Naruto's back was turned to Haseo when Haseo spoke to him, his head resting on his arms which were then. The ninja jerked up from his seat at the table, jumping up as if he hadn't of heard Haseo. Which he hadn't, really, and--
--he didn't turn around to see Haseo immediately, rubbing at his face with his sleeve. And then, he turned around quickly, eyes going wide.
"H-Haseo! Where the hell have you been?!" Naruto's voice cracked a little, and his eyes seemed red; but Haseo could be forgiven if he didn't notice that, as Naruto immediately started towards him with angry steps. "I looked for you all night! And everywhere in the apartment!"
The bedroom was in shambles. Not that Haseo would know that. But it was! Naruto had been that frantic to find him. Even if this wasn't his Haseo, Naruto was still protective of him in a way. Even if they weren't talking, he still cared. Even if they would never be together, he still cared!
"Damn it, Haseo! You had me really fucking worried! Why didn't you tell me you were going out?!" Naruto's voice was rising now, and still breaking, and he was angry and upset and maybe his lower lip was trembling just slightly.... "You asshole!"
Woah there. Haseo's eyes widened at the sudden burst of anger which blasted out of the blond ninja. He took a step back, raising his hands defensively as he opened his mouth to respond. Of course, the immediate reaction to anger is just returned anger on Haseo's side. Naruto's shouting forced a sudden blast of defensive words.
"I'm not some stupid piece of property, Naruto! What the hell is your problem?!" He yelled, "All I did was go out to think! Get off of my ass!!"
His eyebrows narrowed at Naruto, and he certainly looked like he didn't want to deal with any form of angry words. He was just about ready to turn around and leave again, wanting to avoid an argument in his current mood, but then he noticed Naruto's eyes. They were...glassy and red. Had he been crying?
The anger didn't last for long. Naruto too exhausted, too relieved, to keep it up. He tried to stay angry, to try to seem angry, though. Because the alternative.
"I-I wasn't!" Naruto stated, but it was far too quickly for him to be telling the truth--and then he tried to be on a roll again. "You were gone, Haseo! You were gone, and you didn't even leave a letter! How was I supposed to know you were just going 'out to think', HUH?! There's this thing, called communication, and you could've used it to leave me a fucking note!"
His lower lip was trembling more now whenever he paused for a moment of breath. Slowly, Naruto's facial expression began to shit, between anger and rage and... something else.
"You were gone, damnit! Y-You were--" A single tear traveled down Naruto's face as he tried to continue shouting, but his voice was suddenly gone.
Haseo paused, his expression of anger had faded to that of a solemn one. He could tell what was up, sort of...and he took a deep breath to keep himself calm. His hand reached up to his forehead, and he shut his eyes for a moment.
"Look, I just..." He sighed, lowering his hand as he walked over to Naruto. "I didn't want you to kno-- I just needed some space, and I--"
Again, he paused.
"...You're right, I should have left a note or something."
Despite the situation, Haseo could still understand where Naruto's intentions lied. He knew why Naruto was so protective and why he got worried easily. It's because Naruto's view of Haseo was that of a caring one, and even if Haseo himself had never been a part of this Naruto's life, he couldn't just leave the guy alone and expect him to get over it. No. He knew how he felt exactly, and it wouldn't be fair to show him sadness and worry like that.
Still, Haseo couldn't look at Naruto directly, feeling ashamed, but still depressed over his own issues. Besides, watching guys like him cry hurt.
"Don't cry." His voice sounded shaken for a moment, "Please."
Naruto didn't have any reason to yell anymore. Or, not enough of one, anyways. Embarrassed suddenly by his outburst, Naruto spent the next few moments rubbing away that tear with his sleeve as hard as possible.
"I-I'm not gonna cry," Naruto replied weakly, even though he was just as the edge of doing so. "Just... Just leave a note next time, stupid. I've lost enough people already. I don't need to lose you, too."
Haseo was supposed to have been there for him after Eden. Naruto had gone home, happy even through his sadness, knowing that he'd have someone there with him everyday on the other end of that portal. But he had been alone. So very, very alone. Even though Jiraiya had been there, even if Jiraiya was kinda a grandpa to him sometimes, he still wasn't Zack-'Niisan or Reno-'Niichan or Haseo. Haseo had been the only one who could have filled that gaping hole that going home left in Naruto's heart, but he hadn't been there.
Naruto eventually looked up at Haseo, flushing slightly, his cheeks as red as his eyes. "S-Sorry. Didn't mean to be a girl...."
And now he was apologizing. Shit. Was he seriously that scared this new Haseo would leave him, too?
Haseo just stared at the blond in awe, not quite sure what was the best thing to do at this point. Damn, if he had never gone through Discedo, he wouldn't have felt so strange when boys cried. He bit his lip, looking away again to avoid that feeling growing any worse. This was just like when Endrance would--
"Nngh." Haseo rubbed his face hard, taking a deep breath. Of course, the desired action was to turn around and walk away, but the newly developed heart he gained in Discedo protested that move.
He sighed and walked over to Naruto, patting him gently on the shoulder (as awkward as it looked, he still showed some sympathy through it).
"I know...how you feel. It's fine. I'll write a note or something next time, I guess."
Naruto jerked when he suddenly realized Haseo was standing next to him and patting his shoulder. He didn't jerk away, though. He hadn't been touched by anyone in a long time outside of battle, and even if it was only for a few moments, it calmed him. Or at least made him a bit calmer, anyways.
"Yeah... just write a note, next time!" Naruto replied with a weak grin. "That way, I don't have to find your ass and beat it in."
He wasn't serious, but it felt good to say it, anyways. And Haseo seemed to understand why he had been so upset in the first place. Which was good. It meant they were getting somewhere....
Haseo paused for a moment, giving one last pat after Naruto's response before quickly turning away. He let out a cough, suddenly feeling awkward.
"...Right. Promise."
He walked and turned to sit down, crossing his arms and looking to the wall, still finding it completely difficult to look at Naruto in the eye or at all. Haseo scratched the back of his head, tapping his foot. Boy, what the hell was he supposed to do now. Of course, the depression of earlier on was still there, but...was he supposed to start another conversation? Hell, he barely knew anything about Naruto besides he was a ninja, and...surprisingly kind. But Haseo still felt he had no reason to tell his whole background. He could stew in his depression alone and end it at that.
Naruto sat down across from Haseo, and looked just as awkward. Now that they had the whole leave-a-note thing settled, Naruto had no idea what to talk about. He just wasn't used to randomly coming up with conversation, especially with someone that barely knew him.
Haseo was trying, though, and Naruto reciprocated. "Uh, so..."
Not well, though. Which was just as well as Haseo was doing, at the very least. Naruto hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.
"We could do something, maybe? Like uh, go somewhere to eat." Naruto laughed nervously.
Haseo continued to scratch the back of his head, feeling intensely awkward at the moment. It wasn't that there was something wrong with Naruto, because there wasn't, but there was the fact that he was living with someone he barely knew. Of course they needed something to talk about, but what?
His ears perked, however, when Naruto had come with the idea of going out somewhere. That was a decent ice-breaker to say the least...He weakly smiled, nodding before standing up.
"I'm fine with anything. As long as you lead the way; I still have no idea where the hell things are here."
"We'll go get some Ichiraku Ramen, then!" Naruto replied without even a moment of thought. "It's always good. And uh, it's open now!"
Naruto seemed to brighten at that, as if everything would be okay with a trip to his favorite restaurant in the whole wide world. For all Haseo knew, in Naruto's mine, Ichiraku Ramen could do just that. He seemed excited enough about it, anyways.
He practically popped up out of his chair and half-rushed into the bedroom to get his wallet. "Just give me a minute and we can go!"
Haseo's lips parted to his surprise, noticing the sudden change of expression on the blond's face. For whatever reason, it...relaxed him a little, and he didn't feel as bad for making the shinobi upset.
He chuckled softly, scratching the back of his head again and smiling at Naruto. Truthfully, Haseo didn't ever take a liking into ramen, but this guy kept going on and on about how great it was, so...he would give it a shot for him. Besides, the air seemed so much lighter when Naruto was, or at least appeared happy.
There was at least one thump from the bedroom as Naruto rushed to get ready. He even quickly tugged a comb through his hair. It wasn't a date--not even close--but Haseo wanted to spend time with him! Even if they only ever remained just friends, Haseo wanted to spend time with him! Haseo hadn't spoken much to him all week and had scared him shitless, but Haseo wanted to spend time with him now, and that made Naruto very, very happy.
He came back into the kitchen and immediately went over to his sandals. Which of course, he tried to pull on as quickly as possible, as he comically started hopping around on one foot as he tried to get the other into his sandal. For a ninja, he wasn't being too terribly graceful at the moment.
Haseo remained where he was standing the entire time he watched the blond get ready. Damn, this kid was treating it like a date. Knowing how Naruto was the day he had arrived in Konoha, Haseo couldn't help but smirk at his behavior and attempts at getting ready quickly.
The Adept Rogue crossed his arms, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow at Naruto's failure in getting his shoes on quickly. Really, he couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. This guy wasn't so bad after all...even if he wasn't the first person to be super excited to spend time with him. Not that Haseo was egotistical or anything, but this wasn't the first time some boy turned into a total girl preparing to hang out with the rogue.
"You really don't need to rush. It's just ramen, right?"
"I haven't been out to eat with someone in a while, though!" Naruto replied happily, grinning from ear to ear. "Usually I just go by myself, so this is special!"
He didn't seem bothered by the prospect of usually eating by himself at his favorite restaurant, mostly because he wasn't truly alone. He always talked to the shopkeeper and the pretty girl at the counter. Those two always took good care of him.
But Naruto wasn't concerned about that now. Right now, he was concerned about getting his damned sandals on. He finished with the first one, then began to hop around as he tried to get the second one on. Damn, this was taking too--
"W-Waaaaaaah!" Naruto suddenly tripped over a loose floorboard, finding himself stumbling towards Haseo.
And before he could catch himself, he had fallen into him, and they fell down together, Naruto on top. Naruto stayed in that position, blinking at Haseo in shock. And then, slowly, his face began to turn red, even with the shell-shocked expression still on his face.
Haseo was close to responding to Naruto with a smile, understanding that going out with people certainly did make a night better. He still stood in the same spot, watching Naruto with amusement as he tried to get his sandal on.
That is...until Naruto had stumbled on top of him. Haseo yelped as he and the blond ninja crashed onto the floor. The air was knocked out of him immediately, and his eyes shut tight as the impact of the floor to his back sent pain shooting through him. He grunted for a moment, taking a few seconds to recover before opening his eyes.
...
He froze. Naruto's face was much too close for comfort, and a blush quickly came across his face when he felt Naruto's breath hit his lips.
"Ah..." Haseo was speechless for a moment, only having a brief flashback of the time this had happened with him and Endrance.
And just the thought of that made the blush only glow brighter to the fact that he was actually flustered by someone else. He bit his lip, reaching to push Naruto off angrily.
"You're a fucking ninja, and you can't keep your balance?! Get the hell off!!!!"
--he didn't turn around to see Haseo immediately, rubbing at his face with his sleeve. And then, he turned around quickly, eyes going wide.
"H-Haseo! Where the hell have you been?!" Naruto's voice cracked a little, and his eyes seemed red; but Haseo could be forgiven if he didn't notice that, as Naruto immediately started towards him with angry steps. "I looked for you all night! And everywhere in the apartment!"
The bedroom was in shambles. Not that Haseo would know that. But it was! Naruto had been that frantic to find him. Even if this wasn't his Haseo, Naruto was still protective of him in a way. Even if they weren't talking, he still cared. Even if they would never be together, he still cared!
"Damn it, Haseo! You had me really fucking worried! Why didn't you tell me you were going out?!" Naruto's voice was rising now, and still breaking, and he was angry and upset and maybe his lower lip was trembling just slightly.... "You asshole!"
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Woah there. Haseo's eyes widened at the sudden burst of anger which blasted out of the blond ninja. He took a step back, raising his hands defensively as he opened his mouth to respond. Of course, the immediate reaction to anger is just returned anger on Haseo's side. Naruto's shouting forced a sudden blast of defensive words.
"I'm not some stupid piece of property, Naruto! What the hell is your problem?!" He yelled, "All I did was go out to think! Get off of my ass!!"
His eyebrows narrowed at Naruto, and he certainly looked like he didn't want to deal with any form of angry words. He was just about ready to turn around and leave again, wanting to avoid an argument in his current mood, but then he noticed Naruto's eyes. They were...glassy and red. Had he been crying?
He paused, lowering his arms.
"Were you--"
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"I-I wasn't!" Naruto stated, but it was far too quickly for him to be telling the truth--and then he tried to be on a roll again. "You were gone, Haseo! You were gone, and you didn't even leave a letter! How was I supposed to know you were just going 'out to think', HUH?! There's this thing, called communication, and you could've used it to leave me a fucking note!"
His lower lip was trembling more now whenever he paused for a moment of breath. Slowly, Naruto's facial expression began to shit, between anger and rage and... something else.
"You were gone, damnit! Y-You were--" A single tear traveled down Naruto's face as he tried to continue shouting, but his voice was suddenly gone.
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"Look, I just..." He sighed, lowering his hand as he walked over to Naruto. "I didn't want you to kno-- I just needed some space, and I--"
Again, he paused.
"...You're right, I should have left a note or something."
Despite the situation, Haseo could still understand where Naruto's intentions lied. He knew why Naruto was so protective and why he got worried easily. It's because Naruto's view of Haseo was that of a caring one, and even if Haseo himself had never been a part of this Naruto's life, he couldn't just leave the guy alone and expect him to get over it. No. He knew how he felt exactly, and it wouldn't be fair to show him sadness and worry like that.
Still, Haseo couldn't look at Naruto directly, feeling ashamed, but still depressed over his own issues. Besides, watching guys like him cry hurt.
"Don't cry." His voice sounded shaken for a moment, "Please."
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"I-I'm not gonna cry," Naruto replied weakly, even though he was just as the edge of doing so. "Just... Just leave a note next time, stupid. I've lost enough people already. I don't need to lose you, too."
Haseo was supposed to have been there for him after Eden. Naruto had gone home, happy even through his sadness, knowing that he'd have someone there with him everyday on the other end of that portal. But he had been alone. So very, very alone. Even though Jiraiya had been there, even if Jiraiya was kinda a grandpa to him sometimes, he still wasn't Zack-'Niisan or Reno-'Niichan or Haseo. Haseo had been the only one who could have filled that gaping hole that going home left in Naruto's heart, but he hadn't been there.
Naruto eventually looked up at Haseo, flushing slightly, his cheeks as red as his eyes. "S-Sorry. Didn't mean to be a girl...."
And now he was apologizing. Shit. Was he seriously that scared this new Haseo would leave him, too?
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"Nngh." Haseo rubbed his face hard, taking a deep breath. Of course, the desired action was to turn around and walk away, but the newly developed heart he gained in Discedo protested that move.
He sighed and walked over to Naruto, patting him gently on the shoulder (as awkward as it looked, he still showed some sympathy through it).
"I know...how you feel. It's fine. I'll write a note or something next time, I guess."
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"Yeah... just write a note, next time!" Naruto replied with a weak grin. "That way, I don't have to find your ass and beat it in."
He wasn't serious, but it felt good to say it, anyways. And Haseo seemed to understand why he had been so upset in the first place. Which was good. It meant they were getting somewhere....
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"...Right. Promise."
He walked and turned to sit down, crossing his arms and looking to the wall, still finding it completely difficult to look at Naruto in the eye or at all. Haseo scratched the back of his head, tapping his foot. Boy, what the hell was he supposed to do now. Of course, the depression of earlier on was still there, but...was he supposed to start another conversation? Hell, he barely knew anything about Naruto besides he was a ninja, and...surprisingly kind. But Haseo still felt he had no reason to tell his whole background. He could stew in his depression alone and end it at that.
"So, ah..."
"
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Haseo was trying, though, and Naruto reciprocated. "Uh, so..."
Not well, though. Which was just as well as Haseo was doing, at the very least. Naruto hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.
"We could do something, maybe? Like uh, go somewhere to eat." Naruto laughed nervously.
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His ears perked, however, when Naruto had come with the idea of going out somewhere. That was a decent ice-breaker to say the least...He weakly smiled, nodding before standing up.
"I'm fine with anything. As long as you lead the way; I still have no idea where the hell things are here."
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Naruto seemed to brighten at that, as if everything would be okay with a trip to his favorite restaurant in the whole wide world. For all Haseo knew, in Naruto's mine, Ichiraku Ramen could do just that. He seemed excited enough about it, anyways.
He practically popped up out of his chair and half-rushed into the bedroom to get his wallet. "Just give me a minute and we can go!"
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He chuckled softly, scratching the back of his head again and smiling at Naruto. Truthfully, Haseo didn't ever take a liking into ramen, but this guy kept going on and on about how great it was, so...he would give it a shot for him. Besides, the air seemed so much lighter when Naruto was, or at least appeared happy.
"I'll wait right here."
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He came back into the kitchen and immediately went over to his sandals. Which of course, he tried to pull on as quickly as possible, as he comically started hopping around on one foot as he tried to get the other into his sandal. For a ninja, he wasn't being too terribly graceful at the moment.
"Almost ready!"
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The Adept Rogue crossed his arms, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow at Naruto's failure in getting his shoes on quickly. Really, he couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. This guy wasn't so bad after all...even if he wasn't the first person to be super excited to spend time with him. Not that Haseo was egotistical or anything, but this wasn't the first time some boy turned into a total girl preparing to hang out with the rogue.
"You really don't need to rush. It's just ramen, right?"
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He didn't seem bothered by the prospect of usually eating by himself at his favorite restaurant, mostly because he wasn't truly alone. He always talked to the shopkeeper and the pretty girl at the counter. Those two always took good care of him.
But Naruto wasn't concerned about that now. Right now, he was concerned about getting his damned sandals on. He finished with the first one, then began to hop around as he tried to get the second one on. Damn, this was taking too--
"W-Waaaaaaah!" Naruto suddenly tripped over a loose floorboard, finding himself stumbling towards Haseo.
And before he could catch himself, he had fallen into him, and they fell down together, Naruto on top. Naruto stayed in that position, blinking at Haseo in shock. And then, slowly, his face began to turn red, even with the shell-shocked expression still on his face.
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Haseo was close to responding to Naruto with a smile, understanding that going out with people certainly did make a night better. He still stood in the same spot, watching Naruto with amusement as he tried to get his sandal on.
That is...until Naruto had stumbled on top of him. Haseo yelped as he and the blond ninja crashed onto the floor. The air was knocked out of him immediately, and his eyes shut tight as the impact of the floor to his back sent pain shooting through him. He grunted for a moment, taking a few seconds to recover before opening his eyes.
...
He froze. Naruto's face was much too close for comfort, and a blush quickly came across his face when he felt Naruto's breath hit his lips.
"Ah..." Haseo was speechless for a moment, only having a brief flashback of the time this had happened with him and Endrance.
And just the thought of that made the blush only glow brighter to the fact that he was actually flustered by someone else. He bit his lip, reaching to push Naruto off angrily.
"You're a fucking ninja, and you can't keep your balance?! Get the hell off!!!!"
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