CHAPTER 38: The Uchihas

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the late update! And just a little reminder that I keep updating my profile on the status of my books (because I don't wanna mess up the sequence of chapters from silly notes from me 😅). So yeah, enjoy~

"Are you two lovebirds done sorting it out?"

The question echoed in the room, and the slumber that Sasuke was about to submit himself to after hearing Naruto's whispered confession was interrupted. The two's faces snapped towards the direction of the door only to see Kakashi standing in the doorway.

"Ah, well, we're getting there, I suppose."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, his hands still wrapped around Sasuke's, who had looked away due to the embarrassment of being caught while holding hands with the blond.

"Yare yare, young love."

Kakashi shook his head as he teased the two, hiding the smirk on his face behind his mask. He walked to a flustered Naruto's side and placed his hand on the blond's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before turning his attention to the injured Uchiha, who was currently annoyed yet somehow blushing due to the teasing.

"How are you?"

He asked, causing Sasuke to look his way, who simply nodded in response, which was sufficient of an answer for his silver-haired mentor.

"Good. But we can't not call the nurse, you know."

Kakashi said before leaning forward and pressing the call button that lay a little above the raven's head. Sasuke could only grunt in disagreement while subtly rolling his eyes. He hated being tended to because apparently, it made him look weak. Or so he was conditioned to think.

Meanwhile, Naruto secretly thanked the older man because he knew he couldn't have pushed Sasuke to let him call the nurse for a check-up, not when he was already in a tight spot with the raven.

They, while making small talk to ease the little tension left in the room, waited for the nurse to arrive, who did so fairly quickly. She moved about swiftly, checking the dose of the IV drip connected to the dorsal side of Sasuke's hand.

"Do you feel tired, dizzy, or nauseous?"

She asked the Uchiha while scribbling something on the charts in her hand, clipped to a clipboard.

"Tired."

Sasuke's voice was hoarse and vigorless. She hummed in acknowledgment and went on to explain how his tiredness was the result of the medicines that had been administered to him while he was brought here unconscious.

"It's a good sign if you just feel tired. Take proper rest."

She spoke before leaving the three alone in the room after Naruto had thanked her, and Kakashi had nodded in gratitude. Sasuke... well, he stayed quiet.

"You heard her. You should rest properly, dattebayo."

Naruto said as soon as the nurse was out of sight. He gave Sasuke's hand a squeeze before carefully placing it back down on the mattress. The raven's eyes followed Naruto's every movement as the said blond stood up and adjusted his blanket to cover him properly.

However, before Sasuke could reply, Kakashi, who had been observing the two from the sideline, spoke up, grabbing the attention of both the young boys.

"Sasuke, one last thing. Your brother and your mother will be arriving by tomorrow morning."

That caught both the young guys off guard, the two of them growing increasingly nervous but for different reasons. Naruto couldn't keep his heart rate in check as the realization that he would be facing his love's parents very soon set in. Sasuke, on the other hand, was dreading the questions that he would have to answer once his mother and brother saw him in the current state.

"Did you call them?"

Sasuke asked wearily, already resigning to what fate was going to bring him the next day.

"I had to, kid."

The silver-haired sensei replied, eliciting a tired and frustrated huff from the Uchiha. Kakashi could only sympathize with the raven and his insecurities, but he did what was right. He sighed and retreated his hand from Naruto's into his pockets as he turned around and began walking out.

"Rest up for now."

He spoke before closing the door behind him, leaving the two 'lovebirds' to have some privacy. They sat in silence, whether comfortable or tense. It was hard to tell. It only broke when Naruto decided to speak up.

"... Ne, Sasuke..."

"What?"

Naruto shifted in his chair before muttering in a low voice, tinted with skepticism.

"What do you think your family will think of me...?"

The sudden question caught the young Uchiha off guard, causing him to take a few moments to process it before finally replying.

"Why are you worrying about that?"

"Uh... you see, I want to make sure they don't see me as someone who's not worthy of you... hehe."

Naruto ended with a sheepish chuckle and looked away, the rare hint of nervousness plastered on his sharp features. His thoughts were running wild, ranging from the best possibility to the worst while he was waiting for Sasuke to say something... anything, but what he didn't realize was that the said raven couldn't bring himself to speak. The injuries on his pale, injured skin couldn't mask the slight pink that was slowly starting to settle on his cheeks.

'This dobe... how can he say that like it's the most natural thing to say? Tsk. Why is he thinking about that? Who does he think he is? It's not like he is my boyfriend...'

Though in denial, the Uchiha couldn't help but feel giddy inside at the aspect of introducing Naruto as his boyfriend. His heart was beating so abnormally fast that it almost made his heart monitor beep.

"Get out, Naruto. I need rest."

"But!"

Naruto, confused by Sasuke's out-of-context answer, turned to look at the raven to protest, but the sight of the said man visibly blushing and trying his best not to discuss the topic unless he wished to have tomato cheeks made Naruto's heart flutter.

'Teme... What are you, an ostrich? Do you think that hides your flushed face...? Cute.'

The blond smirked to himself, almost amused at Sasuke's tactics. However, knowing that the ravenette did need rest, he decided to play along, but not before letting out a dramatic sigh.

"Fine... but we'll talk about it later!"

"Hn."

"Don't 'hn' me, Teme!"

"Hn."

"Ugh! You're impossible, dattebayo!"

"Hn."

Sasuke was trying not to smirk at the playful banter between them, while Naruto had finally lost it. He couldn't beat the man up, never in his life, but he had to do something to teach the younger male a little lesson. And so, he decided to do the complete opposite.

While Sasuke was focusing on keeping himself from smirking, the blond took the opportunity to lean forward and gently placed his lips on the raven's forehead in a tender kiss, causing the Uchiha's eyes to shoot wide open, distracting him from his bratty thoughts.

'He... KISSED ME?! Why?! He... really did...! *sigh* What are you doing, Naruto...? This is... unfair.'

His thoughts were a flustered mess while his face grew increasingly red. He felt like a high school girl simping over his crush. All the effort to calm himself down had just gone down the drain.

Meanwhile, Naruto let his lips linger a little longer than necessary on the ravenette's smooth skin before pulling away, only to see that his love was looking up at him with a pretty frown and rosy cheeks.

It was clearly Naruto's turn to enjoy having the upper hand, and a smirk made its way onto his face. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest, ready to escape his ribcage.

'I never thought I'd be calling such a simple kiss the best one of my life, dattebayo.'

And it was true. He felt the long-lost happiness surge through him like tidal waves. The smirk on Naruto's face soon took up the form of a genuine smile. The blond had never been so sure about his feelings. And all it took was a simple step on his part.

Feeling a little bolder, Naruto slowly bent forward and closer to Sasuke's face. His gaze shifted their focus from the ebony orbs to those rosy lips. He tilted his head to the side as if to kiss, only to stop just inches away from them.

Sasuke's eyes were wide with surprise. His pupils dilated like Naruto's. Their breaths, which had been growing ragged by the second, now mingled into the little space left between them. The two hearts beat rhythmically, matching the other's frantic pace to perfection.

"Don't 'hn' me again, or next time, I'd kiss you on the lips. And this time..."

Naruto paused only to move closer to Sasuke, his voice dropping to an even lower treble.

"It won't be like the little peck you stole from me last time."

The blonde whispered nonchalantly, letting his warm breath hit the raven's skin. His lips hovered over Sasuke's for a while before he stood back up, leaving the raven breathless and in complete shock.

'How the hell does he know?! Was he awake at that time?! No... that can't be. He was definitely sleeping... Then HOW?!'

The raven's mind suggested him the silliest of ways that the blond could've gotten to know about it. Everything except for his diary.

"N- nothing like that happened, dobe. Stop disturbing me. Tsk."

He tried to act normal while sounding anything but that. His cheeks were an absolute crimson now.

"Ok, ok. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Naruto shrugged, unable to muffle the small snickers that left him.

"Oi! That never happened in the first place, usuratonkachi!"

"Yeah, ok. That never happened."

Naruto barely held back his chuckle as he raised his hand in surrender before walking to the couch in the room and sitting down with a grunt. However, he did not miss Sasuke's gaze on him.

The younger male could neither protest because what Naruto said was true, nor could he admit that it was true for his pride's sake. So, he stayed in his position silently, looking at the blond with a stoic face despite the several emotions flooding his brain.

Naruto, who could assess Sasuke's conflict through his eyes, just smirked at the raven.

"Stop thinking so much and sleep already. And if you need something, I'm right here, dattebayo."

Following these words, Naruto switched the lights off from the nearby switchboard, leaving a small lamp on which radiated a warm, pleasant light. He lay on his back with his head on the cushion and closed his eyes to try and take some rest.

Sasuke, however, was still in the middle of processing what just happened. Leaving the embarrassment of getting caught aside, his mind kept reminding him of how close Naruto's slightly rough lips were... how they could have met his own had he made a move to just lean forward by an inch... how those very lips felt against his skin. A shiver ran down his spine as goosebumps appeared on his skin.

'...and why the hell did I not move away...?! I just let him come this close... this isn't like me.'

Sasuke was almost disappointed when he realized just how much power he was letting Naruto have over him. Just one look into those ocean blue eyes, and the raven would become all mushy.

What pissed Sasuke off more was the fact that the blond was acting so nonchalant about the entire ordeal.

'He's probably enjoying making a mess out of me.'

Was what he thought, unaware of the fact that in reality, Naruto was absolutely sure that his heart would stop beating had he connected his lips to the raven's.

However, Naruto also knew that it was too early for this. Teasing was one thing, but going in fully would have been too much considering how the situation between them wasn't completely resolved.

It wasn't like the 'Sai' in his conscience had disappeared. It was very much there, but it was now being overpowered by something more precious to the blond. It was an all-out war in which love and desire were overtaking guilt and responsibility.

Naruto knew that both of them had to take their time if they wanted their love to work out. He had made many mistakes that he had to right. He had even more things to apologize for. It wasn't the right time yet.

And despite that, he had barely held himself back from giving in to the temptation of capturing those lips into a searing kiss.

'Shit... I need to keep myself in check.'

He huffed as he shifted to lie on his side while facing Sasuke, who had already closed his eyes. His breaths were much slower now as he was already halfway to his dreamland.

Naruto admired the man he loved for a while before his eyes darted to the window, through which entered the gentle moonlight of a crescent moon that blended with the light of the lamp and illuminated the room mildly.

The tranquility in the air was comforting to the point that Naruto's exhaustion had started weighing on him. It was only now that he realized how tired he was from the entire ordeal.

'Goodnight, teme...'

Naruto smiled to himself as he closed his eyes, not knowing that tonight was going to bring one of the finest sleeps he had ever had.

THE NEXT DAY~

The sun had barely risen above the horizon when the sudden commotion in the hallway quite close to Sasuke's ward managed to stir Naruto awake from his sleep.

"Who the hell is being so loud so early in the morning...?"

The blond yawned and rubbed his eyes before sitting up on the couch. His first instinct was to check on Sasuke.

'Good. He's asleep.'

Not wanting anything that could disturb Sasuke's sleep to be around for too long, the blond stood up to check out the situation. He opened the door slowly so that it wouldn't make noise before stepping out and closing it behind him with the same care.

As his eyes searched for the source of the noise, he spotted Kakashi talking to some people. Upon walking closer, he could spot two young men and a woman, probably in her late thirties.

'Sasuke's... family?'

Naruto could guess. That one young man and the lady with black hair and pale skin had way too many similarities with his raven.

The said man looked visibly troubled. However, he was not very explicit in expressing his emotions like the other man standing just beside him. He had almost yellow hair, which was tied in a high ponytail with his bangs covering one of his eyes.

Meanwhile, the lady, having similar black hair to the first man, stood there looking mortified with small beads of tears trickling down her face.

Naruto could hear parts of what Kakashi was saying to them, the rest being muffled noises. He figured that his ex-sensei was talking about some police matters, further strengthening Naruto's assumption.

"When can we see him?"

The lady asked in a quivering voice. Her hands were shaking despite trying her best to maintain her composure.

"Sasuke... is fast asleep right now."

Naruto spoke, making his presence known to the group, who had all turned their faces to look at him. He smiled at them, looking slightly exhausted as he went and stood by Kakashi.

The lady quickly wiped her tears away while the two men observed Naruto, almost too critically, making the blond visibly uncomfortable. Noticing the awkwardness in the air, Kakashi decided to introduce Sasuke's family to the blond. However, before Kakashi could give Naruto's introduction, Itachi spoke up.

"You must be Naruto, am I right?"

The sudden question caused Naruto's eyes to widen in surprise for a jiffy before he composed himself. Those cold eyes reminded Naruto of the day he first met Sasuke.

"Y- Yes, that's me."

Naruto couldn't help but rub the back of his neck nervously. However, to his surprise, Mikoto smiled at him and gently took his unoccupied hand in both of hers.

"Thank you... Thank you so much for saving my son."

Naruto could feel his heart pick up its pace yet again. He gave Mikoto a warm, reassuring smile as he brought his other hand from his nape to hold Mikoto's trembling ones tightly.

"It's no big deal. Sasuke is very important to me as well, dattebayo."

Mikoto smiled and nodded a few times before they let go of hands. The blond's words had a surprisingly calming effect on her, and since the visiting hours hadn't yet started, she decided to ask a few more questions.

"So, I heard you're Sasuke's sensei? And a good friend?"

"We're very close friends, dattebayo."

"Oh... that's new. He... rarely makes friends."

A sad smile formed on Mikoto's face as she reminisced about those days when she used to encourage a young Sasuke to make friends. Her smile did not go unnoticed by the blond, who wanted to do something to better her mood, at least for now.

"D- Don't worry, Sasuke is actually very good at making friends."

"He is...?"

Mikoto asked, the underlying sadness in her smile fading bit by bit.

"Yes! Yes, he is!"

"That's... good to know."

"You won't believe when we first met..."

Naruto started, engaging in a conversation with her, successfully taking her mind off the worst thoughts it was brewing in her, while he tried hard not to pay attention to the cold stare Itachi was sending his way.

However, only Deidara knew that his husband wasn't merely observing Naruto. He was also trying very hard not to smirk. It was evident from the way the older raven's lips twitched every time Naruto spoke Sasuke's name with pure devotion while he talked.

'No wonder otouto fell for him.'

Itachi was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a soft nudge on the side of his stomach coming from Deidara's elbow.

"What are you thinking about?"

The yellow-haired man whispered softly, to which Itachi shook his head and replied in his low voice.

"Nothing."

"But I know you are...!"

Before Deidara could whine some more, Itachi raised his hand and poked his husband's forehead lightly with his index and middle finger.

"I'll tell you later."

Deidara could only pout at that without doing anything to successfully stop his cheeks from flaring red. Meanwhile, the older raven had pocketed his hands as he went and sat on a nearby bench with Deidara.

He was glad that Naruto was able to keep Mikoto's mind out of turmoil for now, but his own thoughts were wandering back to his little brother and their father as the reality of the situation was finally catching up to him.

'Was I too negligent?'

He wondered as a small sigh escaped his lips. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall behind him. Deidara knew that his husband was in distress, and so, in an attempt to relieve him a little, he slipped his hand inside Itachi's pocket to entwine their fingers.

Itachi looked at Deidara and tightened his hold on the other's hand. He passed a rare, nervous smile to him before returning to his original position. Despite the comforting touch, his mind only grew more troubled. A slow seed of guilt had finally started growing in him.

'Just how much more are you hiding from me, Sasuke?'

A/N: Ok, I'm not quite sure, but this is supposed to be one of the longest chapters. 😮‍💨Anyway, is it just me, or are things finally looking a little better for the two? What do you think of their chemistry? I frankly like it... hehe.('∀｀*)d Anyway, take care, all of you.See you all in the next chapter!Author sound out~ ✌🏻