diet mountain dew

The drive to Naruto’s home was a somber affair.

Sasuke spent the entirety of two hours watching as their surroundings morphed from upbeat college town to suburban homes while Naruto squirmed in the seat beside her. Her anticipation grew with every passing moment of continued silence between them. Sasuke was no stranger to strained family relationships. Her and her father had never been on the best of terms despite pretending otherwise. Yet, watching Naruto out of the corner of eye, silent and fidgeting, she came to imagine the worst.

So, imagine Sasuke’s surprise when they pulled in front of a modest two-bedroom home and Naruto’s spitting image burst from the door to welcome them. He was undeniably her father beneath those weathered features, with that same bright hair and caramel tan.

Naruto hardly got halfway out the door before her father scooped her up in a hug. Naruto shifted in his grip, limbs tense as they cautiously went to wrap around his shoulders. “Hi, dad,” she mumbled.

“Naruto! I missed you so much! You look well!” He fussed over Naruto for another minute before finally noticing Sasuke, who’d already lugged out their bags. “Nice to meet you Naruto’s friend, I’m Minato!” He thrust out a hand and Sasuke was reminded of her first meeting with Naruto. Had that only been three months ago?

“Sasuke Uchiha,” she greeted simply and took the offered hand. Her father’s bracelet shone impressively in the sunlight and Sasuke had to admit it looked nice, despite how annoyingly it kept slipping down her wrist.

“I like you already!”

“Thanks,” Sasuke said dryly and went to pay the cab driver.

Her hand slipped to take out her wallet when Minato waved his hands embarrassedly. “No need! Here,” he passed the driver a wad of cash from his back pocket. “Tip included.”

The driver said his thanks and rolled up the window. Sasuke watched the black car retreat with the sense she’d just been left stranded.

“You guys wanna head inside? I’ll prepare lunch while you guys unpack!”

Naruto gripped Sasuke’s hand. “Okay. C’mon Sasuke, I’ll show you my room.” She yanked Sasuke along, past Minato, and inside the front door that had been left ajar in Minato’s rush.

The interior smelt vaguely of animals and Sasuke caught sight of beer cans lining the floor beside a raggedy couch before she was forced down the hall and into a random door. Naruto immediately closed and locked the door behind herself and collapsed onto a creaky mattress crammed into the corner of the room.

Sasuke stood by the doorway, uncertain what to do with herself.

Naruto opened her eyes. “Oh, sorry. You can just put those wherever you want. And if you brought any food, might wanna bring it down into the kitchen. We have ants.”  

Sasuke eyed the mystery stains on the carpet before placing their bags atop a desk instead.

The squeal of mattress springs filled the air as Naruto hauled herself up onto her elbows. “What do you wanna do after lunch?”

“What is there to do?” Sasuke picked her way past clothes that must’ve been on the floor since last time Naruto had visited and chose to stand awkwardly beside Naruto’s floor mattress.

“There’s this ramen place nearby and I really wanna go see the owners since I rarely visit, but we might have to do that tomorrow. Besides that, this is a pretty small place, y’know? We could just walk around and stuff.”

Sasuke hummed. “It’s your hometown. You know best.”

Naruto winced at her words. “I dunno about that.”

“What do you mean?” Sasuke wasn’t going to lie and say she wasn’t interested in Naruto’s past. The girl somehow managed to be so open, yet so closed off about her childhood at the same time.

“Um, well… I guess it’s only right that you know since you came all the way here for me—thanks for that, by the way.” She smiled her first smile of the trip. The small but earnest expression eased Sasuke’s worry somewhat. “Me and my father have a complicated relationship. He loves me a lot, don’t worry.” She waved both hands frantically at Sasuke’s narrowed eyes. “I love him too, but he wasn’t there for me when I needed him when I was younger. Honestly, he’s more like a weird roommate than a parent.”

Sasuke swallowed her reluctance and sat down beside Naruto. She’d rather comfort her friend than reserve her cleanliness now and if didn’t that show how hard she’d fall for Naruto, she didn’t know what did.

“He wasn’t there when I was born, military man and all that jazz. He didn’t even know my mom was pregnant when he left and he,” Naruto swallowed dryly, eyelashes fluttering, “didn’t know when my mom died either. I grew up in an orphanage probably an hour away from here until I was seven.”

Sasuke scrambled for something to say. Unfortunately, most days she struggled addressing her own emotions, let alone another person’s. Her mouth opened, despite her lack of words and Sasuke blurted out the only thing she could think of. “I’m sorry.”

Naruto patted her arm. “It’s alright. I won’t lie and say I’m over it. Everyone hated me there, but I was a little devil when I was younger, so it really was my fault.”

“And I thought you were bad now.” Sasuke slipped easily into their teasing and found its familiarity far more comfortable than the sympathy she’d been trying to exude.

Naruto grinned and clambered onto her knees to pounce onto Sasuke. “Oh, I’ll show you a devil!” she cried and ignored Sasuke’s subsequent scream as she tickled her mercilessly. Sasuke attempted to tickle back amidst her contortions and laughter, but Naruto shook off her attempts. “Try again, motherfucker! I’m not ticklish!”

“God! Stop! Stop!” Sasuke gasped out.

Naruto loomed over her, smirking with hands that wriggled with the promise. “It’s time to pay your respects to the tickle god!” She lunged down and Sasuke let out an aborted shout.

The doorbell rang.

They both froze. Naruto lifted her head, ears straining to pick up the mumbling voices outside. Sasuke lay beneath her, far too aware of Naruto’s body pressed against her own and how their chests rose and fell in tandem.

“I think I know who that is,” Naruto whispered and rolled off her Sasuke.

Sasuke stared at the popcorn ceiling, trying to process the sudden ache in her heart.

Naruto motioned excitedly. “Let’s go. I wanna surprise him.” She unlocked the door without any more fuss and bolted down the hall. Sasuke crept out behind her and watched as Naruto screamed “Jiraiya!” before enveloping an old man in a hug. Minto’s face morphed into a concoction of amusement and disappointment alike as his only daughter pounced on the poor man.

“How’s my favorite little lady?” Jiraiya asked, patting Naruto on the head. “Not getting into more trouble, are you?”

“Not any more than usual,” Naruto joked.

Jiraiya turned to Minato and placed his hands on his hips. “Minato, why didn’t you tell me? It’s bad manners to hoard a treasure.”

Minato chuckled. “You know me, greedy as always.”

“See, you never did let me around Kushina, either. I have a feeling we would’ve been best of friends.” Jiraiya spotted Sasuke from where she stood awkwardly, a few paces away from the group. “Oh-ho! Another one! I’m Jiraiya!” the old man pointed his thumb towards himself.

Sasuke dipped her head in greeting. “Sasuke,” she said simply and went to subtly hide behind Naruto for support. God, meeting all these new people was so uncomfortable.

“We’re about to have lunch. Care to join us?” Minato asked, moving closer to the cheap table pressed against the wall. A platter of sandwiches and a family sized bag of chips lay plainly in the center alongside a few paper plates.

Jiraiya lifted the plastic bag in his hands and shook his head. “Unfortunately, I’m just here to drop this off. Don’t forget poker night’s coming up.” Minato took the bag thankfully and Sasuke could make out a bottle of whiskey before it was whisked away into the kitchen. Jiraiya addressed the two girls next. “How about I stop by tomorrow and we can go out for some ramen, just the three of us?”

Naruto jumped up to give Jiraiya a peck on the cheek. “You’re the best!”  

Jiraiya jokingly gave Sasuke a disapproving look. “Keep an eye on this little fox. She’s got everyone wrapped around her little finger.”

He doesn’t know half of it, Sasuke thought.

“I’m heading out! Don’t forget, poker!” Jiraiya said and picked his way past the beer cans to exit through the front door.

Naruto wandered over to the table and plucked up a sandwich. She took a bite and whispered into Sasuke’s ear with a mouthful of food, “by the way, you might wanna fix your hair.” Sasuke’s hands bolted to her head to find that amidst their struggle, she’d managed to transform her bun into what must’ve resembled a rat’s nest.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sasuke hissed.

“Thought it looked good.”

Minato clasped his hands together. “Let’s eat.”

Ichiraku Ramen could only be described as quaint. It was small, closer to a booth than a real restaurant. Hell, there wasn’t even a door, just an old shower curtain draped across the entrance to give customers the illusion of privacy.

Sasuke really liked it.

The grandpa running the booth met Naruto with hugs and fatherly words.

“I used to hang around here a lot,” Naruto explained once the owner had gone off to make their food. “He even let me stay for the night when I ran off.”

“Often?” Sasuke probed. Her eyes wandered the well-kept interior. This place was clearly loved, but hardly a place for a little kid to sleep.

Jiraiya clasped Naruto’s back. His kind expression became somber at the reminder. “As thankful as I am for his kindness, I’m glad those days are over. I can’t remember the number of times Minato called me on the verge of a heart attack.”  

Naruto reddened in shame. “I apologized afterwards,” she said weakly.

Despite herself, Sasuke’s heart thrummed with sympathy for Naruto’s father. Itachi had a rebellious phase at thirteen. Nights spent searching in the cold, desperately calling anyone and everyone they knew were burnt into her memory.

“Don’t worry. The past is behind us. Though, it wouldn’t hurt to call home a bit more.” Jiraiya threw his arm over the back of the Naruto’s chair and leant back, groaning appreciatively at the crack of his ribs.

Naruto jerked away from him. “Jeez, geezer. Save it for when we’re not around.”

“Wait till you’re my age.”

“I could be two hundred and I still wouldn’t be like you,” Naruto retorted. She caught Sasuke’s eye and giggled mischievously. “Sasuke, on the other hand…”

 Sasuke glared.

“Don’t make that face! I hear the sounds you make when you get off the couch. You’re like,” Naruto broke off to let out a series of gargling zombie noises.

“Bold for someone with wrinkles at twenty.” Sasuke poked Naruto’s forehead to emphasize her point.

“That’s not true!” Naruto exclaimed before turning to Jiraiya. “Tell her I don’t have wrinkles!”

Jiraiya pretended to give her face a thorough inspection. He hummed and grasped his chin. “Looks like you have a few. Don’t worry, give it a few months and they’ll deepen up.”

“You’re just a cranky old man!” Naruto hid her hands in her face, only to peek at Sasuke past her fingers. “You’re not safe, either. One day I’m gonna switch your moisturizer with mayonnaise.”

“I’m at the edge of my seat,” Sasuke deadpanned.

The owner arrived with their orders. Earlier, Sasuke attempted to order the dipping noodles, but Naruto refused to let her get anything other than the original ramen.

Sasuke poked her food with her chopsticks. She was a notoriously picky eater, so she peeked under the toppings for mystery ingredients and picked out her fish cakes before taking a tentative bite. “This is good,” she muttered, surprised.

“It’s more than good. Amazing work as always!” Naruto gave the old man a thumbs up, before spotting Sasuke’s napkin of discarded fishcakes. “Don’t waste food,” Naruto berated and grabbed them to add to her own bowl.

“I set them aside for you,” Sasuke lied.

Naruto looked up from her bowl with wide eyes. “Really?”

“No.”

“Bastard.” Naruto swatted at her.

Sasuke attempted to hit her back, only for her father’s damn bracelet to slip from her wrist for the thousandth time that day and go flying across the small enclosure. It skidded across the dirty floor and stopped in an unfortunate puddle of what must’ve been broth.  “God fucking damn it,” she cursed and went to pick it up with her napkin.

“Wow. Didn’t know you had such a dirty mouth, Sasuke.”

Sasuke ignored her and wiped the bracelet down with far too much pent-up aggression. “If only my father bought my jewelry that actually fit,” she grumbled.

Jiraiya angled his head to get a better look. “He must love you a lot to buy such an expensive gift.”

Sasuke paused in her ministrations. Her fingers clenched around the bracelet hard enough for the metal detailing to cut into her skin. “My father thinks that money is a substitute for attention.” She went back to wiping away the grime, refusing to meet their eyes. “It’s whatever. I’m thankful that he does at least this much.” Sasuke attempted to convince herself to believe in the words as she said them.

For once Naruto wasn’t occupied stuffing her face. She held out her hand. “Can I see it?”

Sasuke’s parents had taught her not to trust others with expensive things, but their lectures might as well have never happened because she passed it to Naruto without a moment’s hesitation.

Naruto turned the bracelet over in her hands a few times, feeling the ridges in the metal. Finally, a pink fingernail jabbed the symbol in the center. “What is this?”

“The Uchiha family crest.”

Naruto gaped. “You have your own family crest?” A newfound appreciation crossed her face as she studied the bracelet.

“Don’t get too excited. There’s probably twenty of those in my apartment alone. They’re on every birthday gift I’ve ever received.”

“It’s important to have a strong sense of family,” Jiraiya spoke in a sagely manner that made Sasuke want to roll her eyes. “However, I’d say in this case it appears he’s crossed over into the realm of compensation.”

The sudden burst of insight from Jiraiya forced an undignified snort from Sasuke’s mouth. Fugaku Uchiha compensating for something? More likely than people would like to admit it. “I wouldn’t mind it so much if he actually took the time to find something that fit me, preferably in silver—gold washes me out.”

Naruto’s triumphant shout drew Sasuke’s attention back in. The blonde brandished her tan wrist proudly. “It fits!”

Sasuke reached over and pulled Naruto’s arm closer. The bracelet did, in fact, fit. Sasuke rocked Naruto’s arm experimentally and the jewelry failed to slip off or ride up annoyingly high. Now that she was looking, the gold suited Naruto rather well. It matched her warm skin tone and exuded a charming air rather than gaudiness that it had on Sasuke. She gave Naruto’s arm a send-off pat and let go. “Looks good. You should keep it.”

Naruto’s jaw hit the floor. “You can’t just give something like this away for free!”

Sasuke lifted a piece of pork to her mouth and paused just before it hit her lips. “You’re right. In exchange, call your dad more.”

“What kind of deal is that!”

“A fair one,” Jiraiya quipped.

Naruto continued to sputter out protests. “Don’t gang up on me!”

Sasuke finished chewing her food and gave Naruto a flat look. “Just shut up and eat your food, idiot.”

Minato wrapped Naruto in a hug. “I miss you already,” he muttered into his hair. “Stay safe, don’t take candy from strangers… and whatever else parents are supposed to say.”

Sasuke made eye contact with Naruto over Minato’s shoulder.

Naruto mouthed, what?

Sasuke scrunched her nose and made a sweeping motion with her arms.

Tentatively, Naruto’s arms crept up from where they’d hung limply and encircled Minato’s neck. She breathed out slowly into her father’s shirt. “I’ll miss you, too.” Minato’s shoulders relaxed and his embrace tightened around her. If Sasuke didn’t know any better, she’d think he was trying to crush her.

Satisfied, Sasuke took a page out of Jiraiya’s book and shot Naruto a thumbs up.

Naruto huffed.

Minato drew back with a wide grin plastered across his worn features. The cab driver outside honked, making them jump. “You better get going. Visit again soon and make sure to bring Sasuke along. I think she’s been really good for you.” He winked at Sasuke.

Shrugging off the weird, unidentifiably undertone to his words, Sasuke smiled and shook his hand one final time. “I doubt Naruto will want me around by then.”

“I could never get sick of you,” Naruto retorted. She’d slung her bag over her shoulder and was already reaching for the front door. “Hurry up or else I’ll have to tip him extra!”

“It was nice meeting you, Minato.” Sasuke gave his hand a squeeze and hurried outside after Naruto.

“Done.” The tattoo artist pulled away from Naruto’s arm.

Naruto jumped off her perch, stretching on her way to the wall length mirror on the other side of the shop. “Man, I’m sore,” she said while craning her head to glimpse the new heart tattoo on her shoulder: a winged heart in a deep shade of magenta with a small keyhole in its upper right.

“Careful, you’re starting to sound like Jiraiya,” Sasuke teased while she moved over to get a closer look.

Naruto smirked at Sasuke over her shoulder and gave a twirl. “How do I look?” The fabric of her skirt swirled around, hair flying around to smack Naruto in the face.

“Like an idiot.”

Naruto stuck out her lower lip. “Don’t get all uppity. You’re next.”

Sure enough, the tattoo artist was busy resetting his station for Sasuke. Her stomach squirmed at the reminder. Her parents didn’t approve of permanent body alterations and in the past, that’d been enough to keep Sasuke away. Somehow, Naruto managed to break past her reservations. The idea came in the form of spontaneous midnight phone call and Sasuke, in what must’ve been a burst of sleep-deprived idiocy, had agreed.

“It doesn’t hurt much, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Sasuke willed her features to harden. “I can handle a little pain.”

Naruto flashed her canines and wriggled her fingers cheekily. “I’ll hold your hand if you want.”

“It’s a tattoo, not giving birth.”

“True.” Naruto mushed a finger into the flesh of her cheek, just beneath the three horizonal strikes on her face. “I remember these hurt like a motherfucker. I think I cried.”

Sasuke was once again reminded that she didn’t know the story behind those. “Then why do it?” she asked, attempting to sound disinterested.

Naruto fumbled to pull out her wallet. She opened it and in the see through pocked Sasuke kept her driver’s license was a picture. A red-haired woman in a fox costume smiled infectiously into the camera with a newborn cradled in her arms. Most notably, there were markings identical to Naruto’s tattoos drawn across her cheeks. “This is the only picture I have with my mom,” Naruto explained. She didn’t look sad, just melancholy as she studied the picture with a soft smile. “I thought it’d be a nice tribute to her,” she barked a short laugh, “but now that I think about it, probably not the best idea for a first tattoo.”

“I think its sweet.”

“My artist had a heart attack when I came in freshly eighteen asking for a face tattoo.” Naruto scratched her cheek sheepishly. “I think my dad had a similar reaction.”

At that moment their current tattoo artist called Sasuke over and told Naruto to go to his assistant Kabuto for a layer of Saniderm.

Sasuke laid down on the table and shimmied down her pants to expose her hipbones. She’d purposefully chosen a place easily covered and supposedly less painful if the research she’d done online was to be believed.

The tattoo artist wiped down her skin with a sanitary wipe. “First time?” he asked mildly.

“Yeah,” she muttered distractedly. It was a struggle resisting the urge to squirm under his cool touch.

pressed the stencil to her skin and swept a strand of long black hair away from his face. “A simple design like this one will be quick.” He peeled away the stencil. The tattoo gun flickered on with a gentle buzzing.

“Oh, goodie,” Sasuke grit out as the needle pricked her skin. No going back now.

Half an hour later, Sasuke stared at herself in the mirror. Her pants were pulled down to her mid thighs to expose the small key with a heart shaped bow permanently etched into her skin. She frowned, studying herself from a slightly different angle. Beyond the slight tingle of raw skin, she didn’t feel any different. It was hardly noticeable. Goosebumps erupted the back of her neck when two warm hands appeared to cradle her sides.

“I like it,” Naruto muttered into her ear.

“Yeah?” she breathed. Being embraced from behind like made her hyperaware of Naruto’s presence. She shivered, about to step away when, abruptly, Naruto directed a hard smack to her ass. Sasuke yelped and whirled around in time to see Naruto dance away. “I’ll get you back for that.”

Naruto stuck out her tongue. “Too bad for you, I like it.”

Sasuke redirected her eyes away from Narto and onto the blonde’s plate just as she turned away from Kiba.

“You want some?”

“What?” Sasuke questioned, still mentally berating herself for staring like some lovesick teen.

Naruto gestured to the pizza she’d ordered earlier. The pizza rested somewhere between hot and room temperature with cheese that had more in common with cottage cheese than mozzarella. “You were staring.”

At you, Sasuke thought. Despite her mild revulsion, she nodded her head. “Just a small bite.” The thought of eating any more of it than she had to turned her stomach.

Instead of cutting off a small piece like Sasuke expected, Naruto up the entire slice and shoved it towards Sasuke’s face. “Say ahh,” Naruto cooed.

Face burning, Sasuke leant forward to take a tentative bite. She closed her eyes to avoid everyone else’s scrutiny while she chewed. The pizza tasted slightly better than expected, but maybe that was just the novelty of Naruto being the one feeding her. “It’s okay.”

Naruto grinned at her. “I can tell you hate it.”

“Good thing I only asked for a little,” Sasuke replied smoothly and went back to pick at her own tomato soup. Naruto kept looking at her expectantly. She sighed. “What is it?”

“My turn.” Naruto opened her mouth.

Sasuke stared at her blankly for a moment before she realized Naruto was talking about her food. Feeling rather like a mother feeding a child, she dipped her spoon into her soup and accidentally shoved it into Naruto’s mouth a bit too far. Naruto gagged on the spoon, soup trickling past her lips and onto her lap.

Naruto smacked her between coughs. “You idiot! What if I was a baby, you could’ve killed me!”

“Oops,” Sasuke replied, not feeling very sorry at all. She reached over with her napkin and wiped away the soup that stained Naruto’s lips. Naruto squinted at her past her touch. “Stop moving idiot, you’ll stain your clothes,” she berated.

“That was… something,” Sakura said. There was a strange light in her vivid green eyes as she watched them.

Sasuke was suddenly very much aware that others had watched their interaction. She knew she shouldn’t have agreed to go out for lunch when Naruto invited her at the last minute. She refused to blush and met Sakura’s gaze boldly. “You got a problem?”

Lee jumped to her rescue. “Sakura possesses a fine character that could never bow to such disgusting bias! She is accepting of all!”

His proclamation made Sasuke roll her eyes. “If you say so.”

Sakura forced Lee back into his seat with a harsh shove of his shoulders. “Don’t shout,” she scolded before turning back to Sasuke. “I don’t care about that. It’s just weird seeing you all,  er—cozy when you’re normally the opposite.”

“What Sakura is trying to say is that ice princess is finally acting like she has a heart,” Kiba cut in.

 “Ice princess?” Naruto perked up at the nickname.

Sasuke groaned. “When I find out which idiots started that, I’m gonna make them regret it.” Her phone buzzed in her pocket, thrumming in consistent pulses until she reached down to check the caller ID. A horrific picture of Itachi’s face greeted her.

Naruto peeked over her shoulder. “Is that Itachi?” she laughed at his profile picture.

“I’m gonna go take a call,” she told the others and retreated into the open area of the mall, leaving the others behind within the café. She sat down on a bench beneath a decorative tree and picked up the call. “What do you want?” she demanded.

Itachi hummed amusedly. “Can’t I call my little sister?”

“I’m in the middle of something right now. If you don’t have anything to say,” her thumb hovered over the end call button.

“Wait! Wait” Itachi shouted. “I’ll get to the point if you’re busy.”

“Well?” Sasuke tapped her foot impatiently. Her eyes mindlessly wandered the surrounding passersby. The mall was mostly empty, but she recognized a few students from her classes and the occasional couple. Her stomach clenched at the thought of walking around like that, holding hands in companionable silence as they browsed the nearby shops. Swallowing around the sudden dryness of her throat, she put a stop to that train of thought. It’ll never happen, she reminded herself.

There was rustling on the other end of the phone. “I got a promotion at work.”

Sasuke quirked a brow. “Congratulations?” Itachi wasn’t the type to call for this sort of thing. He was, in fact, the opposite. She always remembered her parents lecturing him for hiding his achievements.

“I appreciate your glowing admiration,” Itachi said dryly.

“Is that all?” Irritation flared her nostrils. She just wanted to go back to having lunch before her food got cold. Cold soup was the worst. Suddenly, a blonde head of hair caught her eye. It wasn’t the warm sunshine of Naruto, rather the icy platinum of a much larger annoyance.

“I told father and he’s hosting a dinner to celebrate.” Ah, so that was it. Sasuke despised family gatherings. The awkward silences, the lecturing on whatever she could be doing better in life, her parents’ inability to talk about something other than work or school.

That platinum hair suddenly turned in Sasuke’s direction and much to her horror, Ino began making her way towards her. Sasuke stood up and began walking towards the restaurant. Hopefully, she’d take the hint. “When is it?” she asked while pushing the café door open.

“Two weeks from now. Can you make it?”

Sasuke considered skipping before deciding against it. “They would never let me live it down,” she muttered. Naruto perked up at her return and waved enthusiastically from across the café. She settled for a small nod in return as she approached the table. “Just family or are they going to full on gloat?”

“Gloat mode, unfortunately. Father or mother will probably message you about it sometime soon, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Clear your schedule and all that.”

Sasuke pulled back her seat. “Alright. Let me know if anything else comes up. I have to go now.”

“Bye, ice princess. Tell Naruto hi for me. Judging from how impatient you are, she’s probably hanging around somewhere nearby.”

She rolled her eyes. Damn Itachi always saw right through her. “See you,” she replied and promptly hung up. At Naruto’s questioning look, she explained, “Itachi got a promotion at work. Family dinner coming up to celebrate. Also, he says hi.”

Naruto stretched her hand out demandingly. “Let me see your phone.”

Sasuke hesitated; her eyes narrowed in suspicion before relenting. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Naruto clicked into her messenger app and began typing something out.

Sasuke was normally above snooping, but considering it was her phone Naruto was on, she didn’t have an issue reading over Naruto’s shoulder. To her surprise—honestly, she shouldn’t have expected anything different because Naruto was the sweetest person she knew—Naruto was typing out a congratulations message to Itachi. “Make sure to sign your name or he’ll get a big head,” she warned before going back to her soup. Much to her lament, it was cold.

In her peripheral vision, she saw a familiar set of French tips land on the tablecloth and her upset deepened. She looked up at Ino. “Is there something you need?”

Ino’s pale blue eyes scanned the ensemble seated at the table, lingering on Sakura before pinning Naruto who was still hunched over Sasuke’s phone. “I saw you outside. I just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing.”

“We’re fine,” Sakura cut in. Her jaw feathered with barely constrained anger.

Ino waved a dismissive hand in Sakura’s direction. “Oh, please. I’m not here for you.” Sasuke continued to sip her tomato soup whilst Ino began searching through her bag. She pulled out a white card embroidered with gold accents and placed it in front of Sasuke. “My birthday is coming up.”

“I’ll see if I can find the time,” Sasuke said coldly, but grabbed the invitation, nonetheless. A quick glance told her that, sure enough, there was an address and time within.

“I’m sure you will, considering you have the time for people like these.” Ino gave Sakura the stink eye before outright wrinkling her nose at the sight of Naruto. “I’ll be leaving now,” she announced and stomped out of the café.

Kiba broke the silence. “I’ll be leaving now,” he mocked in a horribly high-pitched voice. “Give me a break. Who does she think she is, prancing around like that?”

Sakura slammed the table with her fist. Their drinks jumped in response and Sasuke thought that was an incredibly adverse reaction to someone who was only mildly annoying at their worst. “Ino’s always been insufferable.”

“Sakura, such anger is not a befitting way to treat a close friend!” Lee scolded but offered her a soothing hand anyway.

“She’s not my best friend,” Sakura git out as she gripped Lee’s hand hard enough to break.

“Really? I remember you guys being super close freshman year,” Naruto asked, oblivious to Sakura’s growing distress.

Sakura’s lips tightened and Sasuke prepared to combat the incoming outburst, only for Sakura to take a deep breath. She relaxed into the repeated push and pull of her lungs before massaging the bridge of her nose. “Sorry, my temper sometimes gets away from me. You’re not wrong,” she addressed Naruto. “We used best friends in high school and decided to enroll here together so we could be roommates. It was only then that I realized there’s something seriously wrong with her.”

Sasuke interest grew. Ino had always irked her, her mixed jealousy and admiration of Sasuke had always been apparent. But something in Sakura’s language implied issues on a much larger scale than she’d expected.

“Normally, I’m against airing out dirty laundry like this but,” Sakura eyed Naruto and Sasuke, “considering the things she says about you all I think you deserve to know. She’s…” Sakura trailed off.

“Don’t leave us hanging!” Kiba exclaimed.

Sakura made a noise akin to a growl deep in her throat. It was rugged with frustration and long held contempt. “She’s sick.” They looked at her in surprise because that’s not what they were expecting at all. Sakura backtracked quickly. “Not in the traditional sense. She’s a pathological liar. It took me a while to realize that what she was saying, and reality weren’t matching up. It took me even longer to realize the reason why all my things kept going missing. I didn’t pay much attention because it was small stuff: makeup, clothes, until she stole a pair of mother’s earrings.”

“That’s… surprising,” Sasuke said slowly. Ino always gave the impression of someone who had it all.

 I didn’t wanna believe it at first, but it was the only explanation.” Sakura shrugged. “I mean, I bore through it for the better part of the year. She was a child model and I think that affected her a lot because she made herself sick pretty often, if you know what I mean. I always heard her doing it because our bathroom is connected to the dorms, so I held my tongue because I felt bad. When I finally confronted her, her issues just became even more apparent.”

“There’s no excuse for that type of behavior! One must live life and strive to be exceptional regardless of their extenuating circumstances!” At Lee’s preaching, Sasuke couldn’t help but think of Naruto.

Sasuke’s hand swatted Naruto’s under the table. “I think it takes a lot to be a good person when it feels like the whole world is against them.” She gave Naruto a meaningful look. “It’s admirable.”

Naruto flushed, her mouth opening then closing. She took a gulp of her soda to orient herself and finally asked, “so are you going?”

Sasuke looked at the invitation still in her hands. She caressed the expensive material, feeling each divot in the gold detailing before she ripped it cleanly in half. “Not a chance.”

Sasuke’s fingers trailed the shelves. Her hand stopped in front of a rather ornate chess set. Sasuke picked it up to study the detailing. It was nice, definitely fancier than the one she’d gotten Itachi years ago. Maybe it was time for an upgrade. “What do you think?” she asked Naruto and hoisted it up so Naruto could get a better look.

“I think it’s boring.”

“Good thing I’m shopping for Itachi, then,” Sasuke countered, still waiting insistently for Naruto’s opinion.

Naruto pouted but went over to look. “It’s super fancy.”

Sasuke hummed in agreement. “You think my parents will like it?” This seemed suitably appropriate for a business occasion.

You’re shopping for Itachi, remember? Get something you know he’ll like, forget them.” Naruto, once again, spoke with uncharacteristic insight. Still, Sasuke found herself hesitating. She could get something Itachi really wanted anytime. This wasn’t a real gift anyway, just a performative one. Itachi would understand, he’d done the same thing time and time again, after all.

 “I’m getting this,” Sasuke resolved. It’s not like her gift would be badly received. Itachi would probably just… leave it out as a decoration and continue using his old set. When their parents visited it’d serve as a reminder of Sasuke’s acknowledgement.

“If you say so, but after this let’s go to the thrift shop and get a gift that he’ll actually like.”

Sasuke scowled. “He’ll like it,” she said, despite the doubts that blossomed in her mind. Refusing to acknowledge Naruto refutations any longer, she brought it protectively to her chest and made a beeline for the checkout. Afterwards, they strode into the open street, there was a plastic bag in Sasuke’s hand that she placed carefully into the backseat.

They chatted on the drive to the thrift store, tactfully dancing around the subject of Itachi’s gift.

In the thrift store parking lot, Naruto fumbled for her phone. “Before we go, “Naruto angled the camera so they were both in frame. “Smile!” she exclaimed and plastered an impish grin on her face.

Sasuke kept a straight face even if her fingers itched to pinch Naruto’s cheeks. There was a click and with the camera out of her face.

“Aw, you didn’t smile,” Naruto muttered while observing their selfie. Sasuke felt a stab of regret and she began to apologize when Naruto smiled and pulled the phone closer to her chest. “Though, it does capture your grumpiness perfectly. Man Sasuke, how do you manage to be so cute and so bad at the same time?”

“I’m not cute,” she retorted. Meanwhile, the blonde started tapping away at her phone. “What are you doing?”

Naruto showed her screen. There was their selfie with a tag of their location and a heart sticker. “Instagram story,” she explained easily.

“Why bother posting?” In the past, Sasuke mostly used her social to check in on her friends. Her parents lectured her too many times on the dangers of internet safety to become one of those people that left everything online for the world to see. That was another level of self-obsessed.

“So, everyone can see you’re mine,” Naruto paused just before hitting the post button, “unless you don’t want me to?”

Sasuke didn’t know what to say to that. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest and a small bubble of joy forced her lips into a slight smile. “Do what you want,” she grumbled and got out of the car. The door slammed behind her just as Naruto jumped out and hurried to her side.

The interior of the thrift shop was dull. A few middle-aged women wandered the aisles with arms stuffed to the brim with clothing. The exhausted workers didn’t even glance their way as the pair made their way over to the t-shirt section. Well, more like Naruto dragged Sasuke over to the t-shirt section.

“You already know what you want?”

Naruto started leafing her way through a nearby rack. It was utterly packed to the brim with oversized shirts. “This, my friend, is where they keep the real treasures.” She ripped out a hot pink shirt depicting a naked woman’s torso with far too much detail. Naruto burst out laughing, “look at this one.”

Sasuke gave it an unamused onceover. “I’ll make sure to specify who the gift is from.”

Naruto pressed it against herself and wriggled her hips. “You don’t like it?”

It didn’t look realistic at all. The graphic’s skin tone was far too light, the torso too thin and chest too flat, but if Sasuke squinted, she could almost imagine it was Naruto—Sasuke averted her eyes. She couldn’t let her thoughts run away like that. “Put it back, it’s indecent,” she hissed.

“You’re such a buzzkill,” Naruto moaned but obliged her.

They spent the better part of an hour leafing through the section in its entirety. Finally, Naruto settled on a baby blue shirt sized XXL with the words BESTEST BROTHER EVER in blocky font. There were stars and explosions and cats in astronaut suits explosions framing the exterior and Sasuke was certain it’d been made as some sort of gag joke. “Whaddya think?”

“I’ll make sure to write your name extra big.” Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand and started pushing her towards the checkout. “Let’s go, idiot.”

The cashier didn’t bat an eye at the strange shirt. Then again, this probably wasn’t out of the usual for them, or maybe they were just too burnt out to care.

They left the thrift store hand in hand. For some odd reason, Naruto hadn’t pulled away and Sasuke couldn’t make herself do it. Instead, she indulged her illusions and imagined they were something more than friends on an outing.

“Where to now?” Naruto asked as they headed towards Sasuke’s car.

Sasuke grasped her keys. “My apartment?” she offered.

“Deal!”

Just as they made it a few feet from Sasuke’s car, a shout drew her attention. The pair turned their heads in tandem to the source and to Sasuke’s dismay it was Ino. She was stomping with so much force the sound of her boots clopping noisily against the pavement could be heard even from a distance. “Sasuke!” she shouted.

“What now,” Sasuke muttered. She forced Naruto to pick up the pace, hoping to beat Ino to their car.

“Sasuke!” Ino’s voice rose into a grating shrill. Her thin arms were wrapped protectively against her bare midsection. Her face was contorted in a jumble of emotions, head held high, and her grimace bared to the world.

Would it be shameful if they made a run for it?

When it seemed like they would not be making it to the car before Ino did, Sasuke cursed and finally decided to stand her ground. Naruto stood tense at her side. Her usual grin was wiped away and in its place was a grim expression. Suddenly, Sasuke was brought back to that one drunken night by the lake. Anticipation steeled her resolve. Something told her this wasn’t gonna be a normal interaction.

Sasuke walked as casually as she could. Thankfully, through the years she’d mastered the art of being unbothered, so she leant against the side of her car. “What do you want?” she deadpanned.

“You didn’t come.” Ino’s voice wavered in the light breeze. Her eyes were rimmed red, nose shriveled as she faced Sasuke. “Why didn’t you fucking come? I gave you an invitation, didn’t I?”

“I was busy,” Sasuke said carefully. Naruto squeezed her hand in support.

“Busy? Busy hanging out with trash like her!” She threw her arm violently in Naruto’s direction.

Sasuke hardened. “Hey—” don’t talk about her like that, she wanted to say but Ino was already off on a tangent.

“Tell me why! I sat there waiting for you and then I see this!” Ino jerked her phone up and it already displayed the selfie that Naruto had taken in the car. “What the hell is this! You’re skipping out on my birthday party and to frolic around with the ugly fucking slut! What does she have that I don’t!” Ino stalked towards them and grabbed for Naruto.

Naruto took a step back and bumped into Sasuke’s car. “Get the fuck away from her,” Sasuke snapped. Internally, her panic rose. She’d never got into a confrontation like this, not one with the possibility of violence.

Ino’s eyes landed on their hands, still latched together in a desperate act of reassurance. A cackle burst forth, ugly and smeared with hysteria. “Oh, is that it! You’re a fucking dyke aren’t you!” She reached for Naruto once again and managed to snag the end of her pigtail. Naruto tried to push her away. “You’re too busy fucking each other to go to my birthday? Is that it!” Ino yanked Naruto’s hair downwards in an abrupt motion.

Sasuke dived for her in an instant. Her hands readied to punch but Naruto got to Ino first. Paying the hand tangled in her hair no mind, Naruto swung and there was an audible crack as Ino fell onto her ass, clutching her face. Immediately, Naruto followed up with a kick. It was crude, all the form Sasuke had spent the better part of an hour beating into her was abandoned as Naruto nailed Ino in the side.

Ino cried out.

“I hope that’s broken.” A wet glob of Naruto’s saliva spattered onto Ino’s crumpled form. Then, Naruto shoved Sasuke towards the car. “C’mon let’s go. Hurry up before the cops get called.”  

Sasuke yanked open the car door. Her hands shook on the steering wheel, but they managed to get back to Sasuke’s apartment in shocked silence. She hurried to her apartment while her limbs twitched from a combination of fading adrenaline and paranoia. When it was time to open her door, she fumbled her keys. They hit the ground with a jingle that sent Sasuke’s nerves reeling. She reached for it, but Naruto picked it up for her and unlocked the door with steady hands.

Immediately, Sasuke collapsed onto her sofa. “Sorry, I’m like this,” she murmured. She ran her hands down her face a few times before finally being able to face Naruto.

Naruto smiled at her. It was then that Sasuke realized her face had been scratched at some point in the mayhem. Ino and her damned French tips she though, while studying the talon marks that sluggishly bled down Naruto’s cheek.

“You’re hurt.” Sasuke sat up. She reached over to cup Naruto’s face, probing the wound with delicate movements. Guilt crawled up her throat and Sasuke apologized once again. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”

“Don’t apologize,” Naruto replied. There was an uncharacteristic sobriety to her tone, but she let Sasuke’s hands wander her face.

Suddenly, Sasuke was aware of how close they were.

A soft slow breath escaped Naruto as she pulled back. Naruto head turned to the side, pointedly not looking in Sasuke’s direction and instead the window where the sun shone brightly. “Hey Sasuke,” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“What would you—” Naruto’s voice caught. “What would you do if what Ino said was true?”

Immediately, protectiveness reared its head. “You’re not trash,” she asserted firmly.

Naruto huffed a humorless laugh. “Not that. I—I’m...”

“I like you,” Sasuke blurted out.

That caught Naruto off guard. The blonde froze. “I do too, but probably not in the same way since…”

God, the rejection hurt, but Sasuke pushed on. She’d spoken her mind so far and even if this ruined their relationship, she couldn’t keep living with the words bottled up inside. “Romantically. I like you romantically. Sometimes when we’re together I want to kiss you and hold your hand in a way that means something more.” Once her confession left her, Sasuke braced herself. Her entire abdomen bunched up in preparation for Naruto’s proper rejection. Oh, God could they still be friends after this?

Instead, she found Naruto’s lips meeting hers.

Sasuke couldn’t move. Naruto worked against her gently, before she hesitantly began to reciprocate. As fast as it happened, the kiss was over.

“I like you too,” Naruto said breathlessly and like that Sasuke’s entire world changed.

She wasn’t sure who’d initiated but they caught each other in a bruising hug and refused to let go. With Naruto buried in her arms, Sasuke watched the sun set. They couldn’t bring the other to move. Things just felt a little too perfect.