Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor its characters. © Masashi Kishimoto

The story is based on the manga Udagawachou de Mattete yo by Hideyoshiko ©

Warning: Overload of cuteness (I'm getting sick of their fluffiness already). Minors consuming alcohol.

Special Chapter – Happy Birthday to me.

Naruto's point of view

It's my 16th birthday and here I am, riding the subway back home, alone and feeling dejected. My day began so nice, with mom taking the day off to bring me breakfast in bed and plans to go out on a date with Sasuke. But now here I am, Sasuke ditched me to help his brother and my friends are too busy working on their biology project.

I can't believe I'm spending my birthday alone. Again!

Of course I'm bitter about it. I spent my past four birthdays completely on my own. Last year I didn't even leave my bedroom. I expected nothing and I got nothing. This year, I made plans.

Sasuke promised me he'd spend the day with me. This is so infuriating!

At least my mom is home.

I walk in our small house, leaving my sneakers and bag behind on the entrance. "I'm home" I yell still upset.

"Oh, Naruto? Welcome back, honey." My mother is wearing a beautiful white dress shirt and a green skirt, high heels I don't remember seeing her wearing since I was a kid and makeup.

What is going on?

"Oh Naru, I really thought you were going out with your friends today, so I made plans." She looks guilty, but not much. As she finishes putting an earring, she looks excited actually. "I'm sorry son. I can cancel if you want me to."

I shake my head. "No need, ma. I'll arrange something to myself." My dishonesty is an old bad habit of mine.

Is my mother dating someone? Because no matter how you look at it, she's totally up to something. And the way she's so well-dressed and smiling just screams she met someone.

I watch as she fixes her appearance in front of the mirror "Eh, mom?"

"Yes dear?"

I smirk. "Is there something you want to tell me, maybe?"

She looks at me with a frown. "What do you mean, Naru?"

I walk to her and place my hands on her shoulders, grinning mischievously. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" she frowns in doubt. "Like maybe if you met someone?"

I confess I have double feelings if my mother started dating someone. So fine, she and father are divorced and we don't see dad for many years, so it's okay she moves on. My mother deserves to be happy. On the other hand, I'm not ready with deal with another paternal figure in my life and the last time we talked about dad, mom told me she still loved him in her own way, so it's very complicated.

However, my mother chuckles at me. "Oh don't be silly, Naru. I'm too old for this." I don't miss the small blush on her face. Whatever she's doing, she's hiding something from me.

I shrug off, pretending I'm not really bothered by the idea "Well, you never know."

She chuckles again and shakes her head. "Really son. Oh, I'm late, I have to go. Lunch is in the fridge, just heat it." She kisses the top of head. "Love you honey. Bye."

I laugh when my mother trips on my sneakers, soon flinching at the glare and curse she gives me. "Sorry ma! Enjoy your date!" I yell, laughing as she yells back that it is not a date.

…

This is really not how I was expecting to spend my day.

I hopefully text Kiba, Shika and Chouji to know if they're done with the project and want to do something. As it's my lucky, they're not going to end until nighttime probably.

Oh man, this sucks.

With a long sigh, I oblige myself to heat the food my mother left for me. I'm honestly not hungry. My stomach is a little upset actually, a bitter taste in my mouth, but I know it's just the deception I'm feeling, so I force myself to eat.

The minutes feel like HOURS to me. I'm bored to death, lying on my bed doing nothing.

I attempt to text Sasuke a couple of times asking him if he's done with whatever he's doing with his brother, but he simply doesn't text me back. He's seriously pissing me off today.

The only thing I asked him was one date. I remember when he asked me that and what did I do? I gave him that. So it's only fair he did anything he could to spend my birthday with me. What kind of boyfriend is he?

Just he waits until the next time he asks me to shave my legs. No matter how much I love the feeling of my smooth skin, I'm not giving him the satisfaction, humph.

Ah, why is it I'm condemned to be alone?

It's not fair.

I hug my pillow next to me, I should just sleep the whole day and be done with it. Maybe later when mom come back, we can have cake. Hmm, strawberry cake would be nice.

…

I wake up to my cellphone ringing. I fumble around in my bed in order to get it with my eyes still closed. "Hello?" my voice is slurred.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NARUTO!"

I glare at the inanimate object, willing it to be quieter.

"How is your day? I wanted to call you early, but you know how my life is busy here. And oh my God, you are 16 already, that's sooo sweet! I'm sure you're having so much fun today. Are you with Sasuke? I bet you are. Did I call you in a wrong hour? Are you all lovey-dovey with each other? Own, I'm envy now. I wanted to spend the day with you, Naru."

I'm dizzy with my cousin's incessant talk. "Karin, please shut up."

"YOU BRAT! Don't tell me to shut up! I called you to wish you a happy birthday, you ungrateful bitch!"

I roll my eyes. "Sorry Rin, thank you for calling."

"It's okay, but only because it's your birthday! Hey, how is your day?"

I consider lying to my cousin, but I really don't see a point to it. I sigh. "It kind of sucks, honestly."

"How come?" she asks me, somewhat surprised, really it's always like this. So I proceed to tell her what happened and how I ended up alone in my bedroom. "Oh don't worry, Naru. I'm sure your day will get better." It's an obvious lie, those you tell to make others feel better.

"Thanks Rin."

"I have to go now. I just called to wish you a happy birthday, really. Sorry to hear the day wasn't good so far, Naru." I listen people talking next to her, so I assume she must be busy. At least she remembered to call me.

"It's fine. Thanks for calling. Talk to you later. Bye."

I look at my cellphone screen. I received a few texts from the people closer to me at school. Even Sakura texted me wishing me a happy birthday.

Still not a clue from Sasuke. This is really nagging me.

What could he possibly be doing he's taking so long? And why is that Itachi can't get someone else to help him? Argh, this is so frustrating!

I'll check my Facebook. Let's see how many people I barely talk to are wishing me a happy birthday. Not that it hurts reading messages to have a good day and besides, the ones from my relatives are so nice.

I miss them all.

I miss my cousins, my uncles and my aunties. I miss my grandma. We used to spend so much time in family, birthdays, Christmas, New Year, every holiday we used to spend together. But as we grew up, my older cousins could never make it and then there were fewer and fewer people and at last, we stopped.

I weight my phone. I should call them. As this thought forms in my head, my phone goes off. I smile and pick it up. It's as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Hey."

"I want to make it clear my mother is forcing me to call you to wish you happy birthday properly. Can we get done with it?"

I laugh hard, dropping back on bed. "I tell her you called me, no worries."

I hear him sighing. "Thank you." For an instant, I expect him to say something else, but then I remember to whom I'm talking.

I clear my throat "So, how are you Gaara?"

"I'm fine. What about you, Naruto? You don't sound like you're having fun."

A smile forms on my lips. After Karin, Gaara is the closest person I have of my family. We grew up together, suffering in the hands of our older cousins together. He and I are brothers. I miss him terribly.

"I'm not really, but I'm happy you called. I was just about to call you now, I swear…"

We talk for what feels like hours. It's 57 minutes actually. My ear is red when we disconnect and I already feel that I shouldn't have. I still have so many things I want to tell him. Too bad Gaara seems to be busy as well.

How everyone is so busy today?

I try to go back to sleep, but I can't. I'm not sleepy anymore. So I decide to leave my bedroom to watch TV on the living room.

I consider dressing up and going to the park. I used to do it every time I felt lonely. But since Sasuke and I started going out, the prospect of going there alone is not appealing anymore.

As I'm turning on the DVD player, my phone goes off once again. It's my mom this time. What does she want?

"Oh hey sweetie, are you at home?"

"Yeah, you need something?" She's better not be expecting me to play delivery boy on my birthday.

"Is there an envelope next to the TV on the living room?" I look around

"It's here." She has to be kidding, right?

"Could you bring it to mommy? It's really important and I'm afraid I have no time to go back all the way home."

I whimper. Fucking awesome! As if my day wasn't shitty enough. "Sure, mom. Where are you?"

After writing down the address, I take a quick shower, put on decent clothes and head to the station. It's fairly crowded as it's to be expected on a Friday's afternoon. Oh boy, today sure is going to top my crappy birthdays.

…

When I arrive at the address my mother gave me, I'm sure I wrote it wrong. Maybe I misheard the number of the place or the street. Something is definitely not right.

I face a big and normal house. Is it my mother's date's house? What the fuck is she doing in some dude's house like that? What the fuck, mom?

Frowning and suspicious, I knock on the front door and wait.

Apprehension fills my body as the door opens and a middle-aged man greets me. Who the fuck is this?

"Hello, you must be Kushina's son. I'm Arashi, nice to meet you."

I glare at the man. I don't like him. I do not like him. "Where is my mom, old man?" I don't care if he thinks I have no manners.

He smiles as if he knows something that I don't. Argh, this guy is getting on my nerves! "She's downstairs. It's just follow the corridor and turn to your left, please come in and make yourself at home."

I feel a bad shiver in my spine. This is getting more and more suspicious. I do not like it.

The house is silent, ridiculously silent. I flinch when the front door slams close. This is creeping me out. I turn left and find small circular stairs, those made of squeaky wood that every step you take makes you feel in a terror's movie about to be killed.

It's exactly how I feel.

I gulp down and start walking down. Every step I take I see how dark it's getting. The basement is pitch black and I can barely see an inch in front of me. Oh the things I do for my mother.

I'm sure I'll die today or I'll wake up inside a garbage bag on a random dumpster and find out my kidney was stolen and I only have more 3 hours alive before the internal infections kills me.

I can already see the headlines. 'Naruto Uzumaki, 16 years old boy found dead in a basement of Konoha'.

Then the text will tell: 'October 10th, Naruto Uzumaki, son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze was found dead under mysterious conditions in a basement in Konoha.

The death of the young boy leaves Konoha weeping in mourn and sadness. The teen baseball player of Konoha's local private school had a life like any boy his age. Naruto was happy, cheerful and kind to all of his friends. The police is investigating the case, but the questions surpass the answers.'

Now I'm scared shitless. Why is my imagination so powerful? Now I'm imagining various forms of death under torture I can suffer. Damn it, Naruto, pull yourself together. You're almost there… almost theere…

The lights go up. "SURPRIIISE!"

I wish I could say I immediately recognized the act. I wish I could say my reaction was crying in happiness or jumping in joy. The reality is a little more pathetic.

"OH MY GOD, PLEASE DON'T KILL MEE!" Yep, I yelled and begged with my hands covering my eyes and everything.

When I hear laughter, I take my hands off my eyes

and gasp.

I can't believe my eyes. Am I dreaming? Was my kidney stolen and this is the effect of the anesthesia?

This is not true.

I chuckle.

There are so many faces, so many people.

EVERYONE is here!

I feel my knees shaking. I can't… I sit on the floor in disbelief.

Tears blurry my eyes incessantly.

Emotion fills me to the brim and flows out of me.

I can't stop crying. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." I'm sobbing already. "Thank you, everyone!"

I feel arms around me, pulling me up. I hug the person back, it's my mother. I sniff, trying to stop crying. I'm so happy. I laugh and cry at the same time. "Thank you mom. Thank you so much. I had no idea."

"Oh sunshine." I can tell my mother is crying too.

We look at each other and laugh. I'm blissful!

"Thank you." I tell her once again. I don't know anything else to say.

"No need to thank me, Naru." She wipes the tears on my face and whispers giggly "It was actually Sasuke's idea. Your cousins also helped a lot."

I look around.

All my relatives are here. All my uncles and all my aunties. Grandma Mito is here! All my cousins: Karin, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, even Sasori is here! And then my friends, Kiba is here, and Chouji, Shika, even that guy Suigetsu.

I see Itachi, his mother and his father.

And then, Sasuke.

I run to him and hold his waist. I want to ravish him right here, right now! This is guy is unbelievable. How someone can be so sweet and grumpy at the same time?

He holds me back, laughing, calling me moron.

I know I can't kiss him now, here, but it's fine. I'm happy.

"Do you have any idea how much I cursed you in my mind for ditching me on my birthday, bastard?"

"We were counting on it for you not to figure it all out. Thankfully, you are a moron."

I'm not even mad.

I'm still tightly holding my boyfriend when we hear someone clearing their throat "Could you boys keep your hands to yourselves? This is a family party."

"Oh shut up, Karin."

Karin fumes "Sasuke!" I laugh when she forcefully separate us. "Get your hands off my cousin!" My cousin hugs me to herself, patting my head as if I'm a little kid. "Happy birthday, Naru! Did you like it?"

"I loved it, Rin! You guys are awesome!"

"Of course we are. Come on, everyone wants to talk to you." She drags me through the party by my hand. I send Sasuke an apologizing smile. I want to talk to him, but I want to talk to everyone!

I get pats on my back, kisses on my cheek and hugs as I walk between people. My head is spinning in joy!

"Gaara!"

I see his green eyes lightening up to see me. It's a discreet reaction, but for everyone who really knows my cousin, it means a lot.

"Is your day better now?" he smirks smugly at me, teasing me.

I stick my tongue out at him. "Fucker, I was really feeling down, ok?"

"I know." He pats my back.

Oh, I'm obligated to hug him. I miss him too much, no matter how much he hates it. Gaara must miss me just as much as I feel him hugging me back. I laugh.

"Karin told me about the boy." He motions his head to Sasuke's direction.

Even in my happy spirits, I feel my smile falter as I pretend not to understand what he's talking about. There's no such a thing with Gaara.

He rolls his green eyes "Please Naruto, we've being betting when you'd come out for years already." I stutter, I-I-I-Wh-What? "The real question is: should I scare him like I did with that friend of yours with the pineapple hair? I bet I can make him piss his pants just like that idiotic companion of Karin." He's talking about Shikamaru and Suigetsu.

After my initial shock, I just laugh at the seriousness of my cousin. "No it's fine. Let him be… for now."

We share an evil smile. It feels good to be in family.

…

I have more fun than I can count. I'm sure everyone is having fun. Most of the people here already know each other. Some of the connections are a bit surprising for me.

Sasori and Itachi, Sasuke's brother, worked together so they're kind of friends. Shikamaru is crazy for my cousin Temari since I can recall, no matter how much he denies it, he loves the cold treatment she gives him. Karin and Suigetsu are on weird on and off distant relationship, she's not giving me details. Even Sasuke's parents already know my uncle Nagato from the time they lived in Oto.

Everyone is having fun.

Kiba managed to slip in a bottle of Tequila. Don't ask me how. He says it's my birthday present. We drink a shot each, even Sasuke drinks. It's strong, but not enough to make anyone drunk, just happier.

The music is cool. The food is delicious. Everyone I love is here. I couldn't have a better day.

Walking through the party, I see my mother talking to the man who first answered the door. Talking about it, whose house is that? And who is this guy?

I grin at him, but it's crooked, I know "Hey mom."

"Oh Naruto. I'm sure you already met Arashi, but I'd like to properly introduce you." I shake the man's hand trying not to glare at him. "Arashi works with me. This is his house, that he's lending for us. Cool isn't it?"

I smile through gritted teeth "Very."

More question arouse in my head, like why is he so nice to my mother? Or why does someone live alone in a house this big? Or maybe he doesn't live alone? Then where's everyone else?

I decide to worry about it later. Now I want to have fun with my cousins, my friends and my boyfriend.

Where's Sasuke?

I find him talking to Karin and Uncle Nagato. When he sees me, he excuses himself and walks in my direction.

Sasuke grabs my pulse "Come here" and drags me all the way to the stairs and up to the house. As soon as we leave the basement, his hands slip from my pulse to my hands. I take it tightly. I don't want to let it go, feeling his cold hand in mine is thrilling.

He drags me upstairs in the house. I wonder how he knows where to go or if it's okay to go to a stranger's bedroom. He doesn't look guilty or anything, so I guess it's fine.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" I cross my arms over my chest, seeing him getting a box wrapped in silk pink paper.

He hands me the box. "Here. Happy birthday, moron."

I smile, carefully unwrapping the box. Sasuke looks anxious. I wonder what he got me. Maybe it's a new skirt or high heels. It's a shoebox, so I bet it's high heels.

For the second time today, I think my heart will stop.

I'm dumbfounded.

How do I react?

"How did you know?" My voice is shaking with tears I haven't shed yet.

Sasuke smiles, it's a gentle smile, so beautiful on his face. "Your mother told me she bought you one like this when you were little." His voice is soft as he caress my face. "I assume you liked it?"

"Liked it? Are you kidding me, Sasuke? I don't even know what to feel!"

There in the box lies a doll exactly the same I had asked for Christmas so many years ago, the same doll my father made me throw away, the doll I loved so much. Porcelain face, long curly black hair, blue eyes, pink mouth. I'm getting it back.

It's not the frilly dark blue dress or the matching hat.

It's not the doll.

Sasuke is giving me something so big, I wonder he has any clue what he's doing.

He's giving me reassurance, acceptance, love!

I laugh and cry at the same time again. And I hug him. And I kiss him. And I fall for him, deeper.

I'm not sure how long we stay in the bedroom, kissing and cuddling, but I know it is long enough to draw knowing smirks from those who knows about us when we return to the basement.

We sing happy birthday to me, take pictures with everyone and eat strawberry cake. It couldn't be more perfect. Hmm, this cake tastes great!

When I lay my head on my pillow late at night, with the doll secure on my nightstand, I'm certain I fall asleep with a smile on my face.

…

AN: So I came to a point I really don't know where to go with this story. I never really worked on the plot deeply, it wasn't meant to be an action-driven story or be based on too much drama. I wanted to write about how normal of a life homosexual people can have. I believe I made this point clear over the past 14 chapters. Now I confess I'm a bit lost to what I should write next. I had planned to write more about their relationship, but it's getting a bit boring and it won't likely add to the story. On the other side, I planned to have a more dramatic scene for the next part, but I'm dwelling on it, because I'm afraid it will, first, get too serious, and second, run from the story's main point.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on what you'd like to read next. I don't promise I'll write it (I don't really know what to do now. I'm so sorry, I'm feeling a bit unmotivated here.) But I'd really thank you if you write me a PM or review, send me an e-mail if you want (chibiyoru hotm…) with what you imagine it will happen next or what you'd like to happen next.

Thank you very much.

See you soon.

Four chapters in the two weeks. That's a record! I worked really hard these days.