The apartment was dim, lit only by the soft orange glow of the old hallway bulb leaking through the cracked door.
The night outside was silent.
Inside, the floor creaked under Naruto's feet as he shuffled into the main room, wearing his favorite frog-print sleeping clothes — loose, green, one sleeve already torn near the wrist.
Ren sat near the window, legs crossed, his simple gray shirt and dark pants clean and plain. He'd just finished patching a tear in one of their bags. A quiet rhythm — thread, pull, tie.
Naruto stood there for a while, hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes down.
Ren didn't say anything.
He didn't need to.
Finally, Naruto sat down beside him, back against the wall. He looked out the window too.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then—
"Hey, Ren…"
His voice was softer than usual.
Ren looked over.
"Do you ever wonder…" Naruto hesitated, swallowing. "...what it would be like if we had parents?"
Ren stayed silent.
"Like… would we live in a house with a real table? Would people look at us different?"
Naruto tried to laugh, but it cracked.
"Maybe I'd be good at jutsu. Maybe… I wouldn't have to fight so much just to be seen…"
His voice trailed off.
Ren turned his gaze toward the ceiling, letting the silence settle.
Then, quietly—
"Yeah. I wonder that too."
Naruto looked at him.
Ren didn't flinch. "Maybe it'd be easier. Maybe we'd know what it feels like to be held… or told things'll be okay."
Naruto's fists curled in his sleeves.
"It sucks."
Ren nodded. "It does."
Then he turned to face his brother fully.
"But I do know this…"
Naruto blinked.
"Wherever you go… whatever happens…"
Ren held out his fist.
"I'll be there for you. Always."
Naruto stared at the hand for a second.
Then, with a shaky breath and a half-smile, he raised his own.
Their fists met — gently. No flash, no sparks.
Just a promise.
A bond born not from blood alone…
…but from surviving the dark together.