Written for fadedlullabyes
Leaning against the wall of the elevator, Sasuke kept flicking his plastic work ID against the side of his leg. He was sneaking out for a smoke break after being tied up in a late-night meeting with his manager, who also just happened to be his father. What could he say? Having a father who already ranked high within Deloitte had worked out well for him. It wasn't exactly nepotism considering he'd graduated at the top of his class after receiving an MBA in International Business. He'd always been good with facts and numbers and anything to do with computers. The hours sucked, but it paid well, and he got to travel fairly frequently. He could've said it wasn't a very thrilling career, but he actually liked it. There was something new to deal with each day, and there was still a lot for him to learn.
He bypassed the lobby and headed for the basement, where there was an exit that led to an outside deck employees could take advantage of for lunches. He wasn'tsupposedto be smoking as noted by the NO SMOKING sign attached to the fence surrounding the area. He was pretty sure his father was aware he smoked (pretty hard to hide the smell no matter how many tree-shaped air fresheners he rubbed all over his clothes), but, luckily for him, his Dad liked to play the oblivious card. He preferred to think of both of his sons as being perfect. Well, he was at least half right. Sasuke had an older brother, but he worked in the Tohmatsu offices in Japan. If you looked up the word 'perfect' in a dictionary, you'd be likely to see his brother's senior high school picture. Sasuke was okay with that. It was a lot to live up to, but there were enough differences between them for him not to hold it against Itachi. In fact, because Itachi had already barreled his way through the company, it gave him a bit of breathing room.
As he leaned against the deck railing, he heard the inauspicious sound of a slamming door followed by a series of colorful curses. Deloitte's offices were downtown, nestled amongst a series of retail shops, banks, and restaurants. They just happened to be butted up against a store that sold mountain bikes and equipment for camping. He'd been working here for all of a couple weeks, but he'd never actually been insideto even have a look around. Sasuke'd already lit up his cigarette and simply amused himself as some worker struggled with two large bags of trash. He was blond, probably around Sasuke's age or maybe younger. Sasuke had seen him out on a few occasions while smoking, but they'd never really exchanged more than a few words. He didn't even know the other guy's name, but if he was at the store this late, he must've been an assistant manager.
Sasuke loathed thinking of that sort of lifestyle: working for a pay that barely leveled out above minimum wage, the tedious task of servicing customers all day, and having to be niceto them. Not that Sasuke was rude with clients. He could be professional, but the respect and money he got for working here well compensated any grievances he might have about being a consultant for one of the top-ranked professional services firms in the world.
One of the garbage bags the blond guy threw into the Dumpster split open, and with half of it falling onto the ground, Sasuke let out a not so muffled bark of laughter.
"Motherfucker!" the employee shouted, throwing his hands in the air and kicking the side of the Dumpster.
Sasuke couldn't keep quiet. "Is the trash giving you a tough time tonight?"
The man jumped, obviously not having noticed Sasuke standing there. He glared at first, but then he smiled widely, stuffed his hands in the pocket of the orange smock he was wearing, and came over to the fence that separated the two lots. He wound his fingers around the chain-link and leaned back, bouncing on his heels.
"Y'know, smoking's the No. 1 cause of deaths these days. Right behind, like, feline leukemia or somethin'. You should really quit."
"But then I'd miss out on the opportunity of watching you wrestle with the trash." Sasuke smirked. "By the way, where do you get your facts?"
The blond stopped bobbing around and shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. The Internet or somewhere. Maybe it was Dateline."
"Or maybe you made it up."
"Nah, I'm sure I heard it somewhere," he insisted. "So you're here late again, I see. And here I thought I had it rough."
Sasuke tilted his head a fraction. "Is the retail industry wearing down on you?"
The employee also cocked his head, mirroring Sasuke as he eyed him with a mixture of curiosity and humor. He seemed pretty easy-going.
"Y'know. I bet you wouldn't last a day in my shoes," he told Sasuke.
Sasuke's cigarette had gone out; he re-lit it and sighed out a puff of smoke. "That's probably true. I doubt they're my size."
The man chuckled. "Yeah. Mine are probably bigger."
Sasuke was about to blow him away with a retort that showed off his superior razor sharp wit when the door behind him opened. He had just enough time to flick his cigarette away, hear Naruto mutter "hey, watch it", and then with perfect dramatic timing, his father popped his head out.
"Sasuke, we're about to start discussing the Murphy briefing. They're expecting the results of the audit by the morning." He stepped onto the deck, frowning as he sniffed at the air. "Why does it smell like cigarette smoke? Have you been smoking?"
Sasuke opened his mouth, ready to deny it or make some sort of excuse when a voice from behind him piped up.
"Uh, sorry, sir. That was, uh, me. Sasuke? Yeah, um, Sasuke and I were just chattin' while I was takin' a smoke break. I didn't mean for it to waft your way. My apologies."
Sasuke's father stepped to the side and glared at the blond behind the fence. "You know there's a sign here that says NO SMOKING in bright red letters. You can read can't you, son?"
Sasuke shut his eyes, embarrassed on behalf of his Dad.
"Yes, sir," he answered, "You may not believe it, but I do know how to read. I'm a little color blind, though, but my intermediate Spanish fluency should more than make up for my faults."
Sasuke had to hold back a snort. He tried to cover it up with a cough.
"Smartass," grumbled his father. "Sasuke, finish up your conversation with this person and come inside before you catch a cold." He slammed the door as he went back into the building.
Sasuke turned around. "You didn't have to do that."
Naruto was grinning. "It was no thing. Your boss is such an asshole though. How the hell do you work for a guy like that?"
"Actually, he's my father."
"...Oh. Shit. My bad."
Sasuke shook his head. "No, you had it right the first time."
"You know," said the blond. "If you quit smokin', you wouldn't have to try to hide it from your Dad all the time. I mean, I see you out here sometimes, so I'm not sure how he hasn't figured it out, but yeah. He's gonna get a clue eventually."
"I'll take your advice under consideration," he replied. "So if I were to send you a thank you, to whom should I address it?"
"What, like flowers or a box of candy?" The man gripped at the fence and rattled it. Sasuke didn't think he ever stopped smiling.
"If that's what you're into," he said dryly. "Your name?"
"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."
"Naruto. I'm Sasuke Uchiha. It's nice to finally know the man behind the trash."
Naruto laughed again. "You'd be surprised how often people refer to me as that."
"No, I really don't think I would. I've got to go back to work."
"Oh, uh yeah." Naruto pulled away from the fence and, somewhat self-consciously, scratched the back of his head. "Me, too. I've still gotta close up."
"I'll see you around?"
Naruto nodded. "Yep. M'not goin' anywhere."
"Later then, Naruto," he said and turned around to swipe his ID in front of the sensor. He walked into the building and, on the elevator ride up to the 12th floor, he could not get the image of the trash bag splitting open and falling all over Naruto.
As usual, Sasuke was at work later than everyone else and out on the deck, smoking a cigarette. He'd been here for about 10 minutes already, half-wondering if Naruto would be making an appearance. They hadn't run into each other for a few days, and after nine months, he'd grown accustomed to their chit-chats even if they didn't talk about too much in particular. Sure, he probably could've gone to the front of the sporting goods store and knocked on a window if he reallywanted to talk to him, but that would've required going through the lobby, and he'd have to make conversation with the administrative assistant who didn't seem to have anything better to do than flirt with him. She stayed until at least six, and, as he checked his watch, it was about quarter til.
He was sitting on top of one of the picnic tables, staring out at the back lot behind the store, which he'd yet to go into. It's not as if he did a lot of mountain climbing or kayaking in his spare time. A few more minutes passed, and the store's back door cracked open. Naruto stood in the doorway, carrying on a conversation with someone Sasuke couldn't quite see, but it was definitely a young woman speaking to him. Finally, Naruto came out and closed the door. He had a trash bag in hand.
"Yo," greeted Sasuke, waving to him when Naruto looked up at hearing his voice.
"Hey, Sasuke," he said, smiling. He tossed the trash into the Dumpster and walked to the fence, wiping his hands over that atrocious orange smock. "You're still at work? But you're out here earlier than usual. Ah, I get it," his eyes flashed mischievously, "You were waitin' for me to come out, weren't you?"
"Of course not. How would I know when you'd come out here to throw the trash away?"
"I dunno. Maybe you're some sort of sociopath that keeps track of the times I take out the trash."
Sasuke gave him a look that expressed what he felt about thatcomment. "I've been wanting to tell you this for almost nine months," he said, "I think that orange smock is really ugly."
"It's not a smock," Naruto challenged defensively, "It's an apron."
"Is that supposed to make it better?"
"Shut up. At least I get to dress casually. Better than havin' to wear a suit and tie every day like you. Could it get any more boring than that?"
"Women seem to prefer men in suits." He flicked the ash at the end of his cigarette away from the table. "Who was that you were talking to?"
"Hinata? Ah, she's a new part-timer. She was ready to get off, so she was askin' if there was any thing else she could do before she leaves."
"Why didn't you ask herto take out the trash then? That seems the job of a part-timer."
Naruto scowled. "I'm not gonna make her take out the trash. Plus then I'd miss out on all these chances to have a conversation with you. It's sort of weird, though, isn't it? We've been doin' this for, what, nearly nine months now and there's always a fence between us? It's like we're at a concentration camp, and you're on one side, and I'm on the other."
Sasuke smirked. "Are you calling me a Nazi? First I'm a sociopath and now I'm a Nazi."
"Yeah, well. You started it by insulting my apron - "
"Smock," he interjected.
"Very funny. Listen. I've gotta get back to work, but how late are y'workin' tonight?"
"Why? Want to ask me out on a date?"
"What?No! Asshole. I got you somethin' the other day, so I thought if you could come by the store before you went home, I'd give it to you."
Sasuke flicked his cigarette onto the ground. "You got me something? What is it?"
Naruto shrugged. "It's nothin' too exciting, but it's somethin' I want you to have."
"Hm."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto grabbed the fence. "Plus, you've never seen the shop, right? Or, maybe I just wanna have a conversation without a fence in the way. That's not a problem, is it?"
Frowning, Sasuke shook his head. "No. It's not a problem." He checked his watch. "I'll be here another hour, maybe two."
"Okay! We should still be open by then, so come on in, but if we're closed, just knock, and I'll let ya in."
"...Alright."
Naruto chuckled. "Don't look so horrified. I'm not gonna try anything funny."
Sasuke got to his feet and stepped over to the railing so that there was probably only ten feet separating them.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"You do sort of look like a captive in there since I get to look down on you."
"I know, right? I told you it was creepy. So, let's finally meet face to face, y'know, without this," he rattled the fence, "between us."
"Alright," agreed Sasuke. "I'm intrigued at least to know what could possibly make you think of me enough that you'd purchase it and want to give it to me."
"Guess you'll find out when you come over to the dark side."
"Fine. See you in a while then, Naruto."
Naruto waved goodbye. "Later."
They both went back to work.
By the time Sasuke had finished with some online calls, done some data entry, and sent off a few e-mails, almost two hours had passed since his conversation with Naruto. Finding no other excuses for why he couldn't go home, he grabbed his jacket, clocked out, and headed through the (now empty) lobby. He walked the short distance to the store, and, seeing that it was still open, went inside. There was a jingle that came from above his head as he entered. Within less than a minute, he was greeted by a pretty female employee and asked if he needed help finding anything.
"Actually," he said, "I'm here to see Naruto."
"Oh okay," she smiled. "He's probably in his office. Should I get him for you?"
"Sure, if it's not too much trouble. Just tell him it's Sasuke."
"Alright. I'll be right back." She left with a bounce in her step, her blond ponytail bobbing as she went.
Sasuke wandered around the store for a few minutes, absently wondering why Naruto had an office. Was it normal for assistant managers to have their own office in retail stores? He had no idea. He walked by a wall display of mountain bikes. There was also a platform nearby that had them displayed in a rack. The store was fairly large and open, set up like a warehouse, with a lot of different displays showcasing popped tents or sporting equipment. On one side of the store, a kayak had been sawed in half and mounted on the wall, close to the ceiling.
"Sir."
Sasuke turned around, greeted again by the employee.
"He says you should go back to the office." She pointed. "Just go through that door and then it'll be the second door on your left."
He nodded and thanked her, wondering if maybe Naruto was too busy for this and, perhaps, he should take off and go home rather than bother him. But he was sort of curious to see Naruto in his element, so he went through the door in the back and, right as he stepped in front of Naruto's office, the other man was ending a phone call.
"Hey, Sasuke! You came! Sorry, I would've come out there, but I got a call from the district manager."
Sasuke noticed a box on the edge of Naruto's desk. "Is that your gift to me?" he asked.
"Yep. That's it." Naruto grabbed it and handed it over. He waited, staring at Sasuke when he didn't immediately open it. "Well, open it already."
"It's not a bomb, is it?"
"Nope."
Sasuke opened the box, and inside was an assortment of nicotine patches, nicotine gum, and some sort of supportive pamphlet on how to quit smoking.
"Thank you," he said drolly. "You're very kind."
Naruto laughed at him. "And just in case you can't give it up cold turkey, I got you this, too." He pulled out one of the drawers and threw a small plastic bag at him that contained an air freshener for cars. "If you wear it like a necklace, maybe your Dad won't notice when you reek of smoke." He burst into another fit of chuckles.
"That's wonderful," said Sasuke as he put it inside the box with the rest of the stuff and replaced the lid. "So, what's with the office?"
"Didn't I tell you? I got promoted, like, a month ago to manager. The other guy retired and moved to Florida to be with his mistress, I think."
"Good to know," he replied and slipped his hands into his pockets. "But, no. You didn't tell me you'd been promoted."
"Hm. Oh well. We should be closing in ten minutes, and then I have to lock up and do a few other things. Do you wanna get dinner or a drink or something afterward?"
It took a while for the suggestion to register in Sasuke's brain for some reason. "I don't think so," he spat out quickly.
Naruto looked a little hurt. "Oh... okay then."
"No... it's. Sorry." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's just I'm tired and wanting to go home."
"That's fine then. I just thought I'd ask. No hard feelings."
"No, Naruto," he glanced down at the box in his hand and then at him. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Besides working?" Naruto's fingers drummed on the desk.
"Yes. I meant after work. I was wondering what you were doing."
"Hm. Nothing probably. Why? What did you have in mind?"
Sasuke shifted uneasily. "I'm being forced into going to this event on behalf of the company tomorrow. Well, not forced, but a client gave me tickets. I thought maybe you and I could go, and then we could duck out after I made an appearance."
"An event, huh? From one of yourclients?" Naruto made a noise of consideration and picked up a pen, twirling it around in his fingers. "Guess that means it's probably gonna be boring, eh? So you'd need me there to keep you entertained."
"Something like that, yes. If you're as amusing as you are while throwing away trash, I think we could make a decent time of it."
Naruto set the pen down. It started to roll off the edge, but Naruto, without even looking at it, grabbed it in his one hand and continued to spin it. "That's fine with me, but you owe me a drink for draggin' me to somewhere boring."
"That's fine. I would've anyway. In return for your ever so thoughtful," he shook the box, "gift."
"Heh. Do I need to wear a suit? Is it gonna be all stuffy and formal? Are y'sure I can't wear my apron? I know how much you like it."
"If you wear that goddam awful thing, I won't even acknowledge that I know you."
"Fair enough."
"Just wear what you usually would."
Naruto nodded, his gaze out of focus for a second and then he seemed to snap out of it. "Maybe you should give me your number."
So, Sasuke gave him his number and told him to meet him in front of the Deloitte building tomorrow around 7.15.
"By the way," Sasuke said as he was about to leave Naruto's office, "Who's the female employee who greeted me?"
"Who? Ino?" Naruto grinned shamelessly. "Why? Do y'think she's pretty?"
"She is very pretty. I was just curious. It figured you'd be the type to surround yourself with a harem."
As Sasuke walked out, he could here Naruto shout after him, "What the hell is thatsupposed to mean?!"
Just as Sasuke was coming out of the lobby, Naruto was approaching him - dressed in jeans, blue t-shirt, and a light jacket. Sasuke gave him a once over, having never before seen Naruto in regular clothing.
"I bet you can hardy recognize me without my awesome apron," said Naruto. "And look at you, all not in your suit. You're just like a normal person our age. I can even imagine gettin' a beer with you now and not feeling embarrassed."
"Thanks, I think. Were you able to get out early?"
"Yeah, I had one of the regulars close for me. So, where are we off to?"
"Let's hail a cab, and you'll find out. I have to admit, I'm not looking forward to it." Sasuke waved down an oncoming taxi, and it stopped at the curb.
Naruto looked impressed. "You know, when I do that, it usually takes a lot longer."
"Is that so?" He gazed at his watch as he held open the back door. "Get in."
Naruto shuffled his way into the back seat, and Sasuke got in behind him, advising the driver of the address.
"The arena?" Naruto asked, brow wrinkling. "What's goin' on there tonight?"
"A hockey game," he answered.
"And that's boring to you? Oh man, I love hockey. It's great. Have you ever been to a game before?"
"No, but I figured you'd be more into it than I would."
The downtown scenery passed by in a blur. Every time Sasuke looked over at Naruto, he was smiling out the window. He'd only guessed that, given where Naruto worked, he'd be more into sports than him, but the other man was practically radiating an obnoxious amount of anticipatory energy. Well, at least Sasuke wouldn't have to suffer alone at the event, and having been given these tickets as a gift, it would've been considered rude not to make an appearance.
"So where are we gonna be sittin'?" Naruto asked off-handedly.
"We have box seats, so I'm guessing somewhere at the top?"
"Holy shit! Box seats? Oh man, I don't know whether to be thrilled or disappointed. It's always great to sit in the bleachers, too, especially when fights break out!"
Sasuke's eyebrow rose. "Why would it not surprise me if you're the one who instigates these fights?"
"Nah!" Naruto waved his hand. "I've never been involved, but I've seen 'em happen. In the crowds or on the ice. It can get pretty nuts, but that's what's so great about hockey!"
"Good, well I'm glad one of us will be enjoying themselves."
Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. "You've gotta give it a chance first. We'll have some beer and watch, and before we leave, maybe I'll even buy you a souvenir puck!"
Sasuke smirked. "With all these presents you've been giving me lately, I'd almost think you were trying to woo me."
Naruto laughed. "Shit, if it means that I get your hand-me down sporting event tickets, I just might!"
"I see how it works," said Sasuke, feigning like he'd been wounded. "You're just using me for my connections."
"Not entirely true, but I'm more than willing to hook ya up if you ever need a new bike or somethin'. Though I'm guessin' you're not much of the outdoors type?"
"Not particularly, no," Sasuke replied, sighing. "I prefer the city life to wandering around in the woods."
"That's too bad," said Naruto and, for a breath, he looked genuinely sad about it. "Because my friends and I tend to go out camping a lot at the national park. I would've totally invited you if you were into it."
Sasuke didn't reply; they had reached their destination.
Naruto insisted on paying, so Sasuke let him. Once they were out of the cab, there was already a line of people at the entrance. They had VIP tickets, so they were able to sidestep the crowd and were ushered into an elevator that took them to the top floor. On the way, Sasuke told Naruto a bit about the client so that he wouldn't be completely lost when they met. Inside the box, there were a few people already there, taking glasses of champagne off of a table near the door. Along another wall was a table full of various snacks and hors d'oeuvres. Right away, Sasuke saw his client and went to shake his hand, exchange a few words, and introduce Naruto.
"This an amazing view of the rink," Naruto said conversationally to the older man. "Thank you so much for the tickets."
The client smiled politely. "Are you much of a hockey fan, Naruto?"
"Ah, very much so," he answered. "I used to play a little in high school, but I screwed up my knee."
"What position did you play if you don't mind me asking?" The white-haired man crossed his arms, genuinely interested. Sasuke observed attentively. His client was one of the CEOs of a Fortune 500 company and had been a loyal client of Deloitte for at least a good 20 years.
"I was a forward, usually played center. It could get pretty brutal."
"I imagine so. Well, I'll let you two enjoy the game then." He shook Naruto's hand and then Sasuke's. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Naruto. Good to see you again, Sasuke. I'm happy the tickets were able to be of use to you, and tell your father to give me a call sometime soon."
"I will do that, sir," said Sasuke, giving a polite bow of his head. The older man walked away to another group of men sipping on champagne.
"What a nice guy," Naruto remarked. "He sure seemed happy you came, huh?"
Sasuke had to agree. It could've been taken as a slight otherwise, and he was pretty sure the client had been amused and pleased by Naruto's enthusiasm for the sport. Sasuke couldn't even fathom mustering up the willpower it would take for him to fake enthusiasm when it came to watching a group of men chase each other around with long sticks while skating circles around the ice.
They were standing up against the window, looking down at the ice. The arena was already packed, and it was only the first two minutes of the first half.
"How's your knee now?" Sasuke asked.
"Better. It only sucks a bit during the winter, but I've had a couple corrective surgeries since it happened."
"Do you want anything to drink? If you don't want champagne, I can get something from the bar."
Smiling, Naruto turned away from the game for a second to look at him, earnestly grateful. "I'd love a beer if you don't mind."
"Sounds good," he said. "I'll be right back."
He wasn't sure how it happened, but after about an hour of drinking in the box, Naruto had convinced him to venture down into the "commoner" seating. Sasuke had been to sporting events, of course. He'd been to baseball games and a few basketball games, but all that hadn't quite prepared him for the voraciousness of hockey fans. They were yelling at the players, the referees, and each other. The arena itself was packed with a swarm of people wearing the home team's colors. They managed to find a couple of empty seats only a few rows up from the rink, in a roped-off section meant for people with VIP tickets. Naruto had wanted to buy him a foam finger for Sasuke to wave around, but he had refused and threatened to leave. So then Naruto bought it for himself.
"Hey, Sasuke, are ya havin' fun yet?" Naruto gave his arm a poke with the finger. He had a plastic cup filled with beer in his other hand.
Sasuke grunted and sipped out of his own cup, ignoring the way Naruto's shoulder kept nudging against his arm. It was actually pretty amusing. He can't say he understood what the hell was going on, but after every play that garnered some sort of reaction from the crowd, Naruto would turn to him and explain about highsticking and penalties and little tidbits of information about the players. At one point, one of the guys on the away team rushed the guy with the puck and slammed him against the glass. After that, they ripped their gloves off and got into it, while the crowd gave a roar and people around them were shouting obscenities (Naruto included). The one player was sent to the penalty box for five minutes. Sasuke was confused as to whether the goal of this game was to get the puck into the net or for the two teams to beat the shit out of each other in an attempt to entertain the crowd.
Somewhere around the beginning of the second half of the game, a couple of guys in the row across from them and on the other side of the steps started yelling at each other over a hot dog that got knocked to the ground. At first, Sasuke didn't think anything of it but then they started throwing punches at each other. Then a few more people around them started joining in, and it became an all-out brawl. He and Naruto were both watching as security came and tried to break them apart, but one of the guards also got a punch to the face. Naruto started to get up, but Sasuke grabbed a hold of his sleeve.
"Security will take care of it," he said.
"Yeah, but they're gonna seriously get hurt. Those guys are drunk as hell!"
Sasuke tugged harder at his coat and forced Naruto down into the seat. "You're not a whole lot better. How many have you had already?"
Naruto frowned. "Only a few."
"Uh huh." Luckily, more security came to take care of the situation and escorted the offenders out. Some were booing the guards and others were cheering and clapping. "See. Just what I want is to have to take you to the hospital after your bum knee goes out again."
"Hey, that's not nice. It's not like I'm handicapped."
Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Sasuke placed his hand at the back of Naruto's head and ruffled his hair. "There, there. Just accept you're not as young as you used to be."
Naruto was really scowling at him now, which only made him laugh.
"Has anyone ever told you you're a jerk?" Naruto asked, struggling to keep from smiling.
"I'm a jerk now? Weren't you just thanking me profusely for bringing you here?"
"Yeah, well... that's true. I owe you big time."
"Consider your debt repaid for not joining in on the brawl."
Naruto scratched at his chin with the foam finger. "Yeah, woulda been fun though. What's a hockey game without joinin' in on a brawl?"
Sasuke shook his head, amused. "You're much more interesting when there's no fence between us."
"Funny," said Naruto. "I was thinkin' the same thing. We should've done this a long time ago."
"Yes," he agreed. "We probably should have."
They'd ended up ducking out before the end of the game, seeing as how it was pretty obvious the home team would be winning since they were ahead by five goals. Naruto had suggested a nearby place for dinner, but it involved cutting through a park. He was still carrying around his foam finger and, before they'd left the arena, Naruto really had bought him a puck from one of the merchandise stalls. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what he'd do with it, but it'd probably make a decent paper weight.
As they were walking by a basketball court, there was a group of guys playing a game of basketball on one of the courts. Naruto had pulled him over, and they watched behind the fence for a while until, the players having noticed them, asked if they wanted to join.
Sasuke was ready to refuse, but Naruto insisted and promised they'd only play for about 20 minutes. They went onto the court. Naruto took off his jacket and tossed it onto the ground. They all introduced themselves, and even though Sasuke assured them that he'd be happy to act as spectator, they forced him onto one of the teams. Naruto went to the other team to keep the numbers even and, as his team was playing sans shirt, he ripped his off over his head and threw it alongside his jacket.
Now, Sasuke may not have been a great lover of sports, but he was fairly athletic, and basketball was far easier to comprehend than hockey. All he had to do was keep the other team from getting a basket, and then on offense, all he had to do was score, right?
Surprisingly, Naruto's team allowed him to take point, and Sasuke was forced to guard him. It was almost embarrassing how easily Naruto could out maneuver him. For a guy with a bad knee, Naruto was fast and nimble, and he sure as hell didn't suck at shooting. He was hitting all his free throws (Sasuke kept fouling him, but how was he to know he couldn't shoulder him so hard before he took a shot?)
When his team was back on defense, and Naruto was approaching center, they were face to face. Naruto was smiling widely, breathing as hard as Sasuke was at present, and dribbling the ball from one hand to the other and behind a leg.
"Show off," Sasuke remarked. "Are you trying to piss me off or impress me?"
"Maybe a little of both."
And then Naruto pulled a feint like he was going to rush forward to his right only to shoot a bounce pass toward one of his other teammates who was able to put it up from behind the line for a three-pointer.
They had only been playing first to 20, and Naruto's team had already won after about 25 minutes. Afterward, Naruto put on his shirt, and he stayed a few more minutes to chat with the guys about the hockey game while Sasuke only interjected his thoughts if Naruto presented him with a question or opinion on it. Enthusiastically, Naruto handed over his foam finger to one of the guys who had taken an interest in it. Then, despite the several offers they received to stick around and play some more, they parted ways and began heading toward the restaurant again, only for Naruto to change his mind on the venue. He thought he'd rather go to bar and just get some appetizers and a few more drinks now that the both of them were sort of sweaty and unkempt.
"Why did you let me do that?" Naruto asked, sticking his hands in his jean pockets. "My knee's all sore now."
Sasuke snorted. "Didn't you yell at me earlier for insinuating you were some sort of cripple?"
"Yeah, well. I should've done some stretching first at least. That was fun though. You played a lot better than I thought you would."
"I'm unsure whether that's a compliment or not."
"It is. I just figured that since you weren't so interested in sports, you wouldn't be all that interested in playing them."
"Naruto?" Sasuke knocked into him with his shoulder.
"Hm? What's up?"
"You stink."
"Do I?" Naruto raised his arm and sniffed himself. "Wuddaya expect? I just ran up and down the court for almost a half hour, pretty much mopping the court with your sorry skills. It's not like you smell like roses either."
Sasuke didn't have to smell himself to know that was also true.
"You know, you're pretty interesting for a guy who works in retail," Sasuke said suddenly.
"The retail mark aside, I'm glad I can keep you entertained. I'm guessin' it's not typical for you to wanna stop and play a basketball game with a bunch of strange guys?"
As they walked on the sidewalk that winded through the park, they were passed by a few joggers and a couple of kids on skateboards. It was a cool night, but refreshingly so, especially after that impromptu bit of exercise.
"I will admit that I've done more tonight in terms of spontaneity than I have in a good while."
"Good," said Naruto, patting him on the back. "I'm happy I can be a positive influence on ya like that. I want to say it's 'cause you probably have a hectic work schedule, but since being promoted, I've barely had time to go out with friends."
"I think I can understand where you're coming from. I'm sure you're disappointed you can't ask one of your many pretty female co-workers out on a date." He sighed overdramatically. "Instead, here you are. Stuck with me."
"Please," said Naruto. "First of all, I wouldn't date my employees. Ino has a boyfriend, I think. Or maybe they just broke up? I forget." He shook his head. "And Hinata? Hm. No, I dunno. She's too shy. She'd probably have a heart attack even if I tried."
"Well that would certainly get in the way of dating her." Sasuke's gaze was drawn toward the sky as he followed the line of a plane flashing red in the distance.
"What about you?" asked Naruto. "You're not seeing anyone? I don't think we've ever talked about it in all the time we've chatted during your smoke breaks, which, by the way, I hope you're using my gifts."
"I did bring the gum, yes," he replied, completely disregarding the first question.
Naruto made a sound that suggested he was extremely pleased to hear this. Sasuke eyed him, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile.
"Don't get too cocky," he informed Naruto. "I come from a strict family that doesn't believe in quitting."
Naruto chuckled. "I think they'd make an exception. Maybe if you quit, you'd be able to keep up with me on the court."
"Maybe so."
Eventually, they came to the establishment Naruto had been leading them toward. It was just across from the park, a pub called Bobby's. They went inside and, although there were lots of people, it wasn't obnoxiously crowded. Still, they ended up snagging a couple seats at the bar. A football game was playing on the overhead TV: Packers vs. Bears. The bartender came over, dropped off a menu, and took their drink orders. Sasuke'd had a later lunch, so he wasn't extremely hungry. They ended up ordering some sort of appetizer combo and another couple of beers.
It's fair to say that although they had talked to each other at least a few times a week over the course of the past nine months, the substance of their conversations hadn't been particularly deep. So, for the next hour or so - as Naruto picked off of their platter and devoured a good portion of the wings and mozzarella sticks - they caught each other up on their backgrounds. He learned Naruto had dropped out of a local state school before graduating and, shortly thereafter, had begun working at the store, which at the time had belonged to a family friend. Sasuke told him a little bit about his father and brother. Naruto seemed especially interested in Itachi and that he was currently living in Japan.
"Does that mean you might work in Japan some day?" Naruto asked, nibbling at one of the tortilla chips that came with the artichoke dip.
"I don't know," Sasuke answered truthfully. "I never thought a lot about the future, I suppose."
Naruto set down the uneaten half of his chip to frown at him. "You've never thought about your future? That's sorta odd, isn't it?"
Sasuke shrugged and decided to steal the half-eaten chip for himself. "What about you? Are you going to be manager of that store forever?"
"I dunno. I mean, what else can I do without a degree? I certainly couldn't do what you do, y'know? But I'm content. I'm pretty young for being a manager. It pays well, and I like the people I work with. I like what I do. I mean, maybe if I scrape some money together, I could open up my own store and maybe provide other services, like hiking excursions or bike or kayaking trips. Stuff like that."
"Sounds like you've thought about it," said Sasuke. "You know, a degree isn't everything. Experience and having specialized knowledge of any field will always prove useful and be employable."
Naruto laughed quietly. "You sound like you're tryin' to make me feel better."
"Maybe I am."
Naruto picked up his glass of beer and clinked it against Sasuke's. "Cheers to that. Now wuddaya say, shall we move onto shots?"
Sasuke looked at him and then his watch and then back at Naruto again. "Sure Why not?"
Those last few shots may have been a mistake, he realized, as he fumbled around for his wallet only to discover it was already out on the bar. Naruto wasn't any better, though he tossed back another two in the time it took Sasuke to fish out his credit card to pay the tab.
"Hey, what're ya doin'?" Naruto asked, grabbing onto his arm. "I'll pay the tab."
"I think I can afford a measly bar tab," he argued, pushing his hair out of his eyes. It kept sticking to his forehead and was really aggravating him.
"Let's at least split it," Naruto argued, trying to reach for the billfold that contained their receipt.
Sasuke snatched it away from him. "I asked you out, so I'm going to pay the damn tab."
This momentarily stunned Naruto, and he cocked his head to the side. "Like a date," he said, and it was not quite a statement or a question.
Sasuke ignored him and gave the bartender his card. He'd barely glanced over the receipt, but he was surprised they'd had so much. Sasuke hadn't done anything like this since college probably. He could only imagine the trouble he would've gotten into had he and Naruto known each other back then. When the bartender came to return his credit card, he offered them each one more double shot.
"On the house," he said. "You two guys have been fun to listen to all night."
They both thanked him, Naruto more exuberantly and profusely than Sasuke. Naruto waited until Sasuke, with a sigh of resignation, had picked up his tall shot glass. They clinked them together and on the count of three, swallowed every last drop. Nearly wanting to gag, Sasuke set the empty glass onto the bar. Naruto looked a little queasy as he wiped his hand across his mouth.
"Yeah, that might be it for me tonight," he remarked.
Sasuke very much agreed, and as he turned around on the stool, he nearly lost his footing. Naruto grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up, flush against his side to keep him balanced.
"Thanks," he slurred.
"No problem." Naruto kept a hold of him as they shuffled out of the bar.
It was late, so the streets were pretty empty. Usually Sasuke would've been all about hailing a cab, but he kept finding it difficult just to stand without leaning to one side. At some point, Naruto disappeared from his sight and went around the corner, so not having any inclination of what he should be doing, Sasuke took a seat on the curb and waited. After a few minutes, Naruto returned, stared at him, laughed, and then waved him over.
"What're you doin', Sasuke? I have a cab over here, c'mon." He stumbled over to Sasuke and pulled him up by the arm. Naruto took hold of his wrist and dragged him into the back of the cab. On reflex, Sasuke had given the driver his home address before Naruto could say anything.
"Is that where you live?" Naruto asked.
"Obviously."
"I didn't know!" Naruto shouted defensively. "Maybe you wanted to keep partyin'. For all I know, you were takin' me to a strip club."
Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Hardly."
"Say, do y'think that guy's enjoyin' the finger I gave him?"
Sasuke almost choked. "What?"
"My finger, remember? I gave it to that guy."
"Yeah," Sasuke snickered. "I remember when you gave that guy the finger."
Naruto snorted. "Hah. I see what y'did there."
"Just to let you know," Sasuke confessed as he pressed his palm against the window, staring at the scenery as it appeared in the spaces between his fingers. "I'm pretty drunk."
"I can tell. Are ya gonna be able to go to work tomorrow?"
"More or less. How about you?"
"Pretty sure I've gone to work with a hangover before, so I'll be alright."
"If you want, you're welcome to stay at my place and crash on the couch. I'll make sure you're up early enough for work."
Naruto gave him a long look. "... I'll consider it."
"Consider it?" Sasuke mused. "I'm not going to rape you."
"That's what I'd expect a Nazi sociopath to say."
"Hn."
"Fine. I wanna see the sort of place you'd live in. I bet it's all fancy and modern with crystal chandeliers and marble sculptures of elephants."
"I have a feeling you're going to be disappointed," said Sasuke. "I moved there a year ago, and I think I still have boxes that need unpacked. Right now, I've just stuck everything in the second bedroom."
"Ah." Naruto pulled out his phone, checked it, and then put it away again.
"Miss any important messages?" Sasuke asked, slumping against the seat and stifling a yawn.
"Nothing important."
"Nothing as important as entertaining me?"
"Nope, nothing as important as that. Tonight that'd be my No. 1 priority." He looked over at Sasuke and smiled.
Sasuke smiled back. "You sound like you're flirting with me."
"Shut up," said Naruto, and he slapped him on the arm. "You're the one who said I was here for your pleasure."
Sasuke's mouth scrunched to the side as he thought this over, wondering at the sudden slight flip of his stomach.
"That sounded bad, didn't it?" Naruto acknowledged, shaking his head. "I'm drunk."
Sasuke didn't have to bother with a reply because they'd already arrived at his apartment.
Sasuke lived on the sixth floor of a historic low-rise brick building. On the elevator ride, he stood to one side, holding himself up with the help of a rail. Naruto was on the other side, his arms folded, and eyes a little glassy. He kept staring at Sasuke and smirking.
"Shut up," said Sasuke.
"I didn't say anything." Naruto kept smirking anyway.
"You were thinking something. I could tell."
"Are you always this paranoid?" Naruto teased as he played with the zipper on his jacket.
Sasuke thought about it. "Yes."
It had taken all of 98 seconds for them to arrive on his floor. He had to pat around his pockets to find his keys. Leaning against the door frame, Naruto watched him as he fumbled to open the door. Once inside, he flipped on the lights and tossed his keys on the kitchen counter.
"I like the brick," was Naruto's first remark.
The kitchen was off to the right of the entranceway and opened up to the living room and dining area. Naruto wandered in on his own, touching the furniture and looking at the framed art Sasuke had hung to break up all the exposed red brick. He was apparently drawn to the windows. Sasuke had a decent view of the downtown loop.
"I like this," said Naruto. "My place isn't bad, but I could see myself in a place like this if I give it a few years. Moving's such a hassle though."
Sasuke lingered in the kitchen, leaning over the island counter. "Tell me about it. The good thing is I was coming from grad school and didn't have a whole lot of stuff, so what I did buy, I could have delivered here."
"Yeah, that'd be a lot better than having to rent a moving truck, I guess. I couldn't do that, I suppose. I have lots of furniture and stuff that used to belong to my parents. It'd be nice to get a bigger place so I can take some of it out of storage."
Sasuke played with the water tap, turning it on and off. "Maybe you can just dump it into my second bedroom. I'll charge you a much smaller fee than what you're paying now." He grinned slyly.
Naruto approached him, taking a seat on one of the stools opposite. He rested his elbows on the counter and leaned his cheek into his hand, appearing thoughtful. "I may take you up on that."
"I know we've had a lot already, but do you want something else to drink? For some reason, people have the tendency of gifting me wine all the time, so there's lots of that in the cabinets. Or there's," he flipped the tap, "water."
"Both," replied Naruto. "I think if I have a glass of water, I'll probably also be able to handle one last drink."
"Good." Sasuke turned around and retrieved a couple of wine glasses from the cabinet. "Do you prefer red or white?"
"Whatever you prefer is good with me."
"You're so accommodating," he remarked and after digging around his utility drawer for a bottle opener, set about pouring them each a glass of red wine. He pushed one toward Naruto and then made sure to also get his glass of water.
"So is this what you do whenever you come home from work then?"
"What? Relax with a glass of wine before bed?"
"Yeah."
"Not really. I work late. I usually order in something for dinner and then spend another hour on the computer answering e-mails or trying to get ahead with the week's work in the hope that it won't pile up on me when I'm at the office."
"Sounds stressful. Maybe you really should introduce a glass of wine into your schedule every night."
Faintly, Sasuke smiled. "Maybe I should."
"What about friends?" asked Naruto as he removed his jacket and set it on one of the other stools. "When do you have time to hang out with them? What do you do on the weekends?"
"Friends? Hm." Absently, he traced a ring around the rim of the wine glass. "You may be the first person not related to me that I've had over to my apartment."
Naruto's mouth opened and formed a perfect "O".
"What's that face?" Sasuke asked him. "I hope you don't feel sorry for me."
"No, no." Naruto tilted his head and switched to the wine, licking his lips after his first taste of it. "Mm. Good. But anyway, I think I can sorta understand. Even before I was promoted to manager, when I'd become assistant manager, I was basically doin' the same thing, right? I sort of had a lazy boss. Great guy, but really lazy."
"So you were doing all of his work?"
"Pretty much. It certainly forced me to cut down on my social time with friends. I think I've probably interacted more with you over the past months than I have with any of my close friends. Plus, we're all gettin' older, so some of them have moved elsewhere or gotten married. I guess at some point you have to grow up a bit, huh? Who would've guessed that being an adult meant just... working constantly."
Sasuke sighed, understanding perfectly. "I suppose that's what vacations are for."
"Have you taken one yet?"
He frowned. "No. All I have to do is imagine everything that could possibly go wrong if I was to take off for a week or two. It's already bad enough when I travel for work. It seems every time I leave, something goes wrong."
"That's too bad. You'd think at a place like Deloitte they'd only hire competent people."
"They're competent enough," Sasuke replied. "I just happen to have very high standards."
"I suppose we have that in common." Somehow, in a matter of ten minutes, Naruto had already finished his wine.
"I can't figure out if you hold your liquor really well or if you're actually an alcoholic." Sasuke took his glass when Naruto indicated he didn't want another and washed it out before placing it in the dishwasher.
"I think admitting to the first might be less depressing." Naruto started to spin his glass of water around in circles. "I let you get by without an answer before, but you're not seeing anyone, right?"
Sasuke returned to his position against the counter. "I'm pretty sure you can guess by my current lifestyle that there wouldn't be any time."
"I'm sure there could be if you really wanted to make it work."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to try to set me up are you?"
Naruto looked surprised at the notion. "No, that'd be annoying. I wouldn't do that. Although, you did seem sorta interested in Ino."
"No offense," he said, "But she wouldn't be my type. I was more curious about you, I guess."
"What do you mean?"
He thought it had been obvious as he said it, but maybe not. "Because you're a strange guy, Naruto. So, I was curious as to what type of woman you'd be interested in."
Naruto laughed quietly. "You say I'mstrange? Your curiosity is a bit of a compliment, I think. If I had to say...," he rubbed his chin, "I don't... know. Like I had fun tonight, right? So, maybe a woman who's up for some spontaneous fun, who can just go with the flow without complaining."
"Alright. So, if I were to find you someone, she'd have to be like me but with breasts."
Naruto snorted. "She shouldn't smoke either."
"Well, I'm working on that. It helps with the stress."
Naruto's grin went lop-sided. "Stop trying to be my girlfriend, Sasuke."
"Please," he said, finishing up the rest of his own wine. "If I were to actually try, you wouldn't be able to resist me. All I'd have to do is throw you down on the couch, and you'd be moaning my name within seconds."
"Or you'd be moaning mine."
Sasuke had mostly been joking, but there was a bit of a challenge hanging in the air that he couldn't quite shake off. From the way Naruto was staring, he could venture to guess the feeling was mutual.
Naruto broke the silence between them first. "Can I ask you a personal question?"
"Sure."
"Have you... ever been with a guy?"
Sasuke blinked at him. "Sexually?"
"Yeah." Naruto traced a drop of condensation with his finger as it rolled down the side of the glass.
"No. Why, have you?"
He shook his head. "No. Never even considered it."
"This isn't going to be the part of the conversation where you say you're considering it now, is it?"
Naruto didn't immediately reply. He appeared to be thinking it over in his head.
"I've really liked hanging out with you without the fence in the way," he told Sasuke. "I wish we would've done this sooner."
"What does it matter if it's sooner or later?" Sasuke pushed his glass away and settled his elbow on the counter so he could rest his cheek against his hand. "We're hanging out now, aren't we?"
"True. Hypothetically, if I were to let you throw me down on the couch, what is it you'd do that would make me want to moan your name?"
The slightest noise of surprise slipped past his lips. "Are you being serious?"
Naruto cast his eyes downward. "I said it was hypothetical, didn't I?"
Sasuke took in a deep breath and straightened from his slouched position, planting both hands on the counter. "Hypothetically, we'd just have to try it out and see."
Naruto raised his eyes, staring right at him as if in a daze. "Maybe I'm a lot more drunk than I realize."
"Maybe." Sasuke's voice was barely above a whisper.
It was odd because, although his head was rather fuzzy and this conversation only came about because the social filter that usually prevented these things from being spoken aloud had exploded somewhere around his fifth beer and third shot - that little bit of curiosity he was observing in the way Naruto looked at him, the hesitation, that he was testing out a response from him... it made a perfectly implausible suggestion rather plausible. Naruto was waiting on him to do something, he could tell. Why Naruto didn't do it himself had him perplexed. But relying on the traces of alcohol still working through his system, Sasuke moved around to the other side of the counter and stood beside him.
Naruto glanced at him in a way that neither encouraged or discouraged anything, so Sasuke simply took hold of Naruto's wrist, gripping it gently, almost as if he was checking for a pulse. Under his fingers, he felt it quicken. Naruto's lips parted only a fraction but enough to release an audible exhale that didencourage something, and that was Sasuke pulling him to his feet.
"Are we seriously doing this?" asked Naruto.
Sasuke let his hand slide down to where he had Naruto's hand in his and laced their fingers together. Never did he let his eyes stray from Naruto's face, finding that each reaction, no matter how small, was somehow very important.
"I said I'd have to throw you down on the couch, didn't I?" Sasuke's voice was gruff, low, and husky. Very much unlike himself. Naruto voiced no objection, so Sasuke led him over to the couch. It was soft and made of a camel-colored suede.
They were both standing beside it, so, true to his word, Sasuke gave Naruto a shove that made his knees buckle and forced him to fall onto the cushions. He was lying sprawled out with one leg up on the couch and the other off the side. There was a redness to his cheeks and his blond bangs had scattered across his forehead. It was the first time Sasuke truly noticed the unusual shade of his eyes. Sasuke observed him, from head to toe. He had never considered being intimate with a man, but, then again, he rarely thought about women all that much either.
He lifted his knee, pressing it down on the cushion, in between Naruto's legs. Naruto was watching him closely as Sasuke lowered himself until their thighs started to touch. He braced himself on his arms, scanning Naruto's face, almost expecting him to say stop at any moment, but he didn't. Then a hand touched his hip and traveled slowly up to his waist, going up beneath his shirt to touch skin. It sent a shiver throughout his body and, with a pull from Naruto, he settled his full weight on top of him with his leg between Naruto's, and Naruto's leg between his.
"It's not bad so far," Naruto whispered.
For some reason, Sasuke felt inclined to brush back Naruto's hair and, grasping it between his fingers still, he leaned in close, almost near enough to kiss him.
"Go ahead." Naruto's breath tickled his chin. "I thought you said you were gonna, how did you put it? Make me moan your name?"
Playfully, Sasuke tugged at his hair and nipped lightly at Naruto's chin. He felt Naruto's hand move further up his back.
"Even I need to adjust to what this is like with another guy," he said, tentatively licking the line of Naruto's jaw.
Naruto let out a sigh and wrapped his arms more fully around Sasuke's body as he nudged his nose against the side of Naruto's throat, nibbling and sucking at it, feeling the heavy pulse that beat beneath. As he traveled up again, laving his tongue behind Naruto's ear, he felt the slightest upward thrust of Naruto's hips against his own. This slow motion of rocking against one another continued, encouraged by Naruto's palms pressing flat to his back, directing Sasuke on how he wanted him to move. One of Naruto's fingers found its way into Sasuke's belt loop, and that, along with the steady weight of his other hand, began to set their rhythm of movement - a slow grind of the hips that had each rubbing against the other's thigh.
Sasuke's breathing was quiet and mostly controlled while Naruto's was growing louder. The occasional noise he made when Sasuke sucked at his throat seemed to rumble from his chest. Sasuke managed to slip a hand between their bodies to pull Naruto's shirt up and press his palm against his flat stomach. The muscles were hard to the touch. A flash of how Naruto had looked with his shirt off while they were playing basketball materialized in his mind. Sasuke's shirt had ridden up only a little. The sensation of their skin touching as they moved together was electric. Naruto must have thought so, too, since he gave Sasuke's shirt a hard yank.
"You could just take it off," Naruto suggested, still holding on to the bottom of it.
Sasuke stopped what he was doing long enough to get it over his head, and then he was back to attacking Naruto's neck again. There was a smell of sweat that lingered on his skin as well as the spicy scent of his cologne.
"Why aren't you moaning my name yet?" He asked against Naruto's throat.
Softly, Naruto laughed, the sound reverberating against Sasuke's chest. Fingers began to wind their way through his hair, tugging playfully.
"I've been close a few times. My neck is sensitive."
"I can tell," said Sasuke, and, to make a point, sucked hard on the other side.
It wasn't quite a moan, but Naruto let out a quiet growl.
"Close, but not exactly what I want to hear." Sasuke rose up on his arms and re-positioned his leg so that the top of his thigh was directly against Naruto's crotch. He rocked his body forward. Eyes pinching shut, Naruto's hands fell to either side of his waist, urging him to go more quickly. Sasuke's eyes were on his face as he continued. He never would've guessed feeling another man start to harden against his thigh could be not just sexy, but exhilarating. With every thrust, it was all about getting Naruto to moan his name, just once. He wanted to hear it and then he'd be satisfied.
Sasuke pulled at the collar of Naruto's shirt, exposing his collarbone. He bit it and licked it, noting the way Naruto's breaths were very ragged now. Sasuke wanted to ask if he was close, but he also didn't want to interrupt the sounds Naruto kept making. All those quiet whimpers and growls. It only occurred then, after another particularly sexy noise from Naruto, that Sasuke wasn't the only one reacting to the constant rubbing and grinding or the feeling of their hot skin when it came into contact.
Then it happened, as Sasuke had sunk lower to take one of Naruto's nipples between his teeth.
"Sasuke," Naruto moaned, drawing out his name and arching his back, making his hips rise off the couch.
The sound of his name like that was so intoxicating, so unbelievably arousing that as Naruto's hips rocked with his climax, his thigh rubbed hard against Sasuke, sending him over the edge with a long, hot exhale of breath as he buried his face in the crook of Naruto's neck.
He felt the weight of Naruto's hands on his back, not moving, just still. He could feel the rise and fall of Naruto's chest beneath his, the sound of his breathing in his ear.
"I guess you were right," said Naruto, voice coming out raspy and maybe a bit unsure. "Sasuke?"
"...Hm?" His reply was hesitant, equally as uncertain.
"We did this because we were drunk, right?"
Sasuke gave it some thought, wanting to say yes, but he could not conclusively come to say it and be 100% sure that he meant it. So, he said nothing and, slowly, he lifted himself off of Naruto to sit on the couch. Naruto pulled his shirt down, but continued to lay as he was, with his head propped on the sofa arm.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked over at him. "I don't know what to say."
Naruto nodded after a few seconds. "I wasn't... really planning for that to happen."
"It wasn't altogether as bad as it could've been," offered Sasuke, even though he grimaced. He had a strong desire to adjust himself.
"No... it wasn't." Naruto sat up, causing the sides of their legs to touch. "Maybe it's just a one-time thing."
"Maybe."
"I can't tell what you're thinking." Naruto turned to him, expression cautious.
"I'm thinking that... somehow I feel like that was something I needed."
"Heh." Naruto patted his thigh. "Maybe that's what they mean by retail therapy?"
"Shut up," said Sasuke, and, gently, he cupped Naruto's cheek and kissed him on the lips because it felt right and because he just wanted to.
Naruto returned the kiss. It was slow and sensual, but it was also light and fun. Easy-going. Just like he'd thought Naruto to be on that night nine months ago when they'd had their first real conversation. It had been a good night all-around, however unexpected its ending, but that was probably what he could come to anticipate as the norm when hanging out with Naruto from now on.