The sandy haired bartender leant heavily on a weary hand, gazing through the translucent green glass of the evening's special white wine.
Night shifts at the fancy hotel where Naruto worked were excruciatingly boring. All the guests were filthy rich, mostly meaning old, so went to bed at reasonable times. Yet, still, it was his duty to stand idly at the bar for stretched out hours after the evening meal buzz had calmed.
Tapping the green bottle in a slow, dull rhythm, Naruto stifled a yawn. He was exhausted from his day job as a waiter at the very same hotel and sick to the back teeth of all the guests 'high and mighty' attitudes.
'I wonder if I would be the same, should I be rich.' he pondered, brushing down his waiter's tuxedo with his hands. Inspiration during boredom struck in an instant, and hastily, he arranged his work tie into a bow tie.
'Much more fitting,' he thought, smirking smarmily as he had seen the richest of the guests do. He strolled over what he knew to be the comfiest, grandest armchair at the back of the bar room, where the old men leisurely smoked cigars and laughed merrily together after dessert. Snapping his fingers, he planted his backside on the soft cushion, flirting with invisible wealth for what would not be the first time.
'A bottle of your finest white wine, if you please' he mocked, perfecting the mocking tone of voice in which the majority of the hotel's guests had addressed him in.
His little piece of fun wore thin as he glanced around the derelict bar.
'In other places, there'd be music and dancing' He thought bitterly, before yawning so loudly that he caused himself to jump slightly in surprise.
The armchair was incredibly comfy, there was no one around and probably wouldn't be until early hours of daybreak. The bartender slid lower in the chair. If he closed his eyes for just one moment, nobody would notice...
Naruto's eyes snapped open suddenly when he felt a gentle prod to his upper arm. Vision still groggy and mind not yet in gear, he blinked stupidly at a raven-haired male dressed in a suave suit.
"Oh! I-I'm so sorry, this has never happened to me before!" he stuttered, indicating his falling asleep. He sat up straighter, blushing with embarrassment that a guest had actually come down to the bar while he was unconscious. He would surely be fired for this misconduct the very next morning. Opening his mouth slightly, he readied his explanation and apology. Waiters at "The Ritz" hotel had to remain calm and
conducted at all times, with calm and proper reasoning. Naruto had been trained thoroughly to act in this way should any problems involving guest behaviour arise, but was not sure how to deal with his own mistakes.
The raven-haired male smiled handsomely at him, turning to glance at the bar for a second and then shaking his head.
"Do you think anyone is coming?" he asked in a cool tone.
Naruto remained silent for a moment, not registering what the man was getting at. Then realisation hit and he gingerly pressed down on his make-shift bow tie.
The man had continued: "It's terrible, really, there not being a bartender. I was looking forward to a drink."
He sighed and then slumped down in the chair next to Naruto's, chin rested on the back of his hand.
"I haven't even had a chance to celebrate my birthday. I was hoping to come down here, enjoy a drink with some music and dancing, but do you think there is a chance of that?"
Naruto promptly shook his head, though he was staring wide-eyed at the guest. If he didn't know better, he would have thought the guest was flirting with him, a simple lowly barman. However, he rested his hand on his bowtie once more and knew that this guest was indeed flirting with him, under the false illusion of his wealth. Flattered and filled with confidence, he stood up from his chair and stepped in the direction of the bar.
"Wait, what are you doing?" the man asked, gently touching his arm.
"I'm going to make us a drink."
"You can't! Won't we get in trouble?"
"I doubt it, no one seems to be coming. If there's no bartender, we'll serve our own drinks."
Naruto walked round the bar, expertly mixing up a cocktail, shaking colanders, cutting up fruit and adding them all together in an explosion of finely honed flavour. His companion had been watching in awe, already perched vulnerably on a bar stool.
"They say some people have natural-born talents. I wish I had one, though yours appears to be cocktail making. Its fascinating."
Naruto simply slid the drink across the table and saw the man's eyes light up with excitement.
"What is your name?" the bartender asked.
"Uchiha Sasuke." the dark haired man replied. "And will you be gracing me with yours?"
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Uchiha Sasuke smiled in a flirtatious way, taking the umbrella from his cocktail and sliding it into his hair, just behind his left ear.
"Happy Birthday" Naruto said, raising his own glass, while appreciating the fine looks of this gentleman who had treated him so kindly.
Merely a couple of hours later, Uchiha Sasuke's hair was adorned with no less than five differently coloured cocktail umbrellas. Naruto was giggling like a schoolboy on prom night and both were feeling rather merry. After Sasuke told a joke that was distasteful to any sober man, both roared with laughter. The raven-haired guest soon halted his laughing, but Naruto could not seem to stop. A pale finger was pressed onto his lips, Sasuke whispering "Shhh" in a soft, gentle tone. The two were gazing directly into each other's eyes. Silence fell over them, tension blooming in a moment. Naruto brushed the man's cheek with the back of his hand.
'Just a lowly waiter, to have all of this with such a handsome guy!' he thought excitedly. 'The Royal Suite, that would be the best room. He'll think I'm FILTHYrich if I take him in there.' "Come on," Sasuke said suddenly. He grabbed Naruto's hand and lead him to the grand lift. Both stood inside, watching the doors close with excited thoughts of what their night may lead to. As if Sasuke had read Naruto's mind, he asked: "What floor are you on?" "Top." Naruto said, because he had rehearsed his way around the whole hotel. The Royal Suite being his favourite room, he had come this way many times before, but never had to do it drunkenly. Sasuke had already pressed the button in one quick flick of his wrist, leaving them very much trapped and alone. The enclosed space seemed to urge their tension on, forcing them closer. Sasuke didn't seem too perturbed by the tension, but eventually cracked and asked Naruto simply if he was going to kiss him or not in a rather matter-of-fact tone. The blonde waiter's eyes widened and he licked his lips nervously. "Oh for goodness sake!" Sasuke cried out, seizing Naruto's tuxedo lapels and immediately closing the achingly large gap between their lips.