Sincerely Devoted (SasuNaru)

True love brings empathy

9:48PM

I felt the older Uchiha's tears going through the fabric on my shoulder as he buried his head in between my neck and shoulder. He was crying silently, he must have been holding it in all these years on his own.

Roaming the dark streets, waiting for the next sunrise.

It must have been so lonely.
And I can understand that feeling when my parents died. I understand it too well.
I was so young, and I was all I had back then.
It was rough going up all alone, before I met Kiba.
And now I have Sasuke.

I would never want another human being experiencing the hell I went through.

I started rubbing his back softly, comforting him.
"Sit down, I'll prepare some warm ramen for you." I sat him down and rushed over to the kitchen. I informed my bosses that my friend was here and paid for his meal secretly.
"I'll wash up and close. Please have a good rest at home!" I assured the them as the lady boss finished tallying the cash in the cashier.

They nodded and thanked me, leaving me in the eatery with Itachi and I.
I cooked up some simple ramen noodles as I didn't have the expertise of the boss' cooking skills yet.
But he slurped it down without hesitation. He must have been hungry.
My heart sank as I sat in front of Itachi, watching him chug down the remaining soup. My attention got diverted when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket.

I pulled out my phone to check.
A few text messages from Sasuke and a missed call.

9:59PM - "I'm turning in, see you soon."
10:04PM- "I'm parked outside."
10:12PM- "I saw the owners leaving, are you still inside?"
10:27PM- "Can I come in if you're just cleaning up? I promise I won't bother you."
10:28PM- "I just want to see you. I miss you."

I panicked as I looked up towards the door, thankfully all the windows shades were down and the door was not made of glass. But my heart raced even faster when I heard knocks from the door.
And I imploded with anxiety when I heard his voice behind the wooden entry.
"Naruto? Are you in there?" He continued knocking lightly.

I quickly signalled Itachi to go into the kitchen, "There's a back door there! Go!" I whispered hastily. He nodded and swiftly escaped to the kitchen.

"Yes, just finishing up the cleaning!" I rushed the door, opening it to reveal the face of my worried lover.

"How cruel of the owners. Letting you clean up this entire place by yourself on the second day of work. You're not even getting paid to work overtime." He grumbled and rolled his eyes as he stepped in.

He arched his brow when he saw a empty bowl of ramen on the table.
My eyes darted between him and the bowl.
Was he getting suspicious?
I said I was cleaning up but then a random bowl is left there all by itself..
Sasuke's too sharp, at this rate, I'm going to get caught!
"Let me help you wash that." He took the bowl and strolled to the kitchen. I snatched the bowl and chopsticks out of his hand, "It-it's fine! I can do it."

"No, let me do it. It hurts me seeing you  overworking yourself to the point where you're having your dinner so late." Sasuke stretched his arms out, cueing me to hand the bowl over.

I blinked to digest what he had said.
Right, that's totally not suspicious at all!
I gave in and passing him the bowl and utensil.

But now I had another worry.
Did Itachi manage to leave the kitchen in time?
What if he's still there?
I could only pray, counting down his footsteps towards the kitchen.

He made his way into the kitchen, "What the hell?" I heard the backdoor in the kitchen slammed loudly.

Shit, shit, shit!
I ran over, "I can explain!"

"Do you know how dangerous it is to leave your back door open?" Sasuke grunted, rolling up his sleeves before turning on the faucet.

I calmed myself down, catching my breath.
Thats right.. there's nothing suspicious about that...
My stomach was beginning to churn from all this anxiety.
I didn't like lying to him one bit.

11:57PM

It was now almost midnight and we were finally on our way home.
My arms were aching from all the cleaning, it's all Itachi's fault!
But I'm sure Sasuke is really tired too, since he helped clean half of the place.

"Don't let others take advantage of you." Sasuke muttered, his fierce dark eyes plastered on the road ahead of us.
"W-what? Oh, no.. I volunteered to clean." I bit my tongue, it's my second time telling him only part of the truth.
It doesn't feel good.

"You're too nice for your own good." He shook his head disapprovingly.
Sasuke entangled his fingers in mine, with the other hand on the steering wheel, and gently raising my hand to meet his lips.
"Don't work anymore. Quit, let me be the one to take care of you." He suggested as he continued to kiss the back of my hand.

"It's tough working such a laborious job, even your soft hands will turn rough." He carried on, trying to convince me out of it.

I withdrew my hand, "I thought you were going to be supportive of my decisions?" I pouted angrily.

He turned to look at me, "I am. But it pains me to watch you tire yourself out."

"I promise, I'm not tiring myself out. I'm doing this for nobody else but me after all." I smiled to him, reassuring him that this is what I want to be doing.

And it's going to be worth it.

Looking at Sasuke, I was reminded of his brother. I wonder how was Itachi and where he would be sleeping tonight.
If I could save enough money, I could rent a small room for Itachi and get him back up on his feet.

But how do I earn more money within such a short period of time?

Sasuke tugged gently at my hand, eyes darting to mine as if wanting to speak.
His lips finally separated as his eyes met mine.
"Hey Princess.. I've been thinking, if you are really insisting to work.. Why don't you work for me instead? Be my brand ambassador. That way, it won't be as tiring and I can still take care of you."

Me..? A model for Sasuke..?

I was conflicted. I had the devil and angel debating over my shoulders.
Wouldn't that be proving everyone's point?
I'm using Sasuke as a stepping stone for my career.
No, maybe I shouldn't think that way. I'm just lucky for an opportunity to start my career.

I'm just lucky to have Sasuke as my lover.