know. The guy didn’t seem dangerous.
Maybe a little odd.
They see each other again. Sasuke goes to train his hunting skills at the same clearing every evening and can feel his eyes focusing more. He’s getting better. His stomach does funny flips when he thinks about his brother. He wants to show him, wants Itachi to see him catch a firefly like a big boy.
As soon as he hears the leaves rustle, Sasuke lifts his nose into the air. There is a faint scent he struggles to describe. It is spicy, itchy. He sneezes and the bush in front of him giggles.
Sasuke frowns. “Come out!”
The bush rustles, then the fox boy appears, still grinning. “You sensed me this time!”
A blush creeps onto Sasuke’s cheeks and he looks down to his feet. His tail swishes on the ground. Remembering the last time, he hurries to still it, which is not that easy. It requires intense focus to force the muscles to comply. The fox giggles again and Sasuke’s ears hurt from being pressed against his head this hard.
“Shut up,” he demands with a small voice. Feet audibly move on the ground and then toes appear in front of him. Bare toes.
Sasuke looks up.
“You’re not wearing shoes?”
The other boy shrugs. “What for? Mom says I end up losing them anyway.”
“Does your mom say the same about your brain?”
It is funny to Sasuke when that mouth drops open. Fangs don’t look threatening in a lax jaw of a blond fox with…
“Your eyes are blue!”
Sasuke points at them, takes a step back and he can feel his tail moving again.
“Yeah?” the boy says, cocking his head to the side, nose twitching. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
Sasuke circles his forefinger in the air. “Because they were golden last time!”
Understanding blooms in the boy’s face, his ears move forwards quickly, twitching now and then in excitement.
“It’s cool, isn’t it? My brother showed me how to do that! That’s why I’m so good at hunting! When I focus reeeeally hard, I get all glowy inside and then no one can smell me and I see so much better and my eyes change colour!”
Yeah, he knows. That’s what Itachi said would happen to his eyes as well if he honed his instincts long enough. His brother’s eyes were red when he showed him. Sasuke wants red eyes too! This stupid fox can do it already and Sasuke feels bad but…
“I can show you?”
The voice is unsure, smaller than before. Sasuke looks up and the fox's tails are moving now, fanning out behind the boy like a shield, an incomplete one. He speaks again.
“I’m sure you’ll learn in no time and I am a great teacher! I’m Naruto by the way, what’s your name? So you gotta-“
Sasuke zones out. The fox, Naruto, is in fact not a good teacher but Sasuke still can’t take his eyes off him. The way his mouth stretches around a grin, the tips of his fangs peeking out. The way his ears move so much, turning this way or that, never standing still, contrary to his tails which seem less agitated. They move with intent, almost as if they have a mind of their own.
It’s fascinating. Much more fascinating than the words coming out of Naruto’s mouth. Oh. He’s still speaking.
“So when you feel that, the pressure behind your ribs and eyes and all that, you just gotta lean into it, okay? That’s all there is to it.”
Naruto grins proudly and Sasuke has no idea what to do or say but his tail twitches towards the boy’s sunny smile and that proud swell of his chest. Sasuke finds the corners of his own mouth lifting.
“Sounds simple enough. If you understand it, it can’t be difficult, right?”
Naruto nods frantically. “Yeah! It’s super easy and—wait—did you just…?”
He rounds on Sasuke, eyes wide, tails straight, the tips trembling in the air. “Did you just call me dumb?”
Sasuke’s smile turns into a feral grin.
They start meeting up almost every day after that. Most of the time they play-fight or hunt each other. It’s rough, all claws and teeth. Naruto doesn’t hold back, so Sasuke comes home dirty and full of bruises regularly. He can see the worry in his mother’s eyes. She asks about it one day and Sasuke’s eyes shine when he talks about Naruto, the fox boy he met by chance, who is so stupid but knows a lot of things about the forest they’re living close to. He is very strong and his tails truly are as soft as they look.
Mother smiles fondly and kisses Sasuke’s head.
“Just be careful, dear. He seems nice but foxes are cunning creatures and he’s not even domesticated.”
Sasuke doesn’t know what that word means but he doesn’t ask. It sounds mean and he doesn’t like it. Naruto is his friend. He thinks so at least. They haven’t talked about it yet but the other day, Naruto brought him a super pretty stone that gets all warm in the sun and sparkles at night, so that counts for something, right?
——
“Ah, yeah, I remember that”, Naruto sighs. One of his hands cards through Sasuke’s hair listlessly while the other one lays on the small of his back, big and strong and warm. Sasuke loves laying on Naruto like this. He feels like a lizard, smooching off the heat of a big rock, only that Sasuke is basking in Naruto’s natural sunlight.
He hums and Naruto chuckles.
“I brought you so much stuff! Like, the wooden horse figure on the mantle. I stole that one, you know that, right?”
Sasuke shrugs and his right ear flicks to the side. Naruto scratches behind it.
“I do and I did back then but I didn’t care. My heart fluttered every time you brought me something, be that food or a trinket. I felt important to you.”
Naruto’s arms tighten around him and he presses a kiss into the top of Naruto’s head. One of his big puffy tails splays on Sasuke’s back. Sasuke’s chest vibrates with a contented purr.
“You were important to me. I loved the way you looked at me when you saw my presents for you. I liked making you happy. You seemed so…caged. I wanted to show you a part of my world.”
Sasuke turns his head just enough to look at Naruto. Blue eyes search his face and then Naruto grins, leaning up to playfully bite Sasuke’s ear and tug at it.
A sleek black tail floats right in front of his nose, swaying left and right until Naruto grimaces, turns to the side and sneezes.
“Mean!” He complains, but his eyes are full of light and his voice full of laughter, so it’s alright, Sasuke thinks. They’re alright now.
That hasn’t always been the case.
———
Naruto struggles against his bindings, glaring at Sasuke.
“What is this bullshit? Let me go!”
Sasuke shakes his head, barely avoiding Naruto’s fangs with his arm and focuses on the right way to twist the rope around Naruto’s tails, immobilizing the fox properly. Naruto’s jaw snaps shut right next to Sasuke’s hip.
“Stop it, idiot!” Sasuke hisses, his tail whipping against the muddy earth. He’s gonna have to clean it once he’s back home but for now, he has something to do.
Naruto wiggles and kicks. His bare foot catches Sasuke in the knee, making him stumble and almost buckle.
“Fuck, Naruto!”
“What?!” The fox exclaims. “Am I supposed to just sit tight and take it? I am not your pet, Sasuke!”
His eyes gleam golden in the fading sunlight and Sasuke frowns. He doesn’t have much time left to finish this and get Naruto somewhere safe and hidden, where he can take care of him and they can keep doing all the things they used to do. Not like the past months. When Naruto started coming less. First it was every few days, then it trickled down to once a week, biweekly and in the end, he only ever saw the fox once a month. Sasuke had tried to be patient, he’d tried to understand and to talk to Naruto but the stupid fox evaded his questions and now…now he needed to stay. Sasuke would make him stay.
He shoves Naruto forwards, a little harder than intended, making the other boy roll onto his stomach with a pained grunt. Sasuke grabs into the rope holding Naruto’s arms behind his back to keep him steady.
“Sorry, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Naruto’s glare is withering and his ears twitch agitatedly. They’ve grown long and are soft, the tips flopping to the side, usually that is. Now there’s tension in them and they’re laying all the way to the back of Naruto’s head.
“Yeah? Untie me then! We’re done playing, I want to go!”
Sasuke flinches. Naruto wants to go. He wants to go again and leave Sasuke behind. Before he has any conscious notion of it, Sasuke is shaking his head. His eyes are burning.
“No!” He shrieks. This time it’s Naruto who flinches—golden eyes widening, tails tucked beneath his bum as far as they can go with being bound. Sasuke’s tears drip down the grime on his face.
“You can’t go! I won’t let you! You always leave. Leave. Leave. And then I’m all alone and I don’t know when you’ll be back and I…I miss you,” Sasuke hiccups and snuffles, using the sleeve of his free arm to get rid of the snot. Sasuke falls down to his knees, cold mud splashing on his already-caked pants. He feels defeated. “You never stay with me.”
Naruto stays silent for a while, then there’s movement. The ropes creak as the fox tries to shuffle his way over, closer to Sasuke. Black ears twitch forwards in curiosity. Sasuke’s nose is still running, so he sniffles again. He can feel Naruto getting closer until he’s pressed into Sasuke’s leg, craning up his neck.
“C’mere bastard.”
Sasuke leans down and Naruto’s rough, warm tongue laps up the salty dirt tracks on his cheeks. It feels weird, unfamiliar, but somehow…soothing. Like when his mother is grooming him.
Naruto’s voice rasps and his words trickle through Sasuke’s veins like warm sand. “I will always come back to you.”
His heart does something funny. Or is it his stomach? Sasuke doesn’t know but he looks down into Naruto’s eyes and they’re not golden anymore, they’re blue and bright and he trusts him.
“Promise?”
Naruto nods.
The moment Sasuke unties him, Naruto’s gone. Mother had warned him to never trust a fox. He watches the leaves Naruto’s escape ruffled stop shaking. She might have been right.
Sasuke still misses Naruto.
In the beginning, Sasuke still hopes. He visits their usual spot every day and waits for Naruto, for any sign of him but there is none. No trinkets, no fallen leaves, no footprints in the messed up earth.
Autumn falls and the trees cry with Sasuke. Mother tries to cheer him up by making his favourite food but his ears still droop, tail still lacks any tension, any will to move. Then the rain starts again and the longer Sasuke sits in front of the kitchen window, staring out at the line of trees he knows Naruto lives beyond, the harder his little heart pounds.
He promised. Naruto promised to always come back. He didn’t promise to stay but he…why isn’t he coming back?
The rain drizzles onto the porch, wood crackles behind him and Sasuke contemplates leaving his watch point to curl up by the warmth and coziness of the fire. Movement catches his eye and his ears perk up, alert and twitching. His tail curls around the window handle, ready to rip it open and escape, run.
It’s not Naruto.
Sasuke slumps in his seat. Behind him, a chuckle sounds. He turns around, doing his best to frown at his older brother.
“Don’t laugh at me!”
Itachi shrugs, unfolding his arms from in front of his chest and motioning for Sasuke to scoot over, so he can sit next to him. Sasuke reluctantly does so.
“But you’re funny. And cute. Incredibly cute.”
Sasuke’s bottom lip juts out and his nose twitches defiantly. “Am not!”
“Are too”, his brother says, nodding, lifting a finger to boop his nose but Sasuke swats at the hand, snapping his teeth.
“Uuh, feral, are we? Alright.”
Sasuke huffs, rubbing his nose into his long sleeve.
“What do you want?”
Itachi sighs. “I don’t like to see you sad, little brother. You didn’t even eat your tomato stew. What’s going on?”
Immediately, Sasuke’s ears droop and his shoulders fall. He hates how heavy his heart is when he thinks of Naruto, of what he did to his best friend. There has been a lot of time for thinking lately and Sasuke knows he shouldn’t have tied him up, that it was wrong. But what was he supposed to do? Foxes don’t stay in one place forever and he was scared to lose his friend, so he needed a way to keep him with him.
He just wanted Naruto to stay.
Sasuke jumps when a warm and slender hand combs through his hair. He can’t help the response. In a flash he’s almost in Itachi’s lap, eyes closed and purring. It’s comforting, especially when it’s answered by Itachi’s own quiet vibrations.
“Tell me, little brother. Please?”
Sasuke shakes his head, rubbing the heat of his cheeks into the soft fabric of Itachi’s sweater.
“Why not?” His brother asks, the question rumbles through his torso and resonates in Sasuke’s belly.
He shakes his head again. It’s embarrassing. It’s his own fault. Naruto is gone and he won’t come back, all because of Sasuke.
“Okay, I won’t force you. But I would like to tell you a story. Is that alright?”
Sasuke hums into Itachi’s chest. A second hand appears, this one running up and down his back slowly.
Itachi’s voice is low, familiar. Sasuke can feel his heart calming down with every word as he closes his eyes and listens.
“Once upon a time, there was a warrior. A fierce one, mighty strong. He was respected by the honourable people, and feared by thieves and lowlives. The warrior never hurt anyone if he didn’t have any reason to. He even helped people whenever he could. But one day he stumbled upon a fairy. Literally. The poor thing was stuck under the root of a gnarly tree. Her wings were broken and she couldn’t get out of there by herself. She heard the warrior and called for help and, of course, he came and cut the poor fairy loose. She was so grateful and granted him a bit of her magical fairy dust in thanks. The warrior was delighted and offered to take the fairy with him, give her a warm and safe place to heal lest she got herself in trouble again.”
“The fairy accepted the offer happily, riding on the warrior’s shoulder and curling up on his pillow to rest. For the next few weeks, the two lived together. The warrior provided food and shelter and the fairy cleaned the small cabin with her magic, cooking delicious meals with one snap of her fingers. They laughed and ate and were good friends.”
“When the time came for the fairy to say goodbye, the warrior grew angry. He slammed his fist on the table, roaring about the ungrateful fluttery thing. He fed her and helped her survive and all she could think of was running away as soon as her wings enable her to take flight again. The fairy was shocked, yet very angry, too. She had been so grateful to the warrior and she really liked him but she didn’t belong in a nice little cabin with a fireplace. She was a creature of the forest and thus needed to return to her duties. She promised to visit the warrior from time to time but that was not enough for him. He slashed his sword through the air, cutting one of the fairy’s wings. She fell to the ground with a blood-curdling scream.”
“The warrior picked her up, ignored her yelling and the tiny fists smacking into his own, closed around her. He didn’t even feel it. Instead, he brought the fairy to a glass globe, opened it up and threw her inside. There was just enough room for her to walk a few steps. He closed the globe and nodded. ‘Now you can’t leave me anymore,’ he said, satisfied with his work. The fairy raged and screamed. Her cut wing was frazzled and hurt. She couldn’t fly anymore.”
Sasuke looks up at that, eyes teary. Itachi smiles and lifts the hand from Sasuke’s back to wipe at his plump cheek.
“What happened to the fairy then? Did she get home?”
Itachi shakes his head.
“With time, she grew sad. Her magic faded alongside her spirit and the fairy lost her glow. The warrior was concerned, he opened the globe and tried to talk to her, tried to cheer her up, make her the food she liked and let her ride on his shoulder. The fairy never even lifted a finger. She just sat there, a shell of herself, no smile, no will, no soul. Finally, the warrior decided to bring her outside. He told her to go, to fly, to be happy again. That’s when the fairy looked at him and spoke ‘You cut my wing. I can’t fly anymore. You put me in a cage. I can’t smile anymore.’”
“‘But I love you,’ the warrior said, pleading for the fairy to try, to live, to be his friend again. A sprinkle of dust rained down on him and when he opened his eyes, the fairy was gone.”
Sasuke gasps, shaking his head.
“Is she…dead? She can’t be dead. She needs to go find her family and be happy! They can be friends even when they don’t see each other all the time. She loves him, too, right?”
Itachi nods. “She does.”
“Then why—“ Sasuke stops, shakes his head again and reaches up to scratch his ear because that makes him think better.
“Why didn’t she stay with him?”
His brother smiles and sighs. “You said it yourself. She needs to see her family. She is a free spirit, a creature of the woods.”
Sasuke frowns. “But then—How—“ His eyes widen and he backs up, almost falling off of Itachi’s lap if it weren’t for his brother’s big hands holding him steady. Sasuke’s tail wraps around Itachi’s bicep in urgency. “Is Naruto a free spirit, too?”
The smile on his brother’s face grows and he draws Sasuke back in to nuzzle into the top of his head, blowing gently into his ear. “Do you think he is?”
Sasuke squirms, batting his brother away and stumbling to his feet, shaking out all of his body and rubbing his itchy nose.
“Yes! So I… I gotta let him go, right? I did the right thing letting him go and I… He will come back! Right?”
It’s so warm, his chest is too tight for the force of his beating heart. Itachi understands. His eyes are soft as his tail taps against Sasuke’s torso.
“Do you trust him?”
Sasuke nods.
“Then you have your answer.”
The rain doesn’t stop for the coming two weeks but Sasuke doesn’t wait at the window anymore. He still checks from time to time and in the lull after a heavy shower of rain, he puts on his red rubber boots and runs to their meeting point. There’s nothing there but a new resolve.
Sasuke will wait. Naruto belongs amongst the trees and shrubbery of the wild forest. But he also belongs to Sasuke. He promised.
Sasuke’s nose itches and he sneezes.
———-
“That night,” Sasuke asks quietly “Were you there?”
Naruto’s left ear twitches forwards and Sasuke smiles. He has been learning this man’s cues for years by now. His forefinger smoothes along the silky surface of the orange fur, long fox ear quivering beneath his touch.
“What if I was?” Naruto asks cheekily and Sasuke chuckles.
“I don’t know, I’m just curious, I guess.”
The fox hums, tails thumping against the ground, then swishing up into the air as Naruto lifts his head. “I was. I saw you there but I was still so hurt. I felt betrayed, anxious.”
Sasuke stops short, making them both sit up. His ears turn sideways, his tail moving restlessly behind him. “Anxious? Were you scared? Of me?”
Naruto’s nod breaks Sasuke’s heart and he pulls the other man into his lap in an instant. His hands comb through blonde hair, smoothing the fox ears back and holding onto his man.
“I am so sorry. I know I said it a thousand times by now but I am. I never should’ve—“
The words die on his tongue as he chokes, tears welling up with the thoughts of the past. How he almost lost Naruto. How he could’ve driven him away for good.
But he didn’t.
Naruto rumbles in his lap, fox tails splayed out around them. Sasuke’s slender black tail wraps around one of them.
“Thank you for coming back to me,” Sasuke rasps.
A nose buries itself into Sasuke’s sternum. There’s a huff and a quiet yip.
“Why did you?” he asks once he regained a little more control over his voice. “What made you decide to come back, to trust me again?”
Naruto’s eyes shine the bluest they ever did when he looks up. Sasuke recognizes the pain in them but there’s more than that. So much more. A myriad of emotions, past and present. A whole universe of experiences.
He holds the fox tighter, welcoming the fluffy warmth of white-tipped tails all around him.
“Wanna tell me about him?”
Naruto rarely speaks of his family, of the way they were in the past. Of his brother. Sasuke understands and he doesn’t push, just waits.
A breath staggers between them and then Naruto speaks.
———-
The little fox has always loved playing in puddles. Even as a tiny kit, his mother had to drag him into their burrow by force during a storm because Naruto wanted to stay outside and jump from pool to pool. He still loves the feeling of the soft, cold earth beneath his toes, sinking into the mud and the funny noise it makes when he’s pulling his feet out of it.
So when a thunderstorm lights the forest and Naruto stays inside, curled up in his nest of moss and leaves, not even flinching at the sound of thunder, they know something is wrong.
First, his parents attempt to coax him out of bed, trying to understand some of the mumbled words Naruto hides in the thick fur of his tails to no avail. He keeps grumbling and even turns away from them if they get too close. It is a little funny and a lot concerning. Naruto has never acted like this. Not when they scolded him for running away this often. Not when they told him to stop meeting this domesticated cat. Not when they reminded him of traps and pain, of too many cousins losing their lives and fur to domesticated people leading them on.
Naruto doesn’t believe Sasuke wants to hurt him. He doesn’t want him in pain, right? He let him go. Maybe someone had wanted him to capture Naruto and it wasn’t even his idea? Naruto wants to believe that, but he’s seen Sasuke’s eyes. The way they spun into crimson the moment he caught Naruto. Sasuke wanted him bound and trapped and that realization hurt.
Naruto sighs into his own fur, curling his body tighter to preserve more warmth. There’s movement in the burrow and Naruto’s nose twitches. His family is agitated. Something is happening but he doesn’t care enough to get up and check it out. Not when his mind is set on Sasuke’s tears and the way he cried. The trust in his eyes when Naruto promised.
He shakes his head and buries his nose deeper into his tail. It is no use thinking about it. There was no other way, Naruto had to lie, had to do something to get out of there. It still hurts and he isn’t entirely sure if he’s feeling hurt over being betrayed by his only real friend or the fact that he felt the need to betray him, too.
The commotion outside gets louder. Naruto can hear laughter and feet dancing on the ground. There are some new scents, too. Or wait. Not just new ones. His nose twitches again and he sniffs once, twice, just to be sure.
He recognizes that scent. He hasn’t smelled it in forever, but it’s unmistakable. Only that he left… right? His brother was an adult now, he left the burrow to make his own family. Yet his nose catches the same scent again and finally, Naruto lifts his head, ears perking up.
“Kurama?” He asks into the murky twilight and when there’s no answer, he moves closer to the entrance, blinking into the sudden onslaught of light. The scent is thicker here, he can almost taste it. It cannot be a mistake. His brother is here. Right here . But why?
“Hey squirt,” a deep voice resounds and Naruto whirls around, turning on the spot in excitement. He doesn’t think twice before speeding out of the burrow, yipping and yowling when he sees his brother there. His ears are tipped to the side, like wings his cousin had said. She’d said it looked funny, but Sasuke likes Naruto’s long ears and Kurama has the same ones, so he doesn’t mind. Not that he can change anything about the way his ears or tails grow.
“Kurama!” He exclaims again, pouncing on the larger fox and licking at the corners of his mouth immediately. His brother laughs and lets him have his fun for a while before pushing him away. Naruto’s tails are wagging excitedly, his eyes are large and round.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, a little too loud and Kurama winces, squinting his eyes.
“Mom and Dad said you were a grumpy kit. I don’t see none of that, you seem as perky as ever.”
Naruto’s ears flop down and he looks at his feet, shuffling them on the ground. Kurama clicks his tongue.
“Care to tell me more, squirt?”
It’s not like he has any choice, really. Even if he refuses now, his brother has ways to make him talk, he always has. It’s a dirty trick his parents pulled to get to the bottom of Naruto’s bad mood. He sighs and shakes out his fur to get rid of some of the tension in his bones.
“It’s stupid,” he says and Kurama’s head tilts to the side.
“Let me be the judge of that.”
Naruto stares at his brother for a long while but the man meets his gaze head-on. They know there is no room for secrets between the two of them. That’s why their parents called for Kurama. Naruto isn’t sure if that makes him mad at them or if he should be grateful.
He decides to talk and Kurama listens.
Naruto tells him about his best friend. He cannot stop himself from giggling when he recalls the way Sasuke pouts every time Naruto manages to sneak up on him and pin him to the ground. He also remembers the proud smile of the cat, the way his ears are all perky and twitchy when he does the same to Naruto, though. It’s cute. He likes it. Sasuke is a nice guy, all sleek and well-groomed and he tells Naruto to take care of himself better. Kurama snorts and his claws scratch at the mud caked into Naruto’s tail.
The smaller fox hisses and pulls the appendage away. This would never have happened under Sasuke’s watch. Naruto tells his brother how Sasuke grooms him. How he brings a strange tool to help with that, one with lots and lots of tiny teeth that feel really good when they comb through your fur. A ‘brush’ is what Sasuke calls it.
Kurama listens and the longer Naruto speaks, the darker his brother’s expression gets.
“So what,” he starts, “This little cat trying to domesticate you? Make a pet out of you?”
Naruto shakes his head furiously.
“No! Sasuke’s super nice! He shows me new things and he’s really good at tracking scents and—“
Kurama lifts a hand, shaking his head.
“I got all of that, squirt but you glossed over the part where he brought you shoes and clothes and a brush. All that’s left is him putting you on a fucking leash like his lap dog.”
Naruto fights the blush but it burns all over his face and he looks away. His brother falls silent, then a growl rips through the air.
“He didn’t !”
He gets up, moving closer to Naruto, getting right into his face. “Tell me he didn’t try to trap you there.”
Naruto stays silent, his ears lowered as far as they can go, tails wrapped around himself in protection and shoulders drawn up high.
Kurama forces his head up with a bruising grip on his chin. “What. Happened?”
Naruto bursts into tears and his brother holds him as he listens to a story of ropes and fear. Of a scared cat, tears and betrayal and he finally sees how hurt his little brother is. The growl vibrates through them both, deep and menacing.
“He had no right to do that, squirt, you hear me?”
Long ears wobble back and forth as Naruto nods, sniffling. “I know but…”
Kurama shushes him, not accepting any backtalk. Instead, he pulls Naruto off of him, eyes burning blood red—like Sasuke’s when he’s on a hunt.
Naruto’s heart leaps the moment his brother tells him not to worry. No. No, no, no! That’s not what he wanted! This is not right! Sasuke never wanted to hurt him, they’re friends! At least, Naruto thinks they still are. He hasn’t checked yet. He has gone back twice, in the middle of the night, never showing his presence.
But now Kurama is baring his teeth and there’s murder in his eyes. Naruto has always felt safe under his brother’s bloodthirsty gaze. Now it terrifies him.
“Kurama, no! Don’t hurt him, please! He didn’t know, he…”
Naruto cowers and whines as his brother’s fangs snap right in front of his nose.
“Silence, squirt. These fucking cats deserve a lesson for trying to take you from me.”
They don’t! Kurama is wrong but he doesn’t stop, tone seething.
“It’s not your fault. That’s what these domesticated stuck-up bastards do, they get to you, mess with your head.”
He curls his lips and pushes his head into Naruto’s gently, despite the anger radiating off him.
“Stay back, okay?”
Naruto shakes his head and screams. “You’re wrong!”
Kurama doesn’t listen and Naruto’s stomach drops as he watches his brother launch. He has to stop him! He has to make sure he doesn’t hurt Sasuke, only Kurama’s legs are so much longer than Naruto’s, so much sturdier and stronger, too.
But he has to try!
Naruto scrambles to his feet and runs .
Branches slam into his face. He tries to hold them off with his hands a little but the shrubbery is too thick, the trees standing too close together and Naruto doesn’t have the time to go the long way, the way Kurama is marching on. He needs to take the shortcut to have a chance.
His mind is chanting Sasuke’s name and his calves burn from the sudden yet everlasting sprint but Naruto doesn’t stop. He leaps over a fallen tree trunk, rolls and spits out leaves and moss and probably a few ants. There is no time to pause, no time to think. His feet thunder on the ground with no finesse, no stealth. All he can think about is Sasuke. His Sasuke. And his brother high-tailing it through the forest to…
He can’t even finish the thought. It makes him sick but it also fuels his muscles and Naruto clenches his teeth together, tails whipping behind him, ears flat to his head for that tiny bit more speed. Mud flies all around him, he’s scratched up and probably bleeding in a few places but he doesn’t care.
Naruto loves his brother, but he’s always been violent, thirsting for blood—revenge. He cannot let him do this. He cannot let Kurama hurt Sasuke.
Naruto’s lungs are burning by the time he approaches the clearing, his meet-up point with Sasuke that he stupidly told Kurama about. A flock of birds takes flight right above him and Naruto slows down, just a little, swallowing dryly and trying to accumulate some saliva to ease the accelerated breathing. He swallows again, then closes his mouth to force his heart rate to slow.
Next to him a twig cracks and Naruto pounces.
“Aaaah!” a familiar voice shouts. There are hands in his hair, on his ears, pulling. Naruto winces and lets Sasuke go.
They stare at each other for a second and then Sasuke’s face breaks. That has to be what’s going on because this is not normal. There are far too many teeth and tears and he’s moving forwards—what is happening?
“Oomph.”
Naruto blinks up into the sky. He’s lying on his back, Sasuke on top of him and his shoulder hurts because Sasuke just slammed into him—
Naruto struggles as Sasuke hurries to give him enough space to sit up.
“Sorry, I just… I was so happy to see you and…”
His teeth are smeared with red, as are his lips. Naruto blinks, lifts his hand and touches the heated skin of his shoulder.
Sasuke’s eyes go wide. “Don’t!”
Naruto stops, then looks at his hand and all the grime and blood on it. Blood. Not only from the tiny cuts but also—
“You bit me!” he whisper-yells. Sasuke turns his head away and Naruto’s mouth falls open.
What?
“You bit me!” he repeats, louder this time, more confident. He’s getting up, rolling his shoulders and hissing at the sting of aggravated skin being pulled tight.
Sasuke chances a glance at him.
“Are you mad at me?”
Naruto huffs. “Duh! First, you try to capture me like a dog and now you bite me? What do you think I am?”
Now Sasuke’s getting to his feet as well, arms stretched out. Naruto takes a step back and Sasuke stops.
“Naruto, I—“
The leaves rustle, the ground shakes and then they can hear Kurama roar. Sasuke’s eyes go wide, crimson in fright. His tail whips the muddy ground and his ears keep moving, changing direction every couple of seconds in an attempt to discern what’s going on.
Naruto knows exactly what’s going on. He pushes Sasuke back and the moment he turns around Kuramabreaks through the bushes, saliva dripping from his teeth, blood-red eyes hungry for murder.
He snarls when he sees Naruto.
“I told you to stay put,” he growls, stomping closer. “Move, squirt.”
Naruto widens his stance and bares his own fangs. They’re ridiculously small compared to Kurama’s but the intention is clear and it makes his brother snort. “Cut the bullshit. I told you to move.”
Naruto lowers his head, a growl vibrating up his throat. His chest is still heaving—but not with exertion.
Kurama steps closer, extending his claws.
“Move, Naruto.”
Sasuke’s tail wraps around Naruto’s wrist tightly and he can feel his chest expand. His eyes meet Kurama’s.
“No.”
His brother growls and approaches, threatening to cut them both down. Naruto only bears down on his stance, lowers his torso further, more forwards and stretches his arms to the side.
“I told you to leave him alone, Kurama!”
That has the other fox’s mouth twisting. His tails sway through the air in agitation.
“And why would I do that? He hurt you. He tricked you. He wanted to take you away from your family, your home. From me. Give me one good reason to spare him, squirt.”
Naruto reaches for his shoulder and he can feel Kurama’s eyes zeroing in on the blood there, the obvious bite.
“Because he’s mine and I am his.”
Behind him, Sasuke gasps.
Kurama straightens up, shoulders relaxing. There’s a deep frown on his face.
“You bonded with him.”
Naruto doesn’t budge. He can feel movement behind him. Sasuke appears right next to him, taking his hand.
Kurama growls and Sasuke hisses back.
His brother laughs, tails lowering to the ground. He actually laughs, the sound rumbling deep in his belly, Naruto knows. He’s felt it countless times.
“You seriously went and bonded with a freaking domestic cat, squirt?”
Naruto’s ears grow hot but Sasuke’s grip on his hand is firm.
“And what if he did?”
Kurama’s laughter ceases. He blinks his eyes back to black, looking Sasuke up and down.
And then he bows.
“Welcome to the family, I guess.”
“Thank you?”
The laugh is back, quieter this time.
“Careful, little cat. You hurt my brother again, you pay the price.”
He ignores Naruto’s growl and simply waves as he makes his way back into the forest.
Naruto’s shoulders sag and Sasuke’s on him in a flash, hands hovering, turning him this way or that, fussing over every injury he can find.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you and I only now understand that you need to be free to be you and I… I really didn’t want to drive you away and then you came back and I couldn’t believe it, so I…”
“You bit me,” Naruto deadpans and then he snickers, giggles.
Sasuke looks confused, panting with the way he blurted all of that out and he’s right. They need to talk. But right now, all Naruto wants to do is laugh until his stomach hurts and then bury his nose in the crook of Sasuke’s neck, inhaling his best friend.
He missed him so much.
———-
Naruto laughs as Sasuke’s teeth graze the scar on his shoulder. It’s years old and the tissue is not sensitive, but stimulating the surrounding area sends bouts of tingles through him with every little nip.
“Stop it, you meanie.”
Sasuke chuckles and bites into a black-tipped ear instead, growling possessively.
Naruto sighs and presses their naked bodies closer. He wants to touch Sasuke everywhere, wants to feel every inch of the cat’s skin. His cat, his kitty.
He giggles.
“What?” Sasuke asks fondly. He shifts his legs, so Naruto falls between them more comfortably and receives a gentle rumble in turn.
“Nothing.”
Sasuke pinches his side and Naruto yelps, squirming. “Stop it.”
A black tail wraps around Naruto’s waist.
“Tell me then.”
“Told you, it’s nothing,” Naruto huffs and Sasuke frowns.
“It’s never nothing with you.”
He leans back to look at the fox better, watching the play of his very animated, very honest ears. The blush is a dead giveaway.
“I can call you my kitty now, right? You know, since we bit each other officially and bonded for life and all that?”
Sasuke’s face contorts into something sour, something that has Naruto coiling back but Sasuke’s tail holds him in place.
“Fine,” Sasuke decides eventually. “I’ll be your kitty. Under one condition.”
Naruto’s ears perk up. It looks funny when they set themselves straight because they’re so long. Sasuke likes them this way. He also likes it when they’re relaxed enough to flop halfway to the side. He likes almost everything about Naruto.
His smirk has Naruto tilting his head.
“I get to tie you up for our next round.”
Naruto knows Sasuke would rather set him free than cage him and Sasuke knows Naruto will always return.
He doesn’t expect any objections and none are voiced.
Their tails intertwine.