legendary unpredictability!

“Isn’t this one of those things from that game you play?” he gestures at a holiday plush that was not from Sasuke’s mobile game at all, but a purple and white doll with bat ears. Close enough.

As much as Sasuke didn’t want to admit it, Naruto was right. Back then he didn’t want to listen to the knucklehead. He tried keeping himself closed off from everyone, especially Naruto. The only way he’d listen was through fighting, because he felt as though that was the only thing worth listening to.  “Alright, look. Maybe you’re right…” He waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

“–but there’s no reason for that now. We can actually clear the air with words instead of fists.”

He blinks, brows scrunching up as if he’s sure he’d misheard. Words instead of fists? Admitting he was right? Naruto wants to flinch and flush at the same time, but manages to do neither.

“I’d agree if it was a meeting of Hokage or somethin’ serious.” a thoughtful hum and a deep frown. There was no need to fight more than necessary--that was something he was striving towards. No need to create more orphans, more ninja children, more dead children. In that sense, Sasuke was right.

But this was different. Naruto liked to think that even if they’d struggled a lot, he and Sasuke had communicated just fine in the end. In fact, compared to most of his relationships Sasuke was probably one of the few he actually understood to its fullest extent. He could say with full confidence that he understood Sasuke better than anyone, and that the feeling was mutual. That’s what he truly believed.

Naruto takes a step back, digging his heel into the ground. He grins with bared teeth. He’ll give the other a few moments to recognize the challenge and respond to it.

ishgard‌:

Anyone else ever wanna just… make pre-established connections between characters without having to RP it out cuz you’re a tired busy adult?

“Don’t fucking sniff spray paint.” 

“Oh…So you’re saying you’d rather fight me than talk because..you don’t know how to express yourself? ..That explains a lot.”

Sasuke’s jab provokes a genuine laugh.

“The Hidden what? I’ve never heard of that name before. Guess that’s some part of the world that’s far away from Fodlan.” Maybe some place he would want to travel to see after the war is over. “Haha, alright. Good to know that you’re good with your fist, because some might say that I am the best there is.” The few times he would at least pamper himself was always when it came to his strength. “Samurai? …. OOOOOOOH, wait no, those are the guys that always use swords. No no, I’m really bad at swords. I guess you can compare it to something like… a Brigand.”

“The Hidden Village of the Leaf!” he repeats it as-a-matter-of-factly. “It’s a ninja village. And that makes two of us, never heard of any ‘Fodlan’. What kinda name is that, anyway?” it sounded dumb, not gonna lie. What the hell was a Fodlan? Some kinda food? A fruit? Fruit-lan?

Naruto wasn’t any good with swords either, but there was no reason to tell this guy that! Besides, he’s sure if he took a stab at using them he could definitely be an expert. He just didn’t care about using swords when there were all sorts of cooler ninja tools.

The term ‘brigand’ gives him reason to pause, frown deepening.

“Haha, you know exactly what I mean! I’m glad someone else sees this as the best way possible to learn about someone. The name’s Caspar, and I’m a pretty good fighter and not too shabby with an axe.”

“Woh wait a minute. You mean to say that you can fight with one another with our fist and still be on a date?”

“That’s amazing! I hope my first date comes out like that. Even though I’m still not interested.”

“It’ll make things easier on the both of us.” Sasuke crossed his arms with a sigh, then he glanced down at the floor. He was relieved that the switch had happened with Naruto, but now he had an entirely new set of issues where he was concerned. Naruto was his friend, but he was also loud and somewhat obnoxious. “I don’t sound like that either…hm.” He looked back up at the other, brows furrowed in pensive contemplation. “We don’t know if this switch is all there is. There could be more to it. Continuing on like nothing’s happened is a stupid idea, especially in this dimension. Did you forget your lessons at the academy? A ninja looks for the underneath within the underneath.” He rubbed the side of his temple, feeling a headache coming on.

“Strong enough to look after myself, like always, ya kn– ….ugh.”

Seeing Sasuke struggle is enough to make Naruto want to giggle. He won’t, but the temptation is alive and well. 

“Fine, you’re right. But it’s not like I was going to go out and cause trouble or anything. Sheesh.” though he frowns, it’s kinda nice being scolded like this. Feels familiar, feels good. Like he wasn’t the hero of the village anymore, just regular old Naruto. Not that he necessarily minded the titles and prestige, but this was still comforting in its own way. He’s sure no one back home would have any trouble scolding him despite circumstance, but there was just something specific about the way Sasuke did it.

Wait...was he a masochist or something? Totally weird! No, forget he thought anything! Eeugh!