Forever Mine

Chapter 38

[Sasuke's Apartment]

It was early.

Earlier than necessary for someone with a day off.

Earlier than necessary for someone who still felt last night's alcohol lingering in his sluggish body.

So early the nonstop banging at his front door gave him the sudden urge to kill someone, especially since he knew exactly who stood on the other side.

"What?" Sasuke barked after swinging the door open.

"Yeah, hey to you, too, asshole." Naruto pushed passed him, allowing himself inside. "When were you planning to tell me you were home?"

"It's six in the morning." Sasuke held back an eye roll. "You couldn't wait another hour?"

"You've been here since yesterday afternoon." Naruto frowned. "And you went to see everyone, but team seven."

Sasuke didn't retort, given that he wasn't wrong.

Yesterday, he visited Ino and left before Sai got back home. He trained with Tenten—Lee joining a couple of times—and didn't finish until it was already too late for him to visit the blond. He then swung by the bar for a drink or two, or more. And while there, he bumped into Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji who were all with their wives; Tamaki, Temari, and Karui. He caught up with them for a while, even stayed a little longer after Temari mercilessly cut him off, then he drunkenly walked home with a passing by Shino who'd been walking in the same direction—or at least, he thought the guy he talked to last night was Shino. It looked like him, kind of.

Usually, it was team seven who he went to see first, and eventually, he'd bump into a Konoha 12 member here and there without meaning to. This time he'd unintentionally met with everyone else before seeking his team.

Knowing he wasn't going to explain himself, Naruto sighed and slumped down on the couch. He took a look around the raven's room, seeing how bare it still was and probably would always be.

Then the apartment got awkwardly silent. They hadn't seen each other since the fight they had at no-name and barely wrote to each other, too.

Sasuke knew their reunion would be a headache, but he expected more yelling and/or at least a welcome home greeting. He hadn't pictured standing across from the blond with disheveled hair and sleepwear while they both waited uncomfortably for the other to speak.

"So..." Naruto started. "About what happened—"

"Get out." Sasuke walked away.

"I just want to know how you're doing." Naruto sighed out as he watched the raven open his fridge. "I'm not here to start a fight or anything. I'm glad your home."

"Right." Sasuke closed the fridge, unsure why he expected there to be a pack of beer inside.

He needed to go to the store, and not only for refreshments. He needed to stock everything up before Hinata got the chance to do it for him.

She was such a... mom.

Though he was grateful for her, she needed to let him do things on his own. She'd actually been the one who cleaned out his fridge and food cabinets before he left on his long-term. He didn't doubt her already starting a list of groceries the second she'd heard he was back.

With the way she always tried to take care of him, and the way Naruto always nagged him to be better, it was like they were his parents.

Tch. They could both screw off. He wasn't a child nor was he incapable of handling things by himself.