A clip from a plot bunny that never came to be.
Warm air tickled Sasuke's nose as he breathed in. Gray smoke spilled from his lips, tapping his cigarette off the suitcase beside him. The ashes trickled down the red material onto the curb where he impatiently stood. Not impatiently, a poor choice of words, but anxiously. Today was the day that Sasuke was off to his first year of college. He was going in early since he enrolled in a volunteer program. The funny thing was that he never volunteered in the first place. His father did it for him, saying how it would look good for his reputation. He thought it was four years too soon to care about his 'reputation' for his father's company, but who was he to argue with the pockets paying for school?
Before he started waiting, Sasuke had a group of his friends to see him before he left. They gave him words of advice and wished him luck and all of the sentimental things one had to say to a friend going off on their own. They weren't here to see him off because there was some party going on around the same time, not to mention he wasn't done packing. Sasuke took a moment to sneer at the stack of suitcases he was bringing. He was sure he had much more than he needed, but his mother was intent on making sure he had everything he could ever have in an emergency. Comforting, but the weight of parental care was ten pounds too heavy.
But Sasuke was anxious. About school? No, school was school, just with more independence. It was about his relationship. Among the group of friends who were there to say goodbye, Neji was there. Neji shed a few tears about him leaving, but shook them off as soon as someone looked their way. It was adorable how strong Neji tried to play it. Neji adored everything about him and it was almost vice versa. Almost.
Now, his anxiety wasn't from Neji and where their relationship was going, it was from the time Neji left to this very moment when his 'mistress' of sorts was on their way. Call him an uncaring asshole or a dishonest jerk or a bastard-covered bastard, but Sasuke's infidelity was what kept him content with Neji. They spent too much time cuddling and watching movies than fooling around and when they did, it was always the same bland sex. After a year and a half, he felt like they had pooled enough emotional bonding that they could recreate some disgusting romantic comedy starring Ryan Gosling. Sasuke wanted new and he got it in the strangest of ways.
Around February of this year, Sasuke went on an weekend long college tour to the school he was accepted to. On these sorts of tours, you're supposed to sit in on classes and live the dormitory life and for Sasuke, it included a quick peek into these wild Greek parties he heard so much about. No doubt about it, it was not nearly as crazy as he anticipated it to be. The setting was apropos with flashing colorful lights and the heavy bass of the music, but the participants were too intoxicated to even dance. They sloshed over one another on the smelly couches, trying not to barf in each others' hair. It reeked of perspiration, cheap perfume, and burnt hot dogs. A partier tripped by Sasuke and dropped his drink. Sasuke watched the golden liquid from the red cup pool around his new sneakers and decided that this particular fraternity was not his scene.
The group of people he had attended with wanted to check out more of the party, so Sasuke resigned to the veranda with a red cup of Pepsi and his pack of cigarettes. He tried to work his practically empty lighter and heard, "Need a light?"
A few feet from him, he could see a short boy with red hair taking out a cigarette of his own. Sasuke nodded and watched the boy saunter up to him. Sasuke wasn't exaggerating, the boy swung his hips side to side like he was the modern day Marilyn Monroe until he stood beside Sasuke against the large pillar.
"Gimme," the redhead said, already pulling the cigarette out of Sasuke's mouth. He would have said something had the boy not worn a coy smile. The boy's red-stained lips curled in the cutest way, eyelashes fluttering in play. He could have sworn the boy was wearing mascara. The redhead put the cigarette between his lips and pulled his pink lighter up to the stick. Once lit, he took an inhale and blew out toward Sasuke.
"Gross," the boy mumbled.
"What is?"
The redhead took another inhale and handed it back to Sasuke. "Newport. So bland."
"So what are you smoking?"
"Drajum Black." The redhead found a new place in front of Sasuke, jumping up to sit on the banister. He held up his unlit, black-wrapped cigarette.
"It's black."
"So?"
"It's strange."
The redhead shook his head, starting to look up at the sky. Sasuke noticed all of the eyeliner wrapped around the boy's eyes, but the outside lights lit up what Sasuke guessed the boy was trying to hide. Ashen bags that tried to blend into the smoky edges of makeup.
"Black is mysterious," the redhead said. He peeked down and smiled again, reaching down to tug a tuft of Sasuke's hair. "Like yours." The boy's white shirt crinkled as he leaned down to eye level. "What's your mystery, cutie?" Ending with a wink, Sasuke's attention was all on him.
"My mystery is understanding how I ended up at this pukefest."
The redhead shook his head again. "I know. Drunken fools. There's a playful buzz and then there's a one-way train to alcohol poisoning." He pulled the front of his motorcycle jacket together in an attempt for warmth. "Got invited by a friend, but she's too busy playing charades with the toilet. It doesn't understand she's imitating a water fountain. They'll be at it all night."
The boy grinned wider when Sasuke cracked a smirk. "Look at that, Cutie is sexy when he breaks his mask." He leaned forward, tossing his forearms onto Sasuke's shoulders. "So, I'm feeling, and tell me if you're not into it, that we should get to know each other, huh?"
Sasuke tried to cooly shrug. "Sure."
"Sweet," the boy replied. Leaving an arm on Sasuke, he pulled the black cigarette back to his mouth. If Sasuke took a quick glance, the boy's mouth resembled a cherry lollipop on a black stick, a candy Sasuke wouldn't have mind sucking on. The candy lips curled up, suggesting, "So light me up, doll."
Sasuke leaned into the boy and pressed the edge of his cigarette to the redhead's, falling into wanton blue eyes. Clove smoke was all he wanted to smell that night.
