Title: Dealing with it.
Summary: Naruto is an orphan living in a run-down flat with barely enough money for food. Sasuke is a closet gay with a homophobic father. Itachi has been disowned. All they can really do is try and deal with it.

Disclaimer: I don't really own Naruto but a girl can dream.

A/N: My latest attempt at a multi-chap story. Enjoy. Oh, and this story has two possible end pairings - ItaNaru or SasuNaru. If you don't like either of these pairings you probably shouldn't read it. Side pairings will be decided as I go along. Updates will be as often as I can manage. Flames will be ignored.

Dealing with it
By OMG I found Waldo

Chapter 1

Entering the small, dingy flat which he called 'home', Naruto flicked on the lights and dropped his book-bag to the floor with a soft thud. He was still wearing his uniform despite it being late into the evening. He hadn't had the chance to get changed. Straight after school had finished he'd walked to Ichiraku's cafe where he currently worked. Teuchi - the old man who owned Ichiraku's - was doing Naruto a massive favour by employing him. The cafe was very rarely busy and they both knew Teuchi could manage perfectly well on his own but, having heard of Naruto's financial problems, he wanted to help out as much as he could. Naruto had always been his favourite customer, afterall.

Turning back to close the door - though it offered little protection - Naruto almost jumped out of his skin. "Uzumaki," the dark-haired man drawled in his smooth voice, smirking at Naruto from the doorway.

Naruto rolled his eyes in an almost fond manner. His neighbour seemed to enjoy sneaking up on him at every opportunity. "Y'know, Itachi," he said coolly, "It isn't fair of you to call me by my last name when you won't even tell me yours."

Itachi's lips quirked upwards into his usual half-smirk, half-smile. "You should know by now that I don't play fair."

With a soft snort, Naruto turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen area of his tiny flat. The door was left open behind him, an unspoken invitation for Itachi to enter the flat. He reached up into the top cupboard for two mugs. "Tea or coffee?" He questioned, grumbling to himself as Itachi reached past him and easily grabbed the mugs from the higher shelf. Naruto wasn't that short - he was 5ft 6" - but Itachi still towered above him.

The cupboards were bare apart from the two mugs. Naruto couldn't afford to buy much on his small salary. In fact, he only owned a second mug because of Itachi. Ever since the older man had arrived at Kyuubi Estate he'd spent more time in Naruto's flat than his own. Naruto didn't mind. He liked the company.

Even after two years of their 'sort-of friendship' Itachi remained as much of a mystery to Naruto as he had been that first day. It was obvious to anyone that he didn't belong in this run-down building; he was well-dressed, intelligent and everything about him seemed to scream 'business-man'. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong. How did someone like Itachi end up living in a dump like Kyuubi?

Placing the mugs carefully on the counter in front of Naruto, Itachi replied simply, "Coffee. Black."

Naruto clicked the kettle on and leant back against the counter. "I'm thinking of charging you for all the coffee you drink here."

Itachi chuckled and Naruto felt a sense of pride to know he'd been the one to cause it. Itachi wasn't the sort of person to laugh or smile but around Naruto he felt comfortable and relaxed. "How was school?" He found himself asking.

The smile that always seemed to be on Naruto's face faded at the question. Talking about school was difficult. He was the victim of bullying and had few friends, mainly because he was poor and nobody wanted to be seen hanging around with him. It was a lonely existance for someone like Naruto who thrived in social situations. "Sasuke Uchiha was in a pissy mood again..." Naruto finally said, eyes hardening as he spoke about the Uchiha boy who made it his life's mission to cause Naruto misery.

Itachi's lips pursed into a tight line but he said nothing. He hated the way students treated Naruto and wished he could be there to protect him. "How about work?" He reached over to pour hot water into both mugs and added coffee to his and hot chocolate to Naruto's.

Immediately, Naruto's expression softened and the smile returned to his whiskered face. "Work was good!" He said enthusiastically. And with that he began rambling happily while Itachi politely listened, cradling his mug in his hands and waiting for the hot, steaming liquid to cool down.

They would continue to talk - or rather, Naruto would talk - for hours on the uncomfortable, lumpy sofa until Naruto became sleepy and slumped against Itachi's shoulder, soft snores filling the silence.

Itachi would carefully move the blonde into a more comfortable position and cover him with a blanket before finally leaving.

The next morning, Naruto found an envelope filled with money - enough to pay that month's rent - and a fridge filled with food. A note was propped up carefully against the kettle and he couldn't help but smile at the familiar, cursive handwriting.

Payment for the coffee. Itachi.

What on Earth would he ever do without him?

xx

A disgusted scoff disturbed the morning silence in the Uchiha household. Fugaku Uchiha held the newspaper in front of him, staring at the printed pages in disbelief. Sasuke looked up from his cereal, an eyebrow raised curiously. Carefully - he didn't want to unintentionally offend his father - he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Same-sex marriage in New York. What is the world coming to?" Fugaku exclaimed, distaste hanging to his every word. "It's disgusting."

Clearing his throat, Sasuke dropped his spoon into his half-empty cereal bowl and stood up from the table. The chair scraped across the linoleum floor and Fugaku looked up at him expectantly. "I should get going to school now," Sasuke gave his excuse. "I don't want to spoil my record by being late..."

Fugaku nodded his head and turned to the next page in his newspaper. "That's my boy. You're so much more responsible than your brother ever was-"

Sasuke suppressed the urge to wince at what his father intended to be a compliment. Two years ago Fugaku would never have said a bad word about his eldest son but now... Well, things had changed. Sasuke was the favourite son now. The only son as far as Fugaku was concerned.

But if he really knew anything about Sasuke he wouldn't be proud. Not at all...

The walk to school normally took little over ten minutes but, being so lost in his thoughts, it took Sasuke almost double that time. When he arrived the students were already piling into the building for their first lesson of the day.

A boy with wild, blonde hair and blue eyes was running down the road towards him, orange bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat at the sight. Naruto. His expression twisted into a cruel sneer. It was all his fault. Naruto was nothing more than a freak. It it wasn't for the blonde, Sasuke would be normal - the perfect son.

Naruto, not focussing on where he was going, knocked into Sasuke's arm on the way past. The raven-haired boy recoiled from the touch, grasping his arm as though he'd been burnt. "Watch where you're going, dobe," he hissed.

The blonde simply flipped Sasuke the bird and carried on running.

Sakura and Ino seemed to appear out of nowhere, clinging to Sasuke's arms and gazing up at him lovingly. "I can't believe that freak, Naruto, just did that to you!" Sakura huffed, fluttering her eyelashes in an unattractive way.

Ino tugged on Sasuke's other arm to get his attention. She pushed her chest forward and smiled sweetly. "Naruto is such an annoying faggot, don't ya think?"

"Faggot?" Sasuke repeated, raising an eyebrow. He'd heard Naruto be called an assortment of names before but never a faggot.

The blonde-haired girl nodded her head eagerly, obviously glad that she'd taken his attention away from Sakura who was sulking on the other side of him. "Uh-huh! Karin saw him flirting with some guy at the cafe he works at!"

"Hn."

Sasuke walked away without another word. He was interested in this new information; Naruto had never shown signs of being anything other than completely straight before now. Juugo and Suigetsu would be very happy to have something new to insult Naruto with.

And if the rumours were true? Sasuke's lips turned upwards for a moment as he thought of all the things he could do to the blonde but he forced the less than innocent thoughts from his mind. He refused to be a faggot like Naruto.

xx

"Fox-faceeee!"

Naruto grinned at the nickname and turned around to face his best friend. Ever since he'd acquired the three scars on each cheek, Kiba had taken to calling him fox-face. "How's it hangin', dog-breath?"

Kiba's answering grin was just as wide as Naruto's as he replied, "A little to the left and just below my knee." Kiba laughed loudly at his own 'joke' and clapped the blonde boy on the shoulder. "C'mon, foxy; we don't want to be late for Gym class!"

Gym was Kiba's favourite class; he was always full of energy and hated sitting down for too long. Naruto was less enthusiastic; having Sasuke, Juugo and Suigetsu in the same class meant he was likely to spend the entire hour dodging 'accidental' hits with baseball bats and ignoring verbal abuse. "Lets get going then, Fido."

Kiba grumbled at the dog name but obediently - like a lost puppy - followed Naruto into the changing rooms.

Naruto tried to go unnoticed as he hung up his bag and pulled out his sports kit. It didn't work.

"Oy, Narutard!"

He clenched his fists. Ignore them. Ignore them.

"What's up, loser? Cat got your tongue?"

Naruto pulled his school shirt over his head, pretending not to hear them. He wasn't scared of them or weak but Iruka always used to hate it when he got into fights. His heart clenched painfully in his chest. Iruka...

Suigetsu laughed loudly. "Nah, he's just tired from all the cock-sucking he's been doing!"

Cock-sucking? Naruto's brow furrowed as he pulled on his Gym shirt. What were they talking about? "Fuck off, Naruto isn't a cock-sucker!" Kiba growled. Naruto grabbed his arm to stop him stepping forward. Kiba glanced back at him, confused.

"Just ignore 'em, Keebs." Naruto told him firmly. Kiba frowned but reluctantly kept his mouth shut and began to get changed.

Naruto had just finished changing when Sasuke Uchiha wandered over, leaning against the wall with a satisfied smirk on his pale face. "I knew you were a loser and a dobe but I had no idea that you were a faggot too."

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about, bastard," Naruto said honestly. He watched as the last few students wandered out of the changing rooms, leaving him completely alone with Sasuke.

Sasuke's glare seemed to intensify at the insult. "Don't you dare talk back to me. You're such a fucking queer!"

Naruto spoke without thinking. "In your dreams."

"What?" There was something frightening about the calm voice.

"In. Your. Dreams."

Sasuke's fist collided with a tan cheek in a fluid movement, causing the blonde's head to snap to the side. "Don't you ever insinuate that I'm... That!"

Naruto cupped his sore cheek in his hand and glared at Sasuke. It would be so easy to retaliate but he didn't want to cause Iruka any more disappointment. "What? Gay?" A scoff left his lips. "You act like it's something so..." He trailed off, unable to find the right word to describe it.

"Disgusting?" Sasuke offered. "That's because it is. You disgust me."

Naruto couldn't help the pain that flared up in his chest. For some reason, out of all the insults, it was Sasuke's that hurt the most. The bond between them still remained, even though their friendship had ended over a year ago. Even if Sasuke didn't feel the same way, a part of Naruto would always consider Sasuke a friend. "The feeling's mutual."

Onyx eyes travelled up and down Naruto's body and Sasuke drew in a shuddering breath - what was wrong with him? This attraction to Naruto was like nothing he'd ever felt before. What he wouldn't give to caress his creamy skin and kiss his cherry-red lips. "Stay away from me," Sasuke warned. Without another word he turned on his heel and left the changing rooms.

Naruto frowned in confusion. "Stay away from you?" He whispered to himself, voice echoing in the empty room. "Gladly."

xx

"What happened to your face?"

Once again, Naruto was scared half to death by Itachi's sudden appearance. "I swear you get off on scaring me," he muttered, flicking the switch and stepping forward into the silent flat. His bag was carelessly dumped on the floor.

Itachi frowned at him, noticing the blonde's bad mood. It wasn't like Naruto to be irritated; even after a day of torment and a long shift at work he was always cheerful. "You didn't answer my question..." He pointed out.

Naruto gave him a tired look and placed a hand on the door, preparing to close it. "I'll talk to you about it tomorrow, Itachi."

"You will," Itachi said firmly. His dark eyes lingered on the bruised cheek and he reached over to brush his fingers across the discoloured skin. "I worry about you a lot," he told him quietly.

Naruto smiled. "There's no need. See? I'm happy as can be." Not.

Itachi looked dubious but allowed Naruto to close the door. The moment the wooden barrier was between them, the blonde finally allowed his face to crumple. He took a long moment to compose himself before clicking the play button on the answering machine.

"You have one new message, message received at 8:05 ~ Naruto, it's me Kakashi. Look, I need to talk to you about Iruka. I don't blame you for what happened-" A soft sigh could be heard. "I know you feel guilty but... Just call me back OK?"

Beep. "Message deleted."

xx

A week had passed without the promised conversation. Itachi was becoming more worried with every passing day. Every time he caught sight of the blonde he was looking even more miserable, even more tired and even more lonely. He tried to get Naruto to talk but he was met with nothing but excuses each time. He could take it no more. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Naruto looked up from the table he'd been cleaning, blue eyes wide with shock. "Itachi?"

"Why. Are. You. Avoiding. Me?"

The blonde blinked at him, obviously still surprised to see Itachi outside of Kyuubi. "I'm not avoiding you..." He lied. Badly.

Itachi couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes. The blonde was such a terrible liar. "Oh? So why did I have to track you down at work just to have a conversation with you?" He questioned.

Naruto picked at the hem of his shirt out of habit and sighed. There was no point in trying to keep things from Itachi - the older man could see right through him. "OK... So maybe I was avoiding you. Kinda."

Itachi sat down at the table and drummed his fingers on the wood. "I'd already established that. My question is why?"

Naruto seated himself in the chair opposite and stared at the small vase of flowers which stood in the centre of the table. "I've just been busy-" He began.

Itachi interrupted. "-So it has nothing to do with Iruka's death then?" He asked bluntly.

Naruto winced, looking up at Itachi with a furrowed brow. "How do you even know about that?" He demanded. He couldn't remember ever mentioning it in a conversation with him.

Very calmly, Itachi replied, "I have my ways."

After a long and thoughtful silence, Naruto allowed a strained smile to curve onto his lips. "What I wouldn't give to be half as mysterious as you are."

Itachi chuckled. "I'm not mysterious-"

"-I don't even know your last name!"

"You never asked."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. "Would you tell me if I did?"

Itachi smirked. "No."

Frustrated, the blonde huffed and stood up from the table - effectively ending their conversation. "Shoo! I have tables to clean and food to serve!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards the doors.

Itachi stood up from the table. "I'll see you tonight."

Naruto watched him leave.

xx

Click.

"You have one new message, message received at 11:34 ~ Naruto, please talk to me. It wasn't your fault! The funeral is in two weeks time. Iruka would want you-"

Beep.

"Message deleted."

xx

The house was too big for two people. Sasuke hated the silence. Sitting at the table eating dinner, he felt lonely. His mother used to be the one to start conversations when she was alive. The moment she died, silence became a common thing in the Uchiha household.

"Father?"

"Hn?"

"I was thinking maybe it's time that you..." He hesitated for a moment. Standing up to his father was something that required bravery. "You should forgive Ita-"

"Don't you dare say his name!" Fugaku roared, fire in his eyes as he stood up from the table. The plate fell to the floor with a loud crash, porcelain shattered. "His name will not be spoken in my house. Do you understand?"

Sasuke shakily nodded and he watched as his father stormed out of the room. When Fugaku was out of ear-shot, he whispered one word. "Itachi." It felt good.

xx

Opening the door to his flat, Naruto flicked the lights on. Nothing happened. The flat remained dark. It had been over a month since Itachi had last left him money and his food supplies were running low. His electricity had run out. He had no money for rent...

The salary he got from Ichiraku's just didn't stretch far enough and there was nothing Naruto could do but try and deal with it. One day at a time. Too proud to ask Itachi for help, Naruto sat himself down on the lumpy sofa in his dark apartment and ignored the loud, constant rumbling of his stomach.

xx

"This term we will be reading a famous, romantic yet tragic play written by a famous playwright!" Jiraiya announced excitedly. The class listened on boredly. "I'll be sorting you all into pairs and at the end of the term you'll be acting out a scene from the play!"

Kiba groaned loudly from the seat next to Naruto. "Romeo and Juliet? Again?" He wailed, thumping his head against the desk.

Jiraiya stared at him. "Romeo and what?" He shook his head in confusion, ignoring the looks of disbelief the students were sending him. "I'm talking about the famous play that I wrote myself two years ago!"

Naruto paled. "Oh god..." He still remembered the last book that Jiraiya had published and made the class read. It was filled from front to back with... Well, it could only really be considered porn.

"What's wrong with you?" Kiba asked, nudging his friend. He'd only just been moved into Jiraiya's class and had no idea of what awaited him. Blissful ignorance.

"The play is called Icha Icha Tragic Love!" Jiraiya exclaimed dramatically, brandishing enough scripts for each student in the class. He began handing them out, a wide smile on his face as he began explaining his 'greatest work'. "The story is about a horny young man and his girlfriend who won't put out-"

Naruto stopped listening.

It felt like an eternity later that Jiraiya finally finished rambling and began to pair up the students. Naruto hoped that he'd be put with Kiba - the only person he could stand to be around in the class - but luck wasn't on his side. Jiraiya was pairing people alphabetically which meant...

Damn. "Uchiha and Uzumaki - you'll be working together this term."

Naruto could feel Sasuke's intense glare burning him from the other side of the classroom. "Uh- perv- I mean, Jiraiya?" Naruto called out, interrupting the white-haired man who was busy pairing up the remaining students.

"What's up, brat?"

"Would it be possible for me to work with someone else other than Sasuke?" Anyone else.

Jiraiya blinked. "Why? You and Sasuke are best friends." Naruto winced. Jiraiya must have been the only person in school who didn't know. "Well, whatever. I can't change the pairs so you'll just have to deal with it."

Naruto sunk down in his seat. Kiba smiled at him sympathetically. "At least you didn't get paired with Hyuuga."

"Isn't that a good thing? I thought you had a crush on Hinata."

Kiba gave a grim, tight smile. "I do. I'm not paired with her, though." His brown eyes drifted towards the other side of the classroom. Naruto followed his gaze and gulped at the murderous intent that seemed to radiate from Neji Hyuuga.

"Tough luck, man."

"He's going to kill me."

"Yup."

Kiba's head thumped against the desk for the second time that day.