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container-of-apple-juice · 3 years

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Someone requested Naruto’s first time eating cup-ramen foreeever ago. I reserve the right to edit this lmaoo

—

“You are responsible for feeding yourself from now on. Do you understand? Guards will no longer come to fill your fridge. Do you still have the key I gave to you?”

Naruto blinked up at the third hokage from his spot atop the kitchen counter. Only when he saw the man’s eyebrows draw together in frustration did Naruto remembered to nod emphatically at him in response to his question.

But what did that mean? He only had milk in his fridge...

“Good. There is a shop not far from here where you can go to buy groceries. Here is your monthly allowance.”

Naruto jumped as the taller man thrust his arm out toward him, holding out a handful of notes for Naruto to take.

“Spend it wisely.” The third nodded minutely as Naruto took the money from his grasp. He glanced briefly around the small apartment in the silence that followed. He kicked a crayon at his feet.

“Clean this place up, would you?”

And with that the third left his apartment, neglecting to lock the door behind him. Naruto guessed that was his job now. To make sure he clicked his door if he wasn’t planning on leaving the apartment that day.

He looked down at the notes in his hand for a long time. He’d never been given this...allowance before.

He glanced to the right at his nearly empty fridge.

He thought it was strange that the third had mentioned the guards “filling his fridge.”

It had never seemed full to Naruto.

He was sick of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, though. If he never had to bite into another mushed up peanut again he wouldn’t complain. Maybe this would be...cool?

He wondered what kind of things he could buy to eat. And where was this “shop” that the third had mentioned?

He hopped down from his spot on the counter and walked over to his tattered sandels where they lay by the entrance to his apartment.

Naruto noticed that everyone seemed to wear shoes when they were outside and, besides, he didn’t particularly like the way rocks dug into his heels, so he quickly learned that shoes were an absolute necessity if he was leaving his cold room in favor of the wide and open outside.

He reached for the doorknob but jerked back when he realized he didn’t have his key. He ran abruptly over to his unmade bed and plucked the weirdly shaped metal piece off of his pillow.

Upon reproaching the door he took a deep breath, as he always did, and twisted the knob open.

He had run into a few other people (including the old woman from his first adventure outside) on quite a few occasions over the months he’d been permitted to leave his apartment. None of them seemed like friend-material, though, sad as Naruto was to admit it.

They all reacted in a similar way, seeming shocked at Naruto’s presence, only to quickly follow up their surprise with worry or disgust; no one staying for longer than a minute before turning heel and nearly running in the opposite direction.

Naruto even tried to strike up a conversation with a few of them, but no one was interested in anything he had to say. He was just happy when they didn’t spit on him at this point. He shuddered at that particular memory.

He sighed out a breath of relief when the hallway outside of his door was totally empty this time around. He figured he was better off traveling alone than somehow scaring off anyone he happened to see. He didn’t want to upset anyone, he knew better than anyone that the outside world was a scary place.

He wished he could make them see that he was no one to be afraid of.

Naruto shrugged off the thought as he made his way toward the now familiar set of stone stairs that led him out of his apartment complex.

He pocketed the key and gripped his allowance tighter in his tiny fist.

Somehow the two items felt equally as important, and he didn’t want to lose either one.

He figured that any “shop” with food for him to buy would probably not be near the forest or the river (which he often favored over the more crowded area of buildings and people.)

He swallowed down his nerves and walked toward the stone path that lead toward the cacophony of bland colored buildings full of people that probably wouldn’t want to talk to him.

He tried not to notice the ugly looks thrown his way as he walked.

Why did everyone hate him?

He shook his head, trying not to dwell on those thoughts and instead trying to savor the warmth of sunlight on his skin.

He opened his eyes (when had they slipped closed?) and noticed a taller woman exiting a nearby building with a bag in each hand, one of which had something sticking out of the top-

Bread!

The guards had always brought Naruto a loaf of bread! That must be one of the shops that the third had mentioned! (Bread shop!)

He bee-lined for the store in question which had a sign reading “Quick Mart” just above its entrance.

He felt a gush of air as he entered the building and froze in the doorway. He could only see one other person in the building aside from the person behind the desk toward the front.

The older woman seemed to be passing her items to the man behind the counter. Naruto watched aptly as the woman in question passed each item to the man who was clad in a bright blue apron.

Naruto’s breath caught in his throat when the woman passed what he assumed was her own allowance over to the man behind the counter.

He noted the information for future reference and cast his gaze toward his feet as the woman passed by him on her way out of the store.

He felt his cheeks heat up as he walked further into the shop. Bread. He could find bread. That was a start.

Five dollars??

He only had....30!

He leaned up onto his tippy toes and grabbed the bag of bread anyway, not knowing what else to do.

He wandered the isle until he found jelly as well, cursing himself for buying the same thing that the guards always bought for him.

The jelly was only three dollars but...

He shuddered.

He was so tired of peanut butter and jelly.

He shoved the jar of sickly sweet paste back onto the shelf along with the bread he had grabbed earlier, not caring that it was out of place among the colorful glass jars.

He could buy anything he wanted now! Being outside always brought new things into his life. It’s what he loved the most about it! He refused to buy the same thing he had always been given.

He fidgeted nervously as he glanced at different items on their shelves. Anchovies?? Olives?? What the heck was that?? And why did they want almost a quarter of his allowance for such a tiny jar...

He turned a corner sharply and gasped at the sign that laid directly in his line of vision.

$1.00

Naruto had that. He definitely had that. Thirty of that.

There were like, thirty days in a month.

Perfect.

He grabbed as many of the little styrofoam square containers as he could, piling them high in his arms before realizing he couldn’t possibly hold thirty of them.

He hurried over to the counter near the front of the shop with his bounty, dropping three or four of the identical items behind him in the process.

“I’ll be right back!” He shouted at the man behind the counter, probably louder than necessary.

He didn’t bother reading the man’s expression as he quickly turned on his heel and ran back toward the isle he had come from.

The plastic squished uncomfortably against the bare skin of his arms as he cradled them once more, but he paid the feeling little attention as he trudged toward the front of the store once again.

“I have thirty dollars!” He yelled once again, throwing the remaining containers up onto the counter before him.

“......do you need a bag.”

It didn’t really sound like a question but Naruto cocked his head to the side in response anyway.

The man behind the counter held up a thin piece of plastic with handles, expression as bored as ever.

“To carry everything?” The words were unimpressed as the man glanced behind Naruto at the containers of food the younger boy had dropped in his excitement.

Naruto let his jaw drop open. Who knew it would be that easy??

“Yeah! That’d be awesome, ykno?”

“It’ll be ten cents.”

“Oh, uh- I don’t-“

“I’ll just take it out of your total.”

Naruto shifted his weight at the words, not totally understanding the situation but hoping it wouldn’t cost him any of his bounty.

He watched nervously as the man scanned item after item, neglecting to place a good portion of them into the bag.

“You said you have thirty dollars?”

“I-I think so!” Naruto thrust the notes toward the man just as the third had done to him.

The man took the notes from him, seeming to avoid touching Naruto’s skin as he did so.

A few awkward moments later and Naruto was leaving the shop with two bags full of what he was hoping would be enough to last him the next thirty days.

He delights in the fact that the bags are not too heavy as he carries them back to his apartment.

He’s pocketed cool rocks that were heavier than this!

And, trust him, you could not eat rocks. This was already turning out to be a great trip outside.

He skipped the final steps toward his complex and trudged triumphantly up the stone steps.

He leaned one bag against the wall as he unlocked his door and happily scooped it up as he made his way inside.

He glanced at his refrigerator briefly.

He still had milk in there, it was only two months old.

Naruto didn’t think he needed to refrigerate the things he’d just purchased, so his milk wouldn’t need to be thrown out or anything. Not that there wasn’t more than enough room anyway.

He tossed the bags down haphazardly against the counter of his kitchen and eagerly plucked one of the styrofoam containers out of the bag.

He looked at the images on the container. He couldn’t understand what the words were trying to tell him, but he saw a picture of a microwave and water. He could work with that.

He haphazardly tore the plastic and cardboard from the styrofoam cup and let them fall gracelessly to the floor of his kitchen.

He set the cup down on the counter and let out a shuddering breath. Why was he nervous? He had a bunch of these cups, surely if he messed one up he could simply try again until he got it right.

But he should take his shoes off first, yeah.

He kicked the shoes in question off toward the door unceremoniously before turning back toward the counter.

.....maybe he should clean the place up first, like the third had said.

Nearly an hour passed as Naruto picked up his few scattered possessions. He may have gotten distracted by his art supply box, though. He wanted to draw the man from the shop that he’d visited. If Naruto couldn’t talk to anyone, then he could at least draw them- so he would remember them! Plus, he was always looking for an excuse to use his favorite blue crayon. He vaguely wondered if he could buy one of those bright blue aprons that the man wore.

His scribbling was interrupted by the rumbling of his stomach and he froze. He mechanically set the crayon back inside its box.

He tried to channel his nervousness into excitement over his new food options.

Well....option.

He left his drawing and supplies as a mess on the floor behind him (he’d cleaned enough anyway.)

He was grateful that the little styrofoam cups he’d purchased had pictures on them- he neglected to check the directions before he purchased them all, but thankfully he could understand pictures well enough.

He peeled back the top of the cup about half way and peered inside.

What the heck was that?

There were little yellow, green and orange bits inside the cup.

He picked one of the orange bits out and popped it into his mouth.

His face scrunched up instinctively. It wasn’t bad necessarily, it was just...bluh. Nothing special. He appreciated the new texture it brought to him, but he hoped it would be better once he followed the picture’s instructions.

He walked over to his sink, struggling to reach the handles to turn on the water from his place well below the counter. He often hopped up onto the counter to turn the water on, but he’d recently been just barely able to turn it on if he stood on his tippy toes...and lifted one foot...and hopped a little.

The cup quickly overflowed with water and he panicked, jerking it away from the aggressive stream before any of the bits inside had the chance to spill out.

He placed the brimming cup on the counter and hopped in place until he could effectively turn the faucet off.

With a relieved breath he slumped his shoulders, vaguely wishing (once again) that he was taller, before shrugging off his initial panic in favor of returning his attention to the cup of..noodles.

He noted the little indent on the inside of the cup that he assumed was the “fill line” which was indicated in the drawing.

He dumped out some of the water, using his fingers to hold back the dry yet colorful bits as he did so.

Once the water lie just above the line he nodded successfully to himself, pleased with his work.

The microwave was an entirely other journey. He definitely had to jump up onto the counter to reach that thing.

He’d only used it once before, when one of the guards (he had spiky brown hair and a scar on his face) had brought him a bag of microwaveable “popcorn.”

Naruto took careful note of the cup of water and dry food in front of him as he climbed onto the counter with a hop.

He stood barefoot atop the countertop, reaching for the microwave and opening it with ease. He glanced down and grabbed the styrofoam with both hands, reverently placing it on the center of the tray within the tiny compartment that was his microwave.

He swiveled the container so that it’s directional pictures faced him from inside the microwave and he saw the number “4:00” followed by the word “minutes.”

Naruto wasn’t very well versed in reading, but he had caught on rather quickly to numbers, seeing as they dictated how many hours of sunlight he was allowed within a day.

He pushed the number 4 followed by two zeroes on the machine before him, following the actions that the guard had taken on that one day so long ago, with the popcorn.

He missed that guard. He wondered where they had gone since then, seeing as he’d never seen them again.

He pressed the big circular button toward the bottom of the machine which he’d learnt made it start and jumped slightly at the glowing light from within that subsequently sprang to life before him, spinning his noodles around on its little plastic tray within.

Naruto leant onto his knees from his spot atop the counter, staring into the microwave behind the black dots that obscured his view.

He watched his new purchase spin around and around for the entire four minutes- never once noticing an outside noise. His apartment had always been disturbingly silent.

Before the second beep had its chance to disrupt his silence Naruto had jammed his fist into the large button near the bottom of the microwave.

Steam erupted from the tiny styrofoam cup before him and Naruto felt his jaw go slack at the sight.

Was that normal? Had he done it right?

He reached into the small compartment and grabbed the styrofoam cup. It was warm to the touch.

Naruto was careful not to spill its contents now, scared that he would somehow disrupt the cooking process, or whatever magic was going on inside its malleable confines.

He placed it on the counter before him and lifted the paper lid back, jumping slightly as more steam broke loose.

Peering inside Naruto noticed that the contents remained mostly the same as before he had “cooked” them.

He went to prod at the stiff mass submerged within the steaming water and yelped as the hot water scorched his fingertip.

Pouting, Naruto looked around him. How was he supposed to eat something that he couldn’t touch??

He nearly cried at the thought of wasting his allowance. The third would be so disappointed in him.

—

Hours had passed and Naruto had all but chalked up his recent purchases up to a major failure. Maybe he could give the rest of his useless styrofoam cups away to his new friends? (Well, the weren’t his friends yet, but maybe they would be if he offered them his useless noodles?) it seemed sad to even consider.

He had scrapped his drawing of the blue-apron-man as well- the memory only serving to remind him of his bitter failure. All creative inspiration left him and he’s spent the past several hours watching the sun make its way across the sky from his singular window.

His stomach churned angrily at him. How could he be so bold as to buy so many of the same useless thing? He dreaded his next meeting with the third.

Feeling numb, he approached the kitchen counter once more.

He gazed skeptically at the now-cold cup of “noodles.”

He managed to jump up onto the counter with what little strength he had left and stared longingly at the traitorous cup.

The lifeless colorful nuns within the cup called to him uselessly and Naruto dared to prod at the stiff lump that had expanded marginally below the water line.

He could touch it without pain, now, at least.

A small sliver of hope thrummed within his chest.

He pinched a section of the cold, wet noodles between his fingers experimentally.

Dull excitement sparked within him as he raised his wet fingers to his lips and tongued the damp frills of starch.

Oh.

Oh!! Oh yes

Naruto eagerly shoved his tiny fist back into the cold liquid and grasped a full hand of noodles this time, spilling the yellow liquid onto the counter in his haste and all but hitting himself in the mouth with his excitement.

There was so much flavor! It was cold, but exciting! Unlike anything he’d had before- oh yes-

He greedily scarfed down all of the damp, soggy noodles, all from his place atop the counter of his kitchen.

Yes

It wasn’t a waste! He hadn’t failed after all! He felt his stomach sing as he raised the cup to his lips and drained the rest of its contents into his mouth.

Before he could even process his success he had emptied the cup.

It worked.

He was suddenly so thrilled that he had used all of his allowance to buy more of this.

He was determined to try it before it had cooled completely next time.

Oh yeah, he could get used to this.

#long post #I rushed the ending idk this had been sitting in my drafts sooo long now #my fic #text #naruto uzumaki #naruto #uzumaki naruto

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