#naruto uzumaki x oc | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cinnacaekes · 2 months

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Okay this is a very *spoiler* draft of a *future* chapter of my Isekai OC x Naruto fic called "If It Kills You" that may go through changes in the future. I just like to write future chapters when I'm having writer's block/procrastination lol. Here it is! Pairing: Uchiha!fem!OC x Naruto Words: 4831 NSFW -- it gets a lil zesty ________________

"Happy Birthday, Naruto!" The dark haired Uchiha smiled brightly at her best friend, kneeled down in front of a cake on his coffee table.

The blond stared at her from his front door in surprise and astonishment. No one had remembered Naruto's seventeenth birthday today, and he didn't even think Kotone had remembered. But she did.

Naruto expected to come home to an empty apartment with no family to greet with. Normally, Iruka-sensei would treat him to some ramen but his academy teacher was dealing with the flu and was overwhelmed with grading, so that was postponed. He had expected to simply eat a depressing cupcake with a candle he bought for himself before going to sleep like every other ordinary day. He didn't expect much, even though Kotone had remembered in the past, she had already gone through so much lately. So many things have been happening with the constant threat of the Akatsuki, Kotone’s recovery, Sasuke, the village attack…

But here was Kotone, his precious friend with a cake that he knew for sure was homemade. Even with all the issues he knew the girl was dealing with, she was right here in his home with a smile as if everything bad never happened.

Before he could collect himself, tears rolled down his warmed cheeks as he sniffled.

Kotone looked at him, surprised, "Naruto…?"

Naruto quickly wiped away his cheeks with the sleeve of his jumpsuit, feeling slightly embarrassed having been caught so vulnerable.

Kotone quickly got up from her spot on the floor and met him halfway in his room. She smiled, her purple eyes a bit somber at seeing her friend cry right in front of her

"It's okay to cry, Naruto. Especially after all the times I've cried in your jacket, I think I have to pay up to you somehow," she joked.

Naruto smiled warmly, "It's fine, I'm just really happy, ya know? I've never really had anyone to celebrate my birthday with other than you. I'm glad."

Kotone felt her cheeks warm up a bit, grabbing Naruto’s calloused hand to sit him alongside her in front of the cake. The cake was a two-layered circular cake with white icing as a base. It was decorated with black and orange Uzumaki symbols, a design she had made out of dyed white chocolate. "Happy Birthday Naruto!" was written with bright orange lettering on the center of the cake. Three orange and black striped candles were placed in an arch above the message. Kotone was proud of her work, the cake looked like it was professionally made.

She grabbed the pack of matches from underneath the table, swiftly dragging the match across the side of the box before lighting the candles.

When Naruto finally collected his composure as he watched Kotone light the candles, he noticed her. He saw her.

Naruto noticed the dark purple dress she wore, which was just about knee length. It had a low square neckline and was covered in lace that was a lighter shade of purple that matched her eyes. The lace extended across her shoulders up to her wrists, the skin showing underneath. The lace had a slight sparkle to it as well, which gave a nice touch to the overall style.

The blond also saw that Kotone’s eyelashes were a bit darker, contrasting against her light skin tone. She was wearing black eyeliner and mascara, which complemented the pink gloss she wore on her lips.

Her long dark hair was fully let down, some strands framing the sides of her face. She looked like a princess.

Naruto's breath caught in his throat when he realized she dressed herself up for him. She considered his birthday a special enough occasion to put effort into her appearance. While Kotone honestly didn’t need to do anything to alter her appearance for him to love her any more than he already did, the thought made his chest warm and his stomach twist in knots. While he knew Kotone did like to fancy herself up for special occasions, she was the type of person who tended to be a bit more practical and he knew that if she put in effort, there was an ulterior reason behind it. It seemed a bit too good to be true for Naruto, though.

He sometimes wondered if Kotone would ever reciprocate his feelings, and there were some days where he wanted to tell her bluntly that he loved her. But Naruto was scared. The jinchūriki was scared of ruining one of the best friendships he's ever had. He was scared of losing the one person he loved the most.

But then he remembered all the good times they had together. Kotone always put her friend's wellbeing over her own. Their relationship was different compared to others. It was closer, more intimate. A tragedy brought them closer than ever, Kotone became her near-most vulnerable self with the blond ninja.

Naruto knew that Kotone was keeping certain things to herself, but he was fine with the current vulnerability that she shared with him. He felt honored to be the one that she trusted the most.

Kotone Uchiha made Naruto feel like he mattered. She was the only one who believed in his goal of becoming Hokage, she was the only one who believed in his capability to be strong. She was the first person to give her full respect and care for his well-being. Naruto felt like he was her one and only and he loved her for it. He loved Kotone for her kindness, ambitions, friendship, and generosity. There were so many qualities about her that he loved that he couldn't find any words to describe how and what he exactly loved about Kotone. He loved all of her.

She always cheered him on in full confidence, even before he defeated Pain and proved his worth to the village. Every time Naruto felt bitter about not getting respect and recognition until he saved the village, he thought about Kotone to feel better. And it worked. Naruto always felt guilty about feeling this way.

He was ridden with guilt over Kotone dying when she tried to defend him from Pain. For the next several weeks he kept having nightmares about her death, her lifeless eyes staring back at him as her final breath left her body. He remembered how he felt the moment she passed. He felt like a part of him died. Even after gaining control over the nine-tails, Naruto had a very difficult time holding back his rage when he found Nagato.

Naruto finally experienced the pain Kotone felt. He knew he did. It was an unimaginable agony compared to when he found out “Ero-Sennin” or Kakashi died. Naruto didn't even know how he would have coped with her death if Nagato hadn't sacrificed his life for the deaths caused by the attack.

And when he finally saw Kotone again in her designated tent, a bit beat up but alive and well, he lost it. He embraced her, Kotone just as eager to hold her best friend in her arms as well. They held each other for what seemed like hours, too comfortable to let go.

Kotone finally lit the third candle, waving the match in her right hand to put out the small flame. She locked eyes with Naruto’s. Glazed over ocean eyes locked onto hers.

"Naruto? Are you okay?"

His blue eyes snapped in focus. Naruto smiled sheepishly, "I'm okay."

Her frown turned into a smile, "Alright, make your wish!"

"Not even a birthday song?" Naruto asked a bit jokingly.

Kotone's pale cheeks flushed red in slight embarrassment, "I don't know, I feel a bit put on the spot with just me singing. It's kinda awkward."

Naruto decided to be a bit bold, "Eh, maybe, but I like your voice. It's pretty."

Her eyes widened, not expecting him to answer her like that. Pretty? The way he looked at her when he said it with a slight smirk on his face felt like she was being flirted with.

Her chest tightened and her stomach twisted, "Ah… thanks."

Naruto grinned at Kotone’s response, "No problem!"

Kotone watched the blond look at the cake before lowering his face a bit closer to the flames, pursing his lips to extinguish the candles.

Afterwards, Naruto looked longingly at the cake as Kotone picked up the serving knife to cut slices for the both of them. After placing one good sized piece on a paper plate, she placed it on the table in front of Naruto.

The cake had a strawberry and raspberry cream filling in between the white cake layers. Taking a fork and cutting a good piece from the slice, Naruto took a bite of the cake.

The cake was heavenly.

A long night of chatting and eating cake together made the night go fast. Kotone looked at the time from the clock on the wall and realized it was already past midnight.

It was one of those nights where they were both starting to get tired, causing them to have more and more ridiculous conversations as time went by.

"Do you ever get impulsive thoughts that make you think about doing ridiculous things to strangers, even if it doesn't make sense?"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the girl slouched against the couch next to him and shook his head.

Kotone sighed, thinking up examples. Her eyes lit up, "Oh! Like sometimes I think 'What would happen if I randomly slapped this person right now?' Or if I randomly hugged or said something weird to someone? You get what I'm saying?"

Naruto’s expression lit up in understanding, "Ah, just like getting the urge to jump off a cliff even if you don't want to?"

The dark haired Uchiha nodded.

He hummed in agreement, "I guess so. Never thought of doing something specific like that, ya know?"

A pause.

Kotone smirked, "Ah, how’s your progress with Sakura-chan going? You still like her, don’t you?"

Yea, it stung a little to be reminded that she wasn't going to be that person, but it is what it is. He was meant for Hinata, and if Kotone’s presence messes up the course of nature, then at least Sakura could be used as back-up.

Naruto blushed, thinking of a certain female Uchiha instead, "No, actually. Not anymore."

Huh. That's concerning. She was sure that the protagonist still had a thing for Sakura through the fourth war.

Her thoughts got cut off by Naruto's lowered voice, "Have you… ya know, liked someone before?"

His tan, whiskered cheeks were a bit more flushed than usual. His blue eyes stared at hers, almost as if he was looking for something while acting as if he just asked her a simple question about the damned weather.

Kotone was many things, at many times even a bit stupid, but she was no fool. This wasn't the first confession she's had. The past life experiences with romance caught up to her for this moment for her to realize something she never noticed until now. The body language gave it away.

Naruto liked her back. Everything made sense now – the meaningful glances, the slightly flirtatious remarks, the way Naruto seemed to just treat her so differently compared to everyone else.

How was she this blind? Their dynamic was so different and intimate and yet Kotone didn't want to accept that maybe her feelings were reciprocated. This was also unfair to Hinata and could mess up the course of things, on a grand scale.

She was in love with the main protagonist. And she tried ignoring it. Tried pretending it was just a silly crush she developed. Tried to convince herself that it was all in her head just because they were closer than anyone else amongst their social circle.

And this scared her. She probably had to pretend she didn't like him for the sake of the timeline. Or what if she decided to be honest and was wrong and humiliated herself and made things weird and awkward and-

"Kotone-chan? Are you okay?"

Naruto looked at her lavender eyes, worried that he might've gotten too personal with his question.

Her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment, "Uh… yeah? I was just trying to think but I don't think I've had anyone I've felt romantic for." She mentally slapped herself for making her answer sound like a question. Gods, Naruto could probably tell she was lying and could see right through her inner turmoil.

Feeling both relieved knowing that Kotone didn't like anyone else but disappointed that she didn't like anyone at all (himself), he sighed.

"So you've never kissed anyone before?"

Kotone shook her head, "Nope," her frown turned into a small smile, "But when the opportunity comes, you could probably give me some tips from your experience with Sasuke."

Naruto almost gagged, his face turning bright red, "It was an accident! I swear, ya know!"

She snorted, "Okay, okay. It's just too easy to tease you about that."

He whined in embarrassment, "Kotone-chan…!"

Kotone gave the blond a cheeky grin before she sat herself up on his couch, laying her head back against the wall as she stared up at the ceiling.

She didn’t really expect the next words to come out of her mouth, “Is there anyone you’re interested in right now?”

It seemed like they were dancing around the topic. Naruto looked up at her from his spot on the floor, almost as if he was trying to test the waters, “You could say I might have a thing for someone.”

Her mouth became dry and her face heated up as her heart raced up into her throat.

“You know, I hate beating around the bush. But it feels like you’re implying something here and I don’t want to sound like an idiot for it-”

“Then say it, Kotone-chan. I won’t judge you for it.” Naruto stared intently at Kotone, almost challenging her.

She looked down at her hands, anxious, “It… can’t be me.”

Kotone looked back up at Naruto in a moment of bravery, but nearly lost it at Naruto’s look of despair.

He smiled the type of smile that didn’t reach his eyes, like he was accepting defeat, “I understand. I’m glad that you know how much I care for you and I always will.”

She felt her hands shaking. She wanted this. She wanted this so bad, but it wasn’t right. It wasn’t right to Hinata, to the future, to everything she worked so hard for. Kotone didn’t deserve a happy ending like this. She was here by accident. Kotone was never made to be with Naruto, and she needed him to know that. Kotone was an imposter. A mistake.

“Naruto… you need to get over me. I want you to move on, find someone to love, get married, have kids if you want, and live a peaceful life. But that can’t be with me.”

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, “Kotone-chan, I can’t and never will get over you. And I’m fine with that. I’m fine with being alone for the rest of my life if you’re not in it. So don’t tell me how I should feel,” Naruto gripped the front of his shirt, trying to enunciate his point, “It’s not something that’ll easily change. You know me. I never go back on my word.”

The Uchiha looked at him in disbelief and shook her head. She wanted to cry.

“But you don’t know me, Naruto. There’s so many things you don’t know about me. How could you say something like that? How do you know what you’re really feeling?”

He smiled, a look of absolute admiration across his features. A look Kotone was familiar with from her past relationships.

“I know you’re hiding a lot of things from everyone, including me, but I would like to know when you’re ready. Maybe then you’ll have your answer. Maybe you’ll never tell me. But that doesn’t change the type of person that I see in front of me right now, ya know.”

Kotone couldn’t put a finger on the reason why she suddenly felt so angry and wanted to deepen the wound, “I’m the reason Jiraiya is dead. I’m the reason Asuma is dead. I could’ve stopped Sasuke, could’ve told him monumental details that would’ve brought him home, but I didn’t. I’m not the person you think I am, Naruto.”

Naruto looked confused, and worried at the same time. Did Kotone really blame herself for things that were out of her control? Even if she somehow knew the future, he trusted that Kotone’s judgment was for his and everyone else's sake.

His eyes glinted knowingly, “Kotone-chan, there’s nothing you could’ve done-”

"I vaguely remember a bit of the conversation we had right before I woke up from when my mind was stuck in that torture seal," blue eyes widened at Kotone’s confession, "You know, don't you?"

Naruto held his breath, having been caught for not bringing this up to her. "You were already going through enough as it was recovering… and I trusted that you would make the right choice, ya know?"

While feeling a bit conflicted, Kotone knew the poor jinchūriki was only trying to help with the purest intentions. She brushed it off with a sigh, "I wish you would've told me sooner, but it's fine, I guess.”

Kotone paused as she let her thoughts sink in, “What did you see? When you were inside my head?”

“The memories you had from your past experiences… it was like I was right there, in real time,” said Naruto as he crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back against the couch.

“You were speaking a weird language I couldn’t understand, ya know, but judging from what I saw I was able to have some sort of idea of what happened. A lot of what I saw were…” Naruto stopped himself, not knowing how to best describe the events in the easiest way possible.

Kotone cut him off, “So you saw me. How I used to look back then. And I’m assuming you saw a lot of my trauma, right?”

Naruto nodded, his expression taken by a gloomy overcast.

“I remember… begging you not to tell anyone about this. About what I know of what’s to come,” Kotone paused, almost frightened by the next words she would utter. It took a couple tries as she opened her mouth to speak, yet she couldn’t produce a single sound. It was as if all the fears she had were finally crashing down on her, and she couldn’t do anything to stop the wave.

She pushed through, “I know you saw me reading about you. Your story before it even began. Of how I had the knowledge about so, so many people’s deaths and tragedies I could have prevented. And I lied and kept this secret from you all these years.”

By the time she finished her sentence, her tears started trailing down her cheeks. Naruto clenched his fists, seemingly angry as he looked down towards the floor. Kotone knew at this point that he definitely felt betrayed by her now. It was only a matter of time until he would throw his love for her out the window.

That was what she wrongly assumed, as Naruto suddenly got up and put himself on the couch beside her, and grabbed one of her hands between his own.

“Naruto…?”

His eyes were glossy with a fresh set of tears, “You were suffering this whole time. Please, let me help you so you don’t have to be alone anymore. I don’t want you holding this burden on your own. You’ve been helping me with my burdens, and I want to help you with yours. I… feel angry at myself for not having noticed what you were going through sooner. ”

Why? Why did Naruto care so much about her when she basically lied to him and used him? She didn’t deserve him.

She sniffled, “You? A burden? If anything, I’ve been burdening you with all my problems.” Which was true, after all Naruto was the one who literally helped save her, took care of her, watched out for her every second of her recovery. All while having just found out that Kotone wasn’t entirely who she said she was.

Naruto gave out a dry laugh, “I saw you die right in front of me, Kotone. You could’ve died because of me. You knew you didn’t stand a chance against Pain, and yet…” You sacrificed yourself for me. Naruto felt his chest tighten in agony, almost as if he were choking on the images of a dead, glossy-eyed Kotone.

Naruto’s shoulders shook as he gripped her small hand tighter in between his, the warmth enveloping her hand.

“Naruto… I’ve been meaning to ask, but I wanted you to tell me yourself. When you defeated him… you didn’t just use your rasengan, did you?”

Kotone didn’t recall a lot of things, but she did remember that Pain was originally dealt with swiftly before Naruto tracked down Nagato in the anime. But when she saw him in person… his knuckles were split open and stained with blood. Badly. There was something off about the look in his eyes, like there was a hidden darkness that could potentially take over.

Naruto looked down, hair cast over his eyes as if he were trying to hide himself in shame.

“After all that time I spent talking to Nagato… I lost it. I beat him. I punched him, over and over. And he let me. And… it felt good. In the moment, it did, ya know. Eventually I just stopped and became even more miserable knowing that you weren’t going to come back.”

Kotone parted her lips in shock, not knowing how to process the information. This was nothing like she remembered. She remembered a Naruto who was able to hold in his hatred in honor of Jiraiya, and used the power of his peaceful words to save the village.

“After I was able to calm down, I somehow was able to talk Nagato into saving the village. He almost didn’t change his mind. I don’t know what I did, but it worked,” he finished. Naruto sighed, looking back up at Kotone with a sorrowful gaze.

Kotone gave the Uzumaki a small, comforting smile, “It must’ve been hard for you. But don’t feel bad for yourself, we all have our ugly moments. And I literally just died. I can’t even imagine how I would’ve reacted if it was you instead of me.”

At this point, Naruto and Kotone were both leaning against each other on the couch, tired yet lively enough to talk about the elephant in the room. Kotone told him all sorts of things from her past life including the different types of innovations, politics, war, culture.

“Ne, who was your favorite character from my story?”

Kotone flushed a little, “Well… I liked Kakashi-sensei a lot.” She really didn’t want to bring up the fact that she might’ve had a bit of a crush on him, too. Now, of course, she just saw Kakashi as her teacher or even a family member of sorts.

Naruto frowned in disappointment, “Hmm… Kakashi-sensei, eh? I wasn’t your favorite character?!”

“Hey now, I fancied you a lot as well. I thought you were very inspiring. And funny. You showed a lot of resilience that I wish I had back then.”

Naruto raised an eyebrow before giving a small grin, “And who's your favorite character now?”

Kotone hummed, “You, probably. But I'm afraid you're a close second to Shisui-nii.”

Naruto’s grin grew wider as his cheeks flushed, “Really?”

She nodded, “Duh. You're my best friend. And you were always there to support me after my rescue. I was a mental wreck and was too scared shitless to even sleep in the dark.”

Kotone turned her torso to face Naruto, smiling at him in appreciation, “I don't deserve your friendship, and you are there for me anyway.”

Choosing to use actions over words, she quickly placed her right hand behind Naruto’s neck and brought him closer as she leaned over to give the blond a hug.

“Thank you.”

Naruto immediately froze. Unlike other times, they were now truly alone in the comfortable silence of his apartment. Her embrace was warm, and he felt the heat emanating from her soft hand on his neck to the warmth that radiated from her torso. The heat made the blood in his sternum pump rapidly as he carefully placed his left hand on Kotone’s upper back and his right hand on her lower back. With the way they were situated on the couch, Kotone was practically leaning most of her weight on top of him. He could practically smell the mixed scent of cherries and roses with their close proximity.

Feeling the reciprocated touch of his hands on her back, Kotone blushed, realizing the type of act she initiated after Naruto confessed to her. She was only grateful that her face was hidden from his sight over his left shoulder.

Fully processing her words, Naruto finally responded after a long pause, “Ya know, you don't have to say that about yourself. Whether you think you deserve other people's friendship and happiness.”

Kotone pulled herself slightly away from him to look him directly in the face, “Naruto, I am a terrible person. I'm selfish. I'm the last person that–”

The blond repositioned his hands on her shoulders as he told her firmly, “You deserve everything, and I don't care what you say about yourself because I'll always stick to my word. I'll do anything to make you happy.”

She gaped at Naruto in shock. “What?! I've done horrible things. How can you keep saying that?!”

In a moment of confidence Naruto blurted out, “Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway!”

Kotone’s purple eyes widened at Naruto’s audacity. Her heart leapt into her throat as she processed his words. Naruto himself gaped at his own words, furiously blushing as his thoughts raced at a million miles per minute.

“I mean, uh… I-I don't know,” Naruto stuttered as he averted his gaze away from the very close girl in front of him. His hands awkwardly dropped from her shoulders.

He nervously looked back at Kotone, noticing how both of their faces were pretty close to each other. Kotone continued to stare directly at his face, eyes dropping down to glance at his lips.

With her raw emotions getting the best of her, she slowly drew her face in closer to Naruto’s, breath fanning over his own. His lips were slightly parted as he struggled to think clearly. Inching closer, she lightly brushed her lips over Naruto’s before giving him a light, tentative peck.

Naruto’s lips felt like they were tingling at the sensation, and he knew he was hooked on her touch. Kotone lightly kissed him again before shifting her position to straddle his lap as he laid back on the couch.

His hands lightly touched the sides of her waist as he reciprocated the kiss. Kotone had her right hand placed over his chest while the other held the back of his neck.

Kotone pressed her weight into him, kissing him with a fervor she didn’t realize she had. Naruto lightly sighed, feeling the pressure of her lower half against his hips. Kotone’s dress rode up her thighs, dangerously close to revealing His entire body felt very hot and his pants started to uncomfortably tighten. Kotone moved her right hand to unzip the collar of his jacket, fully opening it to reveal bare, taut skin underneath. She traced her hand on his pecs which caused him to slightly shudder. Slightly pulling away, she left a trail of open-mouthed kisses across his jawline and down his neck. She gently nipped his skin before dragging her tongue along his clavicle.

Naruto gasped at the new sensations, gripping the sides of her waist tighter and trying to create more friction between their lower halves. His better judgment wanted to stop this before things went too far, but his thoughts were too foggy by thoughts of Kotone’s exposed thighs tightening around his waist. His thoughts raced of how much he wanted to risk it all and wished things would go further–

Kotone immediately froze, breathing heavily against his neck. In response, Naruto also froze. The Uchiha moved her face to look at his blue eyes in shock.

“Oh my god. Oh my god.”

Kotone jolted right off from Naruto’s lap, embarrassed. In her rushed motion to do so, she accidentally kneed him in the groin, causing Naruto to yelp in pain as he placed his hands over his sensitive crotch.

“Oh god, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,” Kotone repeated out as she pulled her dress back down to make herself look somewhat decent.

Naruto swore in pain as Kotone cringed in mortification. _____________ That's all I have written so far :)) I added the ending since it's so relatable for me personally, I'm always accidentally hitting my boyfriend's crotch lmao

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lemony-snickers · 8 months

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@justmyownreality - ficti-gram for you!

to: @justmyownreality from: @nightingaleflow message: I love Jmor, she's always been warm and welcoming to me, especially when getting involved in the OC side of things. I want to make her smile. <3 characters/pairing: naruto uzumaki/fem!oc word count: 1517 prompt: decorating a cake

A growl to rival Bull's reverberated through the kitchen. Had anyone else been present, they might have worried an attack from a mighty ninken were imminent.

It was only Rukia, of course, custard smeared across one cheek and end of her green sweater sleeve stained purple. She frowned at the monstrosity before her, teeth grinding together as she tried to hold herself back from obliterating it with the strongest jutsu she could muster.

Cooking hadn't always been a success for Rukia. She shivered as she recalled dismally the time she'd somehow managed to burn broccoli which remained mysteriously frozen inside. But this, she had thought possible. This, she had thought a genius kunoichi could handle.

It was only a birthday cake. From a box! And as she stared at the leaning tower of cake before her, the strawberries she'd so carefully sliced in half threatening to slide off one edge, Rukia was grateful, at least, that the batter had tasted okay when she hazarded a quick lick of her mixing spoon before she put it in the oven.

A quick glance at the clock over the stove only increased her despair. Naruto would be home any minute, and her attempt at creating a birthday cake worthy of the future Hokage. She tilted her head, again rather like one of her hound summons, but even changing her perspective did nothing to improve the cake's appearance.

The strawberries were fine, even if they were sliding off one side where the cake sagged dangerously, but the Uzumaki spirals she had attempted to recreate in purple icing had bled into the white buttercream, making an oozy, bruised-looking mess.

Perhaps the cake had still been too warm? In her defense, Rukia had been delayed in her return to Konoha from her last mission, so rather than having two days to bake and decorate Naruto's birthday cake, she'd had a measley four hours.

Still, her heart sank as the frosting continued to slip off the cake, and one of the strawberry halves made a sad plopping noise as it landed unceremoniously on the counter.

"Shikamaru was right," she grumbled, "I should have just bought something."

But making Naruto a cake with her own hands seemed like a better way to show him how much she loved and cared for him. She knew his birthday was sometimes a hard day, and Rukia had wanted nothing more than to make him smile that blinding, too-wide, closed-eye smile when he looked upon her homemade creation.

It helped that her birthday was so close to his; she saw this cake as a way for them to celebrate together, especially since she'd been half a world away when her own had passed. She had painstakingly chosen the green tea custard and strawberries to go with the vanilla cake and buttercream, and had thought buying the frosting pre-made and using a boxed cake mix would negate any chance she could possibly ruin it.

As another strawberry tumbled off the rim of the round confection, Rukia's head dropped in defeat.

"What a mess." And not only the cake, either. Somehow, the entire kitchen seemed to have exploded with green tea custard and strawberry juice, the pale green and vibrant red clashing harshly with the purple she'd chosen for her decorative Uzumaki swirls, which now appeared as sad-looking blobs.

Perhaps interior decorating would never be her strong suit; the more she stared at the colors in combination, the more they made her eyes hurt.

Rukia was just contemplating whether she should throw the whole thing in the trash when she heard the unmistakably loud foosteps of Naruto Uzumaki approach the door. How he managed to be so stealthy in the field when it was required, and yet never seemed at all capable of quieting his footsteps in Konoha, astounded her.

Panic flared in Rukia's chest and she scrambled to try and bring some semblance of order back to the kitchen. It was a futile endeavor, though, and the door swung open before she'd even managed to get the custard off her cheek.

Naruto's blue eyes stared at her as he took in the scene, his mouth turning down in an adorable frown as he worked to figure out what exactly was happening.

"H-happy... err, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she shouted, her voice nearly as loud as Naruto's. Rukia tried to smile through her embarrassment, but it looked more like a wince than anything.

She ought to have known that Naruto's reaction would be the same whether she handed him a bowl filled with vaguely cake-flavored soup or created a fifteen-tier replica of the Hokage Tower out of fondant and spun sugar.

"Rukia!" he bellowed, barelling toward her with that smile she'd so wanted to see before he pulled her into what would have been a bone-crushing hug for anyone half as strong as she was.

All Rukia's anxiety about the appearance of the cake melted away--much like the frosting, though she pushed the thought down--as she returned Naruto's hug and his smile in full force.

Naruto didn't let her go, but relaxed his grip a little so he could look at her offering. "It looks so good!" he shouted, nothing in his expression appearing anything but genuine.

Rukia blushed, her cheeks matching her crimson eyes for a moment as she cleared her throat to reclaim some dignity. "I'm glad you like it," she said, rather than allow any of the self-deprecating comments swirling through her mind to make their way out of her mouth.

Naruto liked it. That's all that mattered.

"I can't believe you did all this for me," Naruto whispered. Or, well, as close to whispering as Naruto tended to get.

Rukia rolled her eyes and extricated herself reluctantly from his hold. "I'd do anything for you," she said, staring intently at the cake as she cut him a slice because she knew if she met his gaze she'd blush again, "and everyone deserves somthing nice for their birthday."

She handed him a plate with a generous helping on it, trying not to focus on the way it slowly sagged to one side, buttercream dripping onto the handle of the spoon.

Naruto beamed, swiping it from her grasp and ignoring the glob of frosting on his utensil as he happily used it to pop the first bite into his mouth.

Rukia held her breath tightly between her ribs as she waited for his reaction. And Naruto, who always found it so easy to show his emotions, did not disappoint. His eyes rolled and his knees buckled a little as he moaned around his spoon.

"Rukia," he said, mouth full as he stuffed another bite in, "this is incredible! You should be a professional baker!"

She smiled, even if she thought he was being a little overwrought in his praises, and sliced a piece for herself.

When she took her first bite, Rukia had to admit it wasn't half bad. At least, the flavors were good, even if the texture and appearance could really benefit from some alterations.

"Ah!" she glanced up to find Naruto squinting at the cake as he cut himself another slice. His glance cut over to her, sparkling, as he asked, "Are these Uzumaki symbols?"

Rukia couldn't hold back her smile, and she was afraid if she spoke she might actually cry, so instead she just nodded.

Naruto's grin pulled, somehow, impossibly, wider, as he enjoyed his second slice.

They both ate their cake in comfortable silence for several long moments before Naruto gasped and Rukia nearly dropped her plate in surprise at its volume.

"But your birthday just passed!" he cried, "And I didn't do anything for you!"

Rukia chuckled. "Well, I was on a mission, so it would have been pretty difficult for you to do someth--"

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE!" Naruto decided, abandoning his half-eaten cake to the counter as he rustled through the cabinets in his kitchen. "A-ha!"

He turned toward her, holding two packets of instant ramen in his hands. "I'm going to make you the best ramen you ever had in your life!" he promised. Then, "Well, except for at Ichiraku. I don't think anyone can make ramen that good."

Rukia laughed again, setting her empty plate aside. "You really don't have to, Naruto."

He grinned that too-wide grin she loved so much. "I know, but I want to."

It was Rukia's turn to gasp when he leaned down and licked the custard from her cheek without so much as missing a beat. She felt herself flush crimson again, though Naruto hardly seemed to notice as he turned to the stove and began preparing his culinary masterpiece, as he was now calling it.

Rukia leaned against the counter, ignoring the frosting her pinky slipped into. She'd clean the mess up later. For now, all she wanted was to enjoy Naruto's happy chatter as he filled her in on all the things she'd missed while she was away and made her the best bowl of ramen she'd ever have.

Even better than Ichiraku, she knew because Naruto had made it for her.

#naruto uzumaki x oc #fem!oc #oc: rukia #lemony ficti-grams

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