𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑾𝑰𝑵𝑫 𝑩𝑳𝑶𝑾𝑺 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

Chuunin exams pt4

Once Naruto's sobs subsided, he sat up and wiped at his eyes. His face was red from all the crying, but a smile was still on his face. Akashi raised his hand and settled it on Naruto's head, affectionately running his fingers through it. "Crybaby". He grinned, fondness shinning in his eyes. Naruto puffed his cheeks and turned his head away, crossing his arms. "Am not!" That brought a laugh out of Akashi. "Oh, yes you are!" Akashi argued back.

Naruto glared at him, an annoyed look on his face. "Who's my little crybaby~?" His cheeks were pinched by the older boy. "Stop!" Naruto whined and pushed his hand away. That didn't discourage Akashi. He brought both hands back up and grabbed at the skin near Naruto's whisker marks and pulled them at the same time. "Stoooop!" Naruto grabbed his wrists and pulled them away.

"Why am I the only crybaby?! You cried too!" He pointed an accusing finger at Akashi, who, in turn, shook his head. "Nuh-uh! I didn't cry". Naruto gasped as if someone told him he won't be able to eat ramen anymore. "Liar! I saw your tears! Crybaby!" Akashi sighed and cleared his throat. "Okay, how about this? Neither one of us is the crybaby?" He could almost see the gears turning in Naruto's head.

"Okay, deal!" Naruto extended his hand in a handshake. Akashi shook his head in amusement, before taking his hand. "Now, get off me". He playfully pushed Naruto off his lap and snorted when the blond yelped and fell on his backside. "You're so mean". Akashi blinked at his words, before he snorted once more and offered his hand for the blond to take. Naruto begrudgingly took the hand and was pulled to his feet.

"You have dirt all over your face, did you have a match?" Akashi asked as he flicked the dirt off Naruto's cheeks. His hand got pushed away and Naruto used his sleeve to wipe at his face. "Yeah! I kicked Kiba's butt!" He raised a fist in the air, a grin on his face. A pang ran through Akashi's heart. He missed the fight. He clenched the muscles in his jaw and took a deep breath.

"Oh, did you now?" Naruto started nodding excitedly. "He was no match for the future Hokage!" Akashi watched as Naruto smiled in delight at his own words. "Of course he wasn't, I'm proud of you". Surprising even himself, the redhead brought the blond into a hug. "I'm really proud of you, Naru". He whispered into his shoulder, arms wrapping tighter around him.

A few moments later, Akashi separated from Naruto and took a step back. "Now, let's head back, the others are probably wondering where we are". Naruto threw an arm over his shoulders. "Yeah, I also don't want to miss the next match". He proceeded to pull Akashi forward, all the while grinning from ear to ear. Akashi closed his eyes and sighed. He wasn't that excited about seeing the others.

_

Kakashi was standing near Sakura and they watched the fight between the Hyuuga relatives about to start. There was something else at his mind. Naruto and Akashi were gone for about 10 minutes, and there was still no sign of them. He knew Akashi wouldn't do anything to hurt Naruto, but he was still worried. Words are sometimes crueler than acts.

If Naruto reacted differently than what Akashi expected, that could put an uncrossable bridge in between them. Their fight could ruin the team much further than the fight between Naruto and Sasuke. It could break the whole dynamic they built. It could also push Akashi closer to the edge even more. He was still sensitive after what happened with his match, there's no telling what could happen if Naruto got mad at him, or worse, told him he hated him.

As he unconsciously started shifting on his feet, he was snapped out of his thoughts by laughter. His eyes glanced in the direction it was coming from, before relief flooded through his body. Naruto had his arm around a visibly nervous Akashi, and he was pulling him forward. Well, at least their relationship remained the same. The others seemed to have noticed the arrival of the twins, because as soon as they came in, everyone looked at them.