Flowers, tattoos and I love you's

30.primrose pt.2*

As soon as they stepped into Naruto's car, Iruka called to check in on them, concerned since he hadn't heard from them all afternoon. After catching up for a bit, he invited Sasuke over for dinner at their house.

After more than an hour's drive, they finally arrived in Konoha. Their first stop was a pharmacy to pick up special ointment for their tattoos before heading to Naruto's house, where they spent the rest of the afternoon together until it was time for dinner. Iruka was overjoyed to see Sasuke and greeted him with a huge, bone-crushing hug. The warmth of the gesture completely took the raven by surprise, filling his chest with a sense of comfort he wasn't used to.

They eventually told Iruka about the tattoos, and he was thrilled to see them up close. Both boys removed the gauze so he could get a good look.

The afternoon was filled with lively conversation, laughter, and, of course, Naruto's embarrassing childhood stories (which he wasn't thrilled about sharing). Iruka even showed Sasuke the photo album he had carefully put together over the years, documenting his life with Naruto.

Sasuke's heart ached as he flipped through the pages. The early photos of Naruto—a chubby, smiling twelve-year-old—spoke volumes to him.

The joy on Naruto's face was evident, but so was the sadness lurking behind his eyes. Even as a child, Sasuke could see the loneliness there, the same emptiness he had once felt. Naruto had mentioned how difficult his early years after the adoption had been, and those pictures made that pain painfully clear.

As Sasuke continued flipping through the pages, he couldn't help but feel his heart swell with warmth. Seeing how far Naruto had come, despite all the hardships he'd faced, filled him with an overwhelming sense of admiration. The blond had endured so much, and yet he hadn't let any of it break him. There was so much Sasuke could learn from him.

Even though Naruto had only been adopted at twelve, Sasuke was surprised by the sheer number of photos Iruka had of him. It made him think back to his own childhood photos, or rather, the lack of them. He could count the number of pictures of him on one hand.

His parents had plenty of albums filled with photos of Itachi, and he could clearly recall all the drawings and little projects his older brother had brought home from kindergarten.

It was another reason Sasuke couldn't shake his jealousy of Itachi. His older brother had the privilege of revisiting his childhood memories in vivid detail, able to see their parents' pride reflected in the photos that captured those moments.

Those small, seemingly insignificant things had always been a source of pain for Sasuke. It hurt to see everyone else with these little tokens of love and history, things he never had. He knew they were trivial, but deep down, he longed for them, too.

Listening to Iruka recount the stories behind each picture only deepened his longing for his parents' affection and recognition. But he knew indulging in those fantasies wasn't healthy.

He had tried to get their love and attention, but it was too late for any real change now. Maybe there had been a time when his parents were affectionate, but it had been brief, and he had to accept that there was nothing more to be done. He would never experience the kind of unconditional love his brother had. Sasuke didn't know what he had done to deserve the way his parents treated him, but he was beginning to give up on finding an answer.

What hurt the most was that he felt more at home, more accepted, in Naruto's house with his boyfriend and Iruka than he ever did in his own.

After sifting through all of Naruto's photo albums and collecting plenty of blackmail material, Sasuke and Naruto pitched in to help Iruka with dinner.