A piece o' MLC 24
As PROOF that I am still writing, despite the fact final projects are kicking my butt!
I have been working like a NUT to get stuff done for graduation. I mean, I'm scared to death my school's committee won't let me graduate at all (long story but they have to approve your flat art portfolio AND 3d demo reel in order for you to make it through) and what's sad is that I won't know until a week before June 19th which is the graduation ceremony date. Oh, it's so stressful.
I can't wait to write again. Like, REALLY write. Not write at work and while models are rendering for my reel. But anywho, here's a snippet:
MLC 24, un-beta'd, Part 1
“I’ve been waiting for you to cough up the gall to tell me this,” Suigetsu was seated quite liberally on the bed he and Sasuke were meant to share, but where only he had slept. There was no sign of hurt or anger on his features, only irritation. Sasuke’s expression looked similar after the club owner’s comment.
“I haven’t been afraid to tell you.” He stated. He knew he was at fault however, at least partially, for continuing his romances with Suigetsu despite his remaining attraction to Naruto. He even felt fidgety, even when his mind was resolved.
The bed creaked as Suigetsu stood from it and after a minute of staring dully towards the window he pulled his hair into a ponytail. “We had a lot of fun, you and I.”
Sasuke nodded despite himself. He had never cared for Suigetsu the way he should have; the way he felt about Naruto was vastly different. He didn’t believe in love necessarily, but Sasuke did believe in needing someone beyond material aspects. While Suigetsu had given him what he needed in order to continue his business and uphold his name, Naruto seemed to light a fire inside of himself that made him feel as though he was needed in return.
And being needed filled him.
“How on earth did you fall for a brat like him?” Suigetsu finally asked, and his eyes met Sasuke’s with a vague sort of curiosity. As if he was completely confused by Sasuke’s choice, even if he was choosing to accept it. And in all honesty, Sasuke didn’t know how to answer.
There was a pause before he felt able to speak; for once his words dangling from the tip of his tongue. He didn’t like talking about things like this. They were too personal. But somehow, he felt a little like he owed it to Suigetsu for everything the other man had done for him.
“When I first met him I thought he was an escort,” Sasuke explained and he stared off, letting the memory reply itself in his mind. “When I saw him I immediately thought, ‘how on earth did Sakura find a blond’? And then, when I went towards him, do you know what he said?” Sasuke now looked at Suigetsu, an awkward smile on his face. “He said he wasn’t gay.”
Suigetsu, who looked a bit baffled as to where this story was going, laughed out loud. “So, what, you’re goal was to change him?”
Sasuke shook his head and frowned. “No. I wanted to tease him since I found out he was from the past. Sakura used to talk about this man she had dated; she said he was everything a decent person could be. I figured out she was talking about him long before he realized anything himself, and I guess…I wanted to know what made him so great.”
Suigetsu slouched back onto the bed, eyebrow raised. “And what did it turn out being?”
After a long second of thought, Sasuke shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s just…him. He makes you want to be more like him. He also makes you want to believe in him.”
Nodding as if he was still confused, Suigetsu let out a deep breath. There was a stale moment between the two before Suigetsu licked his lips. “I’m not at all happy about this.”
He said it firmly enough that Sasuke felt defensive. “Well, you’re going to have to find a way to deal with it.”
Suigetsu stared at him for a moment before grinning and shaking his head. He stood up and paced towards Sasuke, placing his hand on his now ex-boyfriend’s shoulder. “I’ll still support Uchiha Industries,” he promised.
Sasuke nodded, not quite feeling comfortable with that but lacking the energy to argue.
Before Suigetsu left the room he turned to face Sasuke, and his words sounded a bit like it was taking everything he had to say them.
“You know, Uzumaki…he’s not a bad guy.”
Seeing as much approval as he was going to get from Suigetsu, Sasuke nodded.
He couldn’t explain his feelings to himself, and it was hard to admit that he was intimidated by how much he was willing to sacrifice for one person. But when Suigetsu finally left and Sasuke was alone, he felt comforted in the fact he wasn’t alone at all.
***
“You look happy,” Haku looked pleasantly surprised when Naruto almost twirled into a storage room the other officer had confiscated. He was raiding some old boxes, and Naruto had a feeling they were some of Jiraiya’s old notes.
“I am,” Naruto answered honestly, even though he suddenly felt guilty. While he had spent the entire night making out with Sasuke in the backyard, Haku and Kotetsu had been diligently making plans. Or so it seemed.
“So…what’s our plan?” Naruto asked, although he never thought that plan would hold. Haku smiled kindly but his eyes were slightly sad. He stood up from his crouched position by some blueprints and stretched. He eyed Naruto for a moment and he looked as though he didn’t want to have this conversation.
“Our plan is to rescue Neji and Morino…but when I say ‘our’…I mean Kotetsu and I.”
Naruto’s face fell and his mood fell to the floor. “What? Why?”
Haku pursed his lips and shook his head. “Not because you’re incapable. More because…we can’t let the Akatsuki get ahold of you, or Danzo. It’s too much of a risk.”
Kotetsu came into the room suddenly, carrying a handful of snacks for lunch. He hadn’t noticed the serious tone of the conversation until he offered Naruto a delicious looking pastry and the blond turned it down.
“Oh, you told him,” was all the brunet could manage. Haku looked pained, but not half as hurt as Naruto felt. It disappeared momentarily however, when a new surge of conviction raced through his veins.
“As much as I appreciate and understand what you two are saying, it’s a lost cause. Danzo tried to send me back in time and I found a way to get back here. Leave me here in Nivae and I promise it’s only a matter of hitch-hiking until I show up a to kick both of your butts.”
Haku was surprised at Naruto’s seriousness, and Kotetsu looked a little badgered. “You’re a good officer, but unless you want to get sent back again-I mean, come on-“
“It’s my fault Neji and Morino are in this situation to begin with,” Naruto’s tone got louder. “It has nothing to do with-“
“What about Sasuke?” Haku’s voice was quiet, but the comment was enough to stunt Naruto’s voice. He frowned. “What about him?”
Haku stared at him, his doe eyes looking intrusively guilty, and not being an idiot, Naruto understood. Haku had seen them last night.
Kotetsu looked back and forth between them before setting down his armful of foods and stepping back towards the door. “I’m going to go get some juice,” he dismissed himself, and Haku looked away.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything,” he said and Naruto let out a long sigh.
“Do you not want me to come because you’re afraid the Akatsuki will get ahold of me, or because you’re happy that I’m happy?”
He hit the target on the dot because Haku’s brown eyes were wider than they had ever been.
“I've never seen you so happy. This is what you’ve wanted! If you go back to Denver-there’s no telling what will happen. There’s no promises you and Sasuke will-“
Naruto raised his hand, a motion that made Haku become silent, even though his eyes finished his sentence for him.
There’s no promising you and Sasuke will be together.
He had known it, even if he had been trying to avoid that truth for the day.
“I know.” Naruto said, his voice solemn. “I know that.”
Haku looked completely shattered from having said anything at all, and Naruto shook his head and smiled, all before ruffling Haku’s hair.
“Look. I’m not going to die, I’m not going to get sent back. We’ll find a way to make things work.” It was a loose promise, but one that Naruto meant to keep.
“Now what’s our plan?” he asked, and Haku stared at him before turning away, knowing this was an argument he wouldn’t win.
“Tomorrow morning, before everyone’s up…we’re going to head back. We got into contact with Zabusa and he and the others are working out a plan to get one of us into Danzo’s station.”
Naruto nodded before examining all of the blueprints and things scattered on the floor. “What’s all of this then?”
Haku smiled a little before folding up a blueprint and handing it to Naruto so that he could see. They were blueprints for a time machine.
“Jiraiya’s…” Naruto said.
Haku nodded. “He may have disappeared, but he left all of his things behind. Not that anyone could really make much of them…”
Naruto laughed and agreed. Jiraiya’s chicken scratch only made sense to him because he had experience in building time machines.
“We’re going to destroy all of it,” Haku said, earning a wide-eye look of surprise from Naruto. This time, Haku laughed a little. “Something else I didn't want to tell you.”
The blueprint was soft in his palm, like a canvas, and Naruto suddenly understood. “It needs to be done.” He said, and he handed the papers back to Haku. “All of it needs to go. And when we get back in town…I have an errand I need to run, too. Alone.”
This comment brought a disturbingly curious look from Haku, but Naruto waved it off. “Don’t worry. It’s important though.” To his knowledge only Morino knew he had built a time machine to come back, and he knew he had to destroy it. He was positive it was stills safely hidden since he had never really been bothered to lend out it’s location. He didn’t want anyone else to know about it though.
That just meant more people could get hurt.
“Naruto,” Haku said, his voice suddenly grim again.
Naruto turned to him before walking out of the room. “Yeah?”
Haku’s lips hardly moved. “It’s just you, Kotetsu, and I that are leaving tomorrow.”
Without saying it, Naruto knew what he meant.
He was going to have to tell Sasuke goodbye.
I have been working like a NUT to get stuff done for graduation. I mean, I'm scared to death my school's committee won't let me graduate at all (long story but they have to approve your flat art portfolio AND 3d demo reel in order for you to make it through) and what's sad is that I won't know until a week before June 19th which is the graduation ceremony date. Oh, it's so stressful.
I can't wait to write again. Like, REALLY write. Not write at work and while models are rendering for my reel. But anywho, here's a snippet:
MLC 24, un-beta'd, Part 1
“I’ve been waiting for you to cough up the gall to tell me this,” Suigetsu was seated quite liberally on the bed he and Sasuke were meant to share, but where only he had slept. There was no sign of hurt or anger on his features, only irritation. Sasuke’s expression looked similar after the club owner’s comment.
“I haven’t been afraid to tell you.” He stated. He knew he was at fault however, at least partially, for continuing his romances with Suigetsu despite his remaining attraction to Naruto. He even felt fidgety, even when his mind was resolved.
The bed creaked as Suigetsu stood from it and after a minute of staring dully towards the window he pulled his hair into a ponytail. “We had a lot of fun, you and I.”
Sasuke nodded despite himself. He had never cared for Suigetsu the way he should have; the way he felt about Naruto was vastly different. He didn’t believe in love necessarily, but Sasuke did believe in needing someone beyond material aspects. While Suigetsu had given him what he needed in order to continue his business and uphold his name, Naruto seemed to light a fire inside of himself that made him feel as though he was needed in return.
And being needed filled him.
“How on earth did you fall for a brat like him?” Suigetsu finally asked, and his eyes met Sasuke’s with a vague sort of curiosity. As if he was completely confused by Sasuke’s choice, even if he was choosing to accept it. And in all honesty, Sasuke didn’t know how to answer.
There was a pause before he felt able to speak; for once his words dangling from the tip of his tongue. He didn’t like talking about things like this. They were too personal. But somehow, he felt a little like he owed it to Suigetsu for everything the other man had done for him.
“When I first met him I thought he was an escort,” Sasuke explained and he stared off, letting the memory reply itself in his mind. “When I saw him I immediately thought, ‘how on earth did Sakura find a blond’? And then, when I went towards him, do you know what he said?” Sasuke now looked at Suigetsu, an awkward smile on his face. “He said he wasn’t gay.”
Suigetsu, who looked a bit baffled as to where this story was going, laughed out loud. “So, what, you’re goal was to change him?”
Sasuke shook his head and frowned. “No. I wanted to tease him since I found out he was from the past. Sakura used to talk about this man she had dated; she said he was everything a decent person could be. I figured out she was talking about him long before he realized anything himself, and I guess…I wanted to know what made him so great.”
Suigetsu slouched back onto the bed, eyebrow raised. “And what did it turn out being?”
After a long second of thought, Sasuke shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s just…him. He makes you want to be more like him. He also makes you want to believe in him.”
Nodding as if he was still confused, Suigetsu let out a deep breath. There was a stale moment between the two before Suigetsu licked his lips. “I’m not at all happy about this.”
He said it firmly enough that Sasuke felt defensive. “Well, you’re going to have to find a way to deal with it.”
Suigetsu stared at him for a moment before grinning and shaking his head. He stood up and paced towards Sasuke, placing his hand on his now ex-boyfriend’s shoulder. “I’ll still support Uchiha Industries,” he promised.
Sasuke nodded, not quite feeling comfortable with that but lacking the energy to argue.
Before Suigetsu left the room he turned to face Sasuke, and his words sounded a bit like it was taking everything he had to say them.
“You know, Uzumaki…he’s not a bad guy.”
Seeing as much approval as he was going to get from Suigetsu, Sasuke nodded.
He couldn’t explain his feelings to himself, and it was hard to admit that he was intimidated by how much he was willing to sacrifice for one person. But when Suigetsu finally left and Sasuke was alone, he felt comforted in the fact he wasn’t alone at all.
***
“You look happy,” Haku looked pleasantly surprised when Naruto almost twirled into a storage room the other officer had confiscated. He was raiding some old boxes, and Naruto had a feeling they were some of Jiraiya’s old notes.
“I am,” Naruto answered honestly, even though he suddenly felt guilty. While he had spent the entire night making out with Sasuke in the backyard, Haku and Kotetsu had been diligently making plans. Or so it seemed.
“So…what’s our plan?” Naruto asked, although he never thought that plan would hold. Haku smiled kindly but his eyes were slightly sad. He stood up from his crouched position by some blueprints and stretched. He eyed Naruto for a moment and he looked as though he didn’t want to have this conversation.
“Our plan is to rescue Neji and Morino…but when I say ‘our’…I mean Kotetsu and I.”
Naruto’s face fell and his mood fell to the floor. “What? Why?”
Haku pursed his lips and shook his head. “Not because you’re incapable. More because…we can’t let the Akatsuki get ahold of you, or Danzo. It’s too much of a risk.”
Kotetsu came into the room suddenly, carrying a handful of snacks for lunch. He hadn’t noticed the serious tone of the conversation until he offered Naruto a delicious looking pastry and the blond turned it down.
“Oh, you told him,” was all the brunet could manage. Haku looked pained, but not half as hurt as Naruto felt. It disappeared momentarily however, when a new surge of conviction raced through his veins.
“As much as I appreciate and understand what you two are saying, it’s a lost cause. Danzo tried to send me back in time and I found a way to get back here. Leave me here in Nivae and I promise it’s only a matter of hitch-hiking until I show up a to kick both of your butts.”
Haku was surprised at Naruto’s seriousness, and Kotetsu looked a little badgered. “You’re a good officer, but unless you want to get sent back again-I mean, come on-“
“It’s my fault Neji and Morino are in this situation to begin with,” Naruto’s tone got louder. “It has nothing to do with-“
“What about Sasuke?” Haku’s voice was quiet, but the comment was enough to stunt Naruto’s voice. He frowned. “What about him?”
Haku stared at him, his doe eyes looking intrusively guilty, and not being an idiot, Naruto understood. Haku had seen them last night.
Kotetsu looked back and forth between them before setting down his armful of foods and stepping back towards the door. “I’m going to go get some juice,” he dismissed himself, and Haku looked away.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything,” he said and Naruto let out a long sigh.
“Do you not want me to come because you’re afraid the Akatsuki will get ahold of me, or because you’re happy that I’m happy?”
He hit the target on the dot because Haku’s brown eyes were wider than they had ever been.
“I've never seen you so happy. This is what you’ve wanted! If you go back to Denver-there’s no telling what will happen. There’s no promises you and Sasuke will-“
Naruto raised his hand, a motion that made Haku become silent, even though his eyes finished his sentence for him.
There’s no promising you and Sasuke will be together.
He had known it, even if he had been trying to avoid that truth for the day.
“I know.” Naruto said, his voice solemn. “I know that.”
Haku looked completely shattered from having said anything at all, and Naruto shook his head and smiled, all before ruffling Haku’s hair.
“Look. I’m not going to die, I’m not going to get sent back. We’ll find a way to make things work.” It was a loose promise, but one that Naruto meant to keep.
“Now what’s our plan?” he asked, and Haku stared at him before turning away, knowing this was an argument he wouldn’t win.
“Tomorrow morning, before everyone’s up…we’re going to head back. We got into contact with Zabusa and he and the others are working out a plan to get one of us into Danzo’s station.”
Naruto nodded before examining all of the blueprints and things scattered on the floor. “What’s all of this then?”
Haku smiled a little before folding up a blueprint and handing it to Naruto so that he could see. They were blueprints for a time machine.
“Jiraiya’s…” Naruto said.
Haku nodded. “He may have disappeared, but he left all of his things behind. Not that anyone could really make much of them…”
Naruto laughed and agreed. Jiraiya’s chicken scratch only made sense to him because he had experience in building time machines.
“We’re going to destroy all of it,” Haku said, earning a wide-eye look of surprise from Naruto. This time, Haku laughed a little. “Something else I didn't want to tell you.”
The blueprint was soft in his palm, like a canvas, and Naruto suddenly understood. “It needs to be done.” He said, and he handed the papers back to Haku. “All of it needs to go. And when we get back in town…I have an errand I need to run, too. Alone.”
This comment brought a disturbingly curious look from Haku, but Naruto waved it off. “Don’t worry. It’s important though.” To his knowledge only Morino knew he had built a time machine to come back, and he knew he had to destroy it. He was positive it was stills safely hidden since he had never really been bothered to lend out it’s location. He didn’t want anyone else to know about it though.
That just meant more people could get hurt.
“Naruto,” Haku said, his voice suddenly grim again.
Naruto turned to him before walking out of the room. “Yeah?”
Haku’s lips hardly moved. “It’s just you, Kotetsu, and I that are leaving tomorrow.”
Without saying it, Naruto knew what he meant.
He was going to have to tell Sasuke goodbye.