Light our Shadows

Ch 3: Worth it

"Why did you bring us here?" Naruto wondered looking around at the apartment he had lived in for the majority of his life. It was in worse shape than he remembered it to be. Cockroaches were rampant, and it smelled like something had died in his fridge. There was mold in the shower, cob webs near the ceiling, rust on the bathroom sink, the floorboards looked ready to attack with splinters at any moment.

"I don't know, we have to make it look like someone's staying here right? Your kid self is crashing at my house. We're trying to keep suspicion low. I figured your old place was cheaper than a hotel. Problem?"

"No, no." Naruto shook his head slowly sinking down to sit on his old mattress wincing at the horrid creak of the springs under his weight. If Sasuke got on this thing too he was positive it was going to break from their combined weight alone before they even got to messing around. "It's fine. I just wasn't expecting it is all. Sorry...It's um, not really up to your standards."

"I expected a mess." Sasuke crushed a cockroach under his foot. Obsidian eye looking around at the absolute sty it was. "Not hazardous conditions like this." His heart broke at what a shit hole he stood in. How could Naruto have survived in such abysmal conditions? All alone? No one looking out for him. Sasuke clicked his tongue head shaking in disapproval. "Someone should have been taking care of you, the state of this place...this is unacceptable."

"Lord third did take care of me." Naruto argued. "He set me up with this place. Gave me money to live off of...that's more than most get."

"That's bullshit. You're a child. Orphan or not. It's not enough. You should have had a caretaker, a nanny, whatever." Sasuke watched a drop of discolored water drip from the sink faucet in the kitchen. "Kage to Kage, Hiruzen is a fucking asshole. Should throw Konohamaru in a place like this and then see how he feels about-"

Naruto looked at him sharply. "Sasuke."

Sasuke clamped his mouth shut teeth gritted, he forced himself to take a calming breath. It did nothing to quell his muddled feelings. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again."Sorry." He held up a gloved hand towards Naruto. "I'm sorry..." he lowered his hand as well as his voice. His eyelids felt heavy.  He shut them again. His head tilted in shame. "I know that kids like your brother." He walked over to Naruto, sinking to his knees in front of his husband. "I didn't mean it." Sasuke settled his arms across Naruto's legs. He rested his head down. "I'm just..."

"...pissed?" Naruto guessed, his hands settling upon Sasuke's head. Calloused palms gliding serenely over his soft raven hair. As they lowered, strong fingers curled, gliding gently through the silken strands. "It's understandable."

"It's more than that. I'm-" It wasn't just anger. Anger was a simple emotion he'd long since learned to control. "-Overwhelmed." Sasuke tilted his head leaning further into him accepting the offered attention. Reveling in the comfort his husband was trying to award him. His eye lashes were taking on water as they fluttered, Sasuke fighting a losing battle with himself. "Upset." Sasuke corrected as he sighed out the word, his hands lightly fisting into the legs of Naruto's black pants. Tear drops wet the dark material.

"That's understandable too." Naruto wished there was something he could say, something he could do to make him feel better but the only thing he could manage was to wrap his arms over Sasuke's hunched form and hold him tight. He pressed a kiss to his head. "It's okay to feel that way. The past's not pretty."

"The past is completely fucked." Sasuke lifted his head, Naruto's hands slid down the sides of his neck, the back of his fingers brushing along the porcelain skin. His thumbs gliding against the underside of his jaw towards his chin. Their eyes found each other past brewing tears and feelings of concern.