32 Wish u were Here part 1 (1/2)

As we're reading these statistics, please know that these are not set in stone and are likely to change by the hour.” Christine Everhart stated somberly from behind her anchor's desk, ”Here in New York City: we have estimated 800 injuries, 81 deaths. London: 407 injuries, 32 deaths. Washington DC: 287 injuries, 23 deaths. Hong Kong: estimated 201 injuries, 55 deaths. Moscow: 98 injuries, 7 deaths. Beijing: 167 injuries, 74 deaths. Nairobi: 178 injures, 49 deaths. Sokovia: they've estimated over 1,000 injuries, with 454 deaths. And finally, in Seoul, South Korea they've estimated over 4,000 injuries, and 807 deaths.”

As she listed off the death toll, Christine's voice grew hoarse, clearly fighting back her emotions as she powered through with the broadcast, ”That puts the total estimated number of casualties at around 7,138, and the total number of fatalities at 1,582. Given that it has only been five days since the world-wide bombings, now dubbed 5/22, we can expect that number to rise in the coming weeks. Of the 1,582 fatalities, significant losses include Sergi Kravinoff, notable Russian aristocrat and big game hunter; Chinese General Ho Lee, who in 1997 evicted the Ten Rings terrorist cell from their hold on Chinese territories, pushing them into the Middle East; Sir Jim Jaspers of the United Kingdom's Parliament, who had famously campaigned for Super-Human Registration since 1955, something that is now a topic of much debate between members of government around the world.”

Turning her head as the cameras swapped view-points, she continued, ”And finally, we pay our respects to Clinton Francis Barton, who most know to be the Avenger codenamed Hawkeye. Barton, who was fighting against the terrorist drones dubbed Ultron, was killed in action during the mass explosion. His funeral will be taking place later today in Waverly, Iowa. Several thousand supporters have been reported to be attending-”

The screen cut to black, forcing Laura Barton to turn her head an inch to see who had turned it off. Seeing Naruto, she forced a smile, ”I was watching that.” She said softly.

Frowning, Naruto sat down across from her, setting down the bag and drinks in his hands, ”I brought some sandwiches.”

Laura eyed the bag, ”Thank you but I'm not hungry.”

His frown deepened, ”You need to eat, Laura.”

”I told you, I'm not-”

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”Please.” Naruto pleaded, ”Just eat a few bites, for me.”

Sighing, she slowly reached into the bag, ”Alright.”

Watching her take a bite, he asked, ”How're you feeling? With the baby, I mean.”

”He's fine.” Laura answered after swallowing, ”The doctor said everything checks out fine.”

”How much longer?”

”Three weeks.”

Reaching into the bag, Naruto pulled out a sandwich for himself. They sat in a strange kind of silence that was only interrupted by the sounds of their eating, the both stewing in the awkward air.

Apparently not able to take it for much longer, Laura asked, ”How're the kids?”

Finishing his bite, Naruto sighed through his nose before swallowing, ”They're fine, well as fine as they can be. Cooper hasn't said a word all day, and it took a bit to convince Lila to let me leave to take care of some things. Had to leave a clone she looked so upset. They're sitting in a room down the hall, watching some cartoon about bears or something.” Naruto replied.

Naruto had volunteered to babysit the kids over the weekend while Laura prepared the funeral procession, the press, and all the other preparations. Tony had volunteered to pay for everything.

Laura had refused. Naruto picked up the tab.

”Thank you, for everything.” Laura offered heartfully, ”I don't know what I'd have done if you and Natasha weren't around.”

After Laura had heard the news, she'd practically collapsed from the emotional toll. She'd been placed under medical care for a week so she and the baby could be monitored in case anything happened due to the stress of the loss. Natasha had looked after Cooper and Lila for the week, using it as an excuse to get away from the constant wave of bad news that their lives had become.

”You don't have to thank us.” Naruto returned with a warm smile, ”It's the least we could do, seriously.”

Looking to the television, Laura nodded to it, ”The news has been loving you the past week, the footage of you helping with the cleanup effort went viral and is a major talking point on CNN and Fox News. Everybody's calling you a hero. Not that you weren't one before.”

”I wasn't much of a hero that day.” Naruto muttered, ”Because of me that monster was able to do all of that. If I'd put that thing with Odin aside none of this would've happened. If I'd have put the Mind Stone with the other stones on my planet then Ultron would've never existed. How can I be a hero if I can't prevent stuff like this from happening?”

”If Clint taught me anything,” Laura began somberly, ”It's that a hero isn't always the person who focuses on stopping bad things from happening. A hero is someone who saves lives when it happens. Because in the end you can't always prevent it, all you can do is stop it and hope that was enough.”

Naruto shrugged, ”I guess.”

The conversation was cut short by a knock on the door. Looking to its direction, Laura called out, ”Come in.”

As the door creaked open, Secretary Ross peaked his head into the room, ”Laura?”

”Thaddeus.” Laura said with a smile, getting up from her chair. As Ross came fully into the room, he smiled down at the pregnant woman as he leaned in for a hug, ”Thank you for coming.”

Releasing her from the hug, Ross spoke, ”I figured I'd come a little early, pay my respects before everyone files in.” As the two walked further in the room, Naruto raised an eyebrow at the two's seemingly close relationship, ”How're the kids?” Ross asked, ”The baby?”

”They're as fine as they can be, all things considered.” Answered Laura, ”How's Betty?”

”Betty's doing fine, just took a job at General Techtronics Corporation earlier this year.” He responded, ”She's scheduled to demonstrate a particle accelerator in Queens, I'm sure she'd love it if you dropped by.”

”Maybe another time.” She offered, though Naruto could tell she wasn't interested, ”If you'd like, I can walk you to the altar to pay your respects.”

”Actually,” Ross started, giving Naruto a quick glance, ”If you wouldn't mind, I was wondering if Mr. Uzumaki could escort me? I was hoping to speak with him in private.”

”Oh, okay.” Laura said, surprised.

The Secretary of State looked to the blonde, ”Well?”

”Sure.” Naruto said with a shrug, ”I'll lead the way.”

Walking out of the room and through the church's hallway, Ross said, ”I'd heard you paid for the services.”

”Yeah, I had the money from my time in SHIELD.” Naruto explained. Turning a corner, he asked, ”How do you know Laura?”

”I was Barton's commanding officer during the Gulf War.” Answered the former general, ”It was my recommendation that got him into SHIELD.”

Naruto blinked, ”I didn't know that.” Admitted the blonde.

Ross smiled, ”I'd be surprised if you had, Barton wasn't one to spill that kind of thing.”

Opening the doors heading into the church's nave, the two arrived at the altar where the coffin had been placed. The closed wooden casket gleamed in the low church lighting, the faces of the two men in front of it reflecting off the shining oak.

Resting a hand on top of the lid, Ross ran it along the smooth surface, ”When I'd heard, I couldn't believe it. Barton was one of the best soldiers I'd ever seen, the idea of him dying like that made me sick. He deserved something better than that, all of those poor people did.”

Naruto nodded, standing a little behind the man as he watched him make a sign of the cross and mutter a quick prayer.

Taking his hand off the coffin, Ross turned to Naruto, ”You should know that I'm pushing legislation to regulate the activities of enhanced peoples, specifically the Avengers. Barton is gone, Banner has disappeared, the surviving Maximoff twin is hiding out in Sokovia, and no one's seen Thor for two days. 5/22 has everyone spooked. Democrats, Republicans, low class, upper class, country to country. The unsupervised exploits of Tony Stark and the fall out of that has led to one of the most catastrophic days in our history. The only thing keeping Stark out of prison is his reputation and the fact that most don't believe him to be completely at fault. But people are angry, they need someone to blame. And if they can't pinpoint it on a single man, they go for the whole group.”

Pausing for a moment, Ross continued, ”As of now, almost every country within the United Nations is working with me on a piece of legislation we're calling the Seoul Accords. If all of these countries agree upon, sign, and back these accords; then the Avengers will no longer be an independent group but will instead be placed under the supervision of a United Nations panel who will decide when, where, and how the Avengers or any other enhanced group should be deployed. If anyone refuses, they will be asked to retire their superhero identities.”

Naruto shifted on his feet as he took in this new information, his eyes leveled with Ross's as he asked, ”And where does that leave me?”

”Several countries, myself included, are aware of your involvement in Ultron's creation.” Ross stated simply. After a moment, he sighed, ”But, even more are aware that you were the one that killed him…myself included. Your intervention saved thousands of lives. And for that, you have my thanks.”

”So, what does that mean?” Asked the blonde.

”It means that you will not be under the Seoul Accord's jurisdiction. You and anyone sponsored by your team will fall into a separate clause within the Accords that is essentially the deal we agreed upon a month ago.” The Secretary of State explained.

Looking at the man warily, Naruto asked, ”What's the catch?”

”You are not, under any circumstance, to allow anyone associated with the Avengers into your team. This includes the Maximoff girl. As far as the UN is concerned, she is to sign the accords or turn herself in for her role in 5/22.” Ross answered, ”Tony Stark is under the same assumption. He either folds into the accords, or we do more than hold a hearing over his creation of the terrorist entity known as Ultron.”

”That's pretty cut throat.” Kurama murmured, ”Either the Avengers sign, retire, or become criminals in the eyes of the world governments. Cutting off you as an alternative cripples the likelihood of them telling the government to fuck off like they have.”

Nodding mentally, Naruto sighed, ”Alright, I agree.”

Ross extended his hand, ”Then we have a deal.”

As Naruto gripped the older man's hand, Ross pulled him in, ”This is the only freebee you're ever going to get, Uzuamki. 5/22 will live in the consciousness of humanity for a very, very long time. Eventually these people will see you for what you are, and they'll devour you whole. The enemies you've made today will come knocking on your door. Your bill will come due.”

The man let go, brushing passed Naruto to walk along the church's aisle. Watching the man leave, Naruto scratched his cheek, ”That's the thing. It wasn't free.”

As he said this, his eyes lingered on the empty coffin.

-x-

It only took a couple more hours before the church had begun to fill up with people wishing to pay their respects before the services. Naruto was surprised by both the amount of people waiting and the notoriety of the people in general. He swore he saw the President of the United States giving Laura a hug before disappearing in a sea of secret service officers.

Naruto spent his time either greeting people who were attending, dodging any member of the media, and standing with Laura and the kids. Lila stuck with him for most of it, holding his hand as he went back and forth around the building. She refused to go to the coffin, staying with Naruto or Cooper the entire time with a tight grip on their hand. Cooper did his best to stay out of sight, only smiling when someone randomly walked up to give their condolences.

Laura had been given a chair near the entrance, staying off her feet as she greeted everyone with as forced a smile Naruto could imagine.

Eventually, members of the Avengers began to meander into the church. Natasha and Steve were the first to arrive, followed by Thor who was dressed in ceremonial Asgardian funeral wear of a dark brown cloak.

Steve, who was standing next to Naruto while Natasha held Laura in a gentle hug, whispered, ”Have you heard?”

Naruto looked down at Lila to make sure she wasn't paying attention before answering, ”Yeah, Ross told me.”

Steve was silent for a moment before saying in a hushed voice, ”I'm guessing joining Infinity Watch is out of the question?”

”It appears so.” Naruto returned somberly, ”I'm sorry.”

”I understand.” Steve reassured, ”Tony figured that wouldn't be an option.”

Nodding, the Uzumaki asked, ”What's his take on it?”

”He was on board before they threatened him with possible jail time.” Steve muttered somberly, ”He's a mess.”

”I wouldn't know, haven't seen him since…well, you know.” Naruto said with a sigh, ”I thought he'd be here.”

”He doesn't want to cause a scene.” The captain surmised, though he didn't seem pleased by it.

”So, who do you think's gonna sign?”

Steve rubbed his arm in thought, ”Tony's a definite, which means Rhodey is too. Apparently the Maximoff girl is under the same scrutiny as Tony, but I doubt she'll sign either way.”

Naruto nodded towards Natasha with a raised eyebrow. Steve shrugged with a defeated frown.

”What about you?”

”I'm thinking about it.”

The blonde shinobi frowned, ”Are you seriously thinking about quitting? You?”

Before Steve could answer, Naruto felt Lila pull at his hand. Looking down, he frowned as he saw the girl pointing towards the door. Wading through the throng of onlookers, supporters, and television crews, Tony Stark emerged from the crowd. With him, his trusty bodyguard Happy Hogan, with Pepper Pots trailing behind in an elegant black ensemble. Tony wore a simple black and white suit, a pair of his trademark shades perched over his eyes.

Laura must have spotted him before anyone else, as she'd lifted herself up off her chair with Natasha's help. Ignoring Naruto's calling of her name, the pregnant woman confronted the Iron Man.

Halfway up the steps, Tony stopped in front of Laura, a nervous crease in his brow. The air was awkward as Laura looked down at him as she cradled her engorged belly.

Pepper, trying to cut the tension, delicately said, ”Mrs. Barton, my name is Pepper Potts…I am so sorry for your loss-”

”I didn't think you'd show up.” Laura interrupted softly, the statement directed at Tony.

Tony's frown remained as he said, ”I don't think I couldn't. Not after-”

”Not after what happened? What did happen…exactly?” Laura cut off sharply, ”I didn't ask, I didn't want to ask. There was barely anything left for us to bury, why would I want to know why? But I'm sure you know. I'm sure you've been thinking about it, how you could've prevented it, how you could've saved him. So, tell me, what happened?”

”Laura...stop.” Naruto said, looking at the gathering photographers and cameramen recording them. When she didn't answer, he took a step forward-

”It was my fault.”

Laura faltered, not expecting Tony's answer, ”What?”

Dipping his head, the man said, ”I've gone over it in my head thousands of times, and every time I come to the same conclusion. He died because of me.” Tony ignored Naruto and Pepper's shock, looking at Laura through his shades, ”I murdered him.”

”And here you are.” Laura said, anger seeping into her voice, ”Here you are, late and wearing those damned glasses, here of all places. What is wrong with you?” She demanded, her hands reaching for the shades as she finished, ”What is wrong-”

Laura stopped as she pulled off the sunglasses, expression softening at Tony's reddened eyes. Tears were glazed along his eyes, barely held back as he looked away. With his shaking hand, he wiped them away.

With a sudden motion, Laura's hand came in towards Tony's face, the man flinching sharply.

He blinked as her hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Feeling Laura wrap her arms around him, the man known as Iron Man slowly returned it, holding her as his shoulders began to shake.

As a wave of flashes came from the photographers around them, Naruto silently escorted them into the church.

-x-

Naruto sat in the front right pew, sitting in the middle with Lila to his left and Steve to his right. To Lila's left sat Natasha, Cooper, and Laura. To Steve's right sat Thor, Tony, and Pepper. Happy stood outside, listening to the service but providing faux security.

Standing next to the coffin, the pastor finished his sermon from his podium, ”For anyone who has something to say about the dearly departed, you may come to the podium.”

Taking that as his sign, Naruto cleared his throat as he made to get up. Ignoring the clicking cameras and murmuring crowd, he slowly walked up to the podium as he gave a departing nod to the pastor.

The man, grizzled and weary, gave Naruto the podium antipathetically. Shifting behind the podium as he cleared his throat again, the blonde looked out over the crowd. Everyone was looking up to him, giving him various degrees of their attention.

Running his hands over the edge of the podium's top, Naruto took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts one last time, ”Hey uh…everybody.”

He was answered with a few coughs and the creaking of people shifting in their seats. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Naruto continued, ”I, uh, I'm honestly not too good with talking about this kinda stuff. I'm here, up here today, because I was asked, and I felt I needed to at least say something.”

Looking down at Laura, she gave him a nod. Nodding back with a lopsided smile, Naruto said, ”For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'd known Clint for seven years, he was assigned to me for most of my time working alongside SHIELD…though thanks to the internet I'm sure most of you knew that already. What most of you probably don't know is that I'm not from here. And by from here I mean Earth.”

Naruto paused, allowing the surprised murmurs and groans to pass. Coughing into his hand, he resumed his thought, ”Clint kinda knew what I was, that I wasn't some worthless rookie who needed to be shown the ropes of violence and war. I'd been fighting for nearly five years by the time we met. I'd gone through and seen just as much as him, if not more. But he what he did see was that I wasn't handling it well, not as well as him anyway. He could see and do and experience these horrible things, but he always had support. And he knew that. I was always jealous of him for that. Here I was, in this strange new place with new rules and new expectations, and every so often I'd get a taste of what it meant to be a human with his family. And it felt good…but it never lasted. Eventually I always had to leave, to find something new to take up my attention because if I focused too long on what I couldn't have I knew I'd go insane. And Clint was always there to give me that taste. He let me into his family because he knew I could never have one. Well…maybe. I don't actually know if I can have kids, due to me being an alien and stuff. I feel like I've heard I can't, but I've never really tried so who knows.”

A cough split through the room, Naruto taking that moment to awkwardly pause, ”I've been thinking about that a lot, lately. Thinking about family. I always wanted one, as a kid. I grew up my entire life as an orphan. My parents died saving my life on the day I was born. For a long time I was almost entirely alone. But every so often I'd find myself in a relationship that filled that void. I've had several friends I've thought of as brothers who are dead now. I had a teacher who I thought of as a father, but he was killed. There was this girl who was practically my sister, but she died because I couldn't protect her. By the time I met Clint, everyone I'd ever loved was dead and gone. And when you have so many people you've lost, all it does is add more and more what ifs. Maybe I'd be married by now, with kids and a job and all that stuff. That's the trick, really. You can't think about it. Otherwise you're just going to consume yourself with this horrible sadness. And what good'll that do? Who are you helping?”

An agreeing murmur broke out in the crowd.

Nodding along, Naruto said, ”I think we're going to hear a lot of stories today, telling us how much of a hero Clint was, how he was their best friend and how much of a good person he was. And all of this is true. He was a hero. He was a great friend, and a loving father, and an adoring husband. And all of these people, I'm sure, either feel guilt or are condemning someone else. You're so sure that something could've been done. And maybe you're right. Maybe something could've been done. I bet you can imagine the guilt I feel right now over the things I should've done in hindsight. But for Clint, for his memory's sake…don't. He wouldn't want you spreading that kind of thing on his behalf.”

Though Naruto caught several nods, he spotted a few who visibly didn't agree. But he moved forward, ”I'm going to remember Clint, my brother. Not what could've or should've been. And he'd ask the same of all of you.”

Looking over at the coffin, Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat, ”In the words of my people, 'When a person dies he disappears. His past, present, and future. Many people die in missions and war. They can die easily and in surprisingly simple ways. Those who die had goals and dreams. They had things even more important than that. Parents, siblings, friends, lovers…people who were important to them. They trusted and helped each other. The bond between the people important to them since birth and the string that binds them becomes thicker and stronger as time goes by. It's beyond reason. Those bound by that string will sacrifice themselves for that. Because it's important.'”

”We were important to Clint. We should be happy for that.”

-x-

The rest of the service was, naturally, a somber one. Natasha had gone up after him, telling the story of the first time they'd met. Steve was next, giving a heartfelt speech on what it means to sacrifice one's self for what they love. One by one, people came up to the podium to tell tale of Clint and how he'd affected their lives. It was a slow, meaningful cacophony of eulogies, each one showing a different side to Clint that some might not have been aware of.

But eventually, these petered out and the procession began. Naruto, Thor, Steve, and several of Clint's former marine brothers in arms all acted as pallbearers, silently carrying what remained of their brother to his final resting place.

Naruto silently watched as the coffin was lowered into its grave. He'd hesitated to place a comforting hand onto a grieving Cooper's shoulder but stopped short when he realized it might not be his place.

Lila didn't seem to care for his hesitance, her hand encompassed within his as she sobbed into his pant leg during the entire burial.

Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, leaving Steve, Natasha, and Thor, all of whom were talking to Naruto off to the side while Laura gave her thanks to those still lingering behind.

”Where does a god go to train, exactly?” Natasha asked, her arms filled with a tired Lila, ”Is there a brochure? Can anyone go, or is an exclusive kind of thing?”

Thor stroked his beard, ”Naruto recommended it, actually.”

Said blonde shrugged off their attention, ”You wanted somewhere secluded, Berhert is the definition. That and since I'd nearly blown up Berhert a couple times already, I figured it could handle some of Point Break's lightning. That, and its peaceful enough that Odin might be able to enjoy himself despite your best efforts.”

”And why do you need to train…exactly?” Natasha couldn't help but wonder, ”If it's because you're the third strongest Avenger or something-”

”Third?” Thor interrupted slightly exasperated, ”I think we all know who the strongest Avenger is.”

Natasha and Steve gave the Asgardian blank looks.

Thor deflated, jerking his thumb over at Naruto, ”How does he count? He's not even an Avenger.” He argued weakly.

”He's gotta point.” Naruto added on.

”Right, whatever, second strongest then.” Natasha continued, a sardonic smirk in play, ”If this is just some kind of compensation thing, you should know that we love you for who you are big guy.”

Thor grumbled halfheartedly, ”That's a lot of lip coming from the weakest Avenger.”

”I least I know where I stand.” She shot back without a care.

Steve shook his head, eying Naruto as he said, ”So, you've got the location of another Infinity Stone. I assume you'll be heading out soon.”

”Pretty soon, yeah.” Naruto said, ”I've put it off long enough, I'm heading out in a few days.” He looked around, ”If any of you wanna come long, feel free.”

Natasha shook her head, ”I think I'm going to stay with Laura, she's due in a few weeks and I think someone should be around just in case.”

Shifting on his feet with confliction, Steve muttered, ”It's probably not a good idea for me to go off world.”

Nodding, Naruto eyed Thor, ”What about you, big guy?”

Thor smiled grandly, giving Naruto a mighty pat on the back, forcing the blonde forward slightly, ”I think I can make time for a space adventure.”

”Well, I think I'm gonna head out.” Steve said, quickly shaking Naruto and Thor's hands, ”Don't forget to keep in touch.” With a final wave, he left to give Laura his goodbyes.

Thor followed soon after, shooting off into the sky with assistance from Mjolnir. Now alone together, Natasha eyed Naruto up and down, ”When was the last time you slept?” She finally asked.

Surprised at first, Naruto laughed her off, ”Oh, uh, I'm fine.”

”Naruto.” The redhead insisted softly.

His shoulder's slumping, he rubbed his neck, ”Few days, I guess.”

”Bad dreams?”

”No, just a little restless.” He admitted with a humorless laugh.

She put a comforting hand on his arm, ”Want to talk about it?”

”Honestly, you're not the one I need to talk to about it.” Naruto answered, scratching at the back of his neck.

”Oh.”

Realizing how that came off, Naruto quickly added, ”Not that I don't want to…you know. It's just that…well-”

”I get it Naruto, really.” Natasha reassured. Stepping up she wrapped him in a tight hug, ”Talk to whoever you have to talk to.”

Slowly returning the hug, Naruto leaned into it, ”Okay.”

Letting go, she discreetly wiped at her eye, ”I think I'm gonna head back to the homestead with Laura and the kids. You gonna stick around?”

”Yeah.”

”See you soon?”

”Yeah.”

It took a while, but eventually the graveyard was empty save one. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Naruto looked down at Clint's pristine headstone. Inscribed into the white marble was, 'Clinton Francis Barton. Sergeant, US Marines. Gulf War, Afghanistan War, Iraq War. September 10, 1971 – May 22, 2015. ”He Was Our Heart.”'

Closing his eyes, Naruto took in a deep breath as he focused his mind. Feeling the pull of his subconscious, he fell into the necessary corner of his mindscape.

”Hello, beloved.”

Opening his eyes, he was met with Freyja sitting at her campfire. She didn't bother looking at him, her eyes on the ever-present hearth. Without saying a word, he sat down next to her.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the flames lick up into the dark void as it ate away at the metaphorical air.

”Why haven't you been sleeping, Naruto?”

He eyed her from his peripheral, ”You know why.”

”The gift you were given?”

The blonde laughed, ”Gift?”

”Is that not what it was?” Freyja wondered.

He paused in thought before answering, ”That's not why I can't sleep. I'd come to terms with them being gone a while ago. It hurt to see them again, but it was kind of a relief too, I guess. It answered the only question I had about it. And now that I know what I could've had, I guess it opens the door for what I can still have.”

”Then why?”

Naruto shifted, facing her, ”I attacked you, Freyja. I took out what I felt on the first thing I saw. You didn't deserve that.”

She turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and she smiled. Slowly, almost nervously, she drew in closer to him. Though his first instinct made him want to back away from her encroaching face, Naruto stayed true. And as their personal spaces collided, and their noses brushed, her hand delicately slid up his chest.

He shivered at the touch.

That shiver was followed by a thick gag for air as her hand shot up from his chest and wrapped around his neck. Feeling the blood rushing to his face, Naruto hacked as he was pushed onto his back. Sitting on his chest, Freyja's hair draped around his face as she choked the life out of him with one hand.

Naruto flinched as her other hand began to caress his face lovingly.

”There, now we're even.”

He coughed and hacked as her fingers relaxed their grip, though she remained on his chest, smiling down gently.

Naruto blinked away the spots in his vision, ”That doesn't change-”

”I could continue, if you'd like?” Freyja asked, her fingers running along his adam's apple, ”You don't have to feel sorry for me, beloved. You don't have to apologize. I don't know if you know this, but I'm a little above morality. I understood your pain, just as I understood your remorse. You can't apologize to a being such as myself. It's like apologizing to the weather. Pointless.”

”It isn't to me.” Naruto grunted, her weight digging into his lungs.

She faltered, looking at him quizzically, ”You don't understand-”

”I understand the meaning of an apology.” Naruto insisted harshly, ”Even if you don't, I do.”

Freyja was at a loss for words, her head tilted in confusion as she observed his sincerity.

Grunting as he sat up, she shifted onto his legs. Grabbing her hand that was still along his neck, he gripped her wrist as he looked her in the eye, ”I'm sorry.” He said firmly, his voice steady.

Her breath had begun to pick up slightly, her eyes roaming over his face in thought. Eventually, she muttered, ”That's not the only reason why you've been avoiding me.”

Getting up off of him, she glided back to her spot. Kneeling back down, she looked at him expectantly.