Author's Note: I'm back! This story's set in Modern AU and is heavily involved with the mafia life. Would just like to note that the word "mafia" is being used generally here as any ol' crime syndicate, not specifically referring to the Italian/Sicilian type.

I've already written up quite a comprehensive outline for this story. There's a lot of backstories and extraneous detail that may not necessarily be explored in full in the main story, so there's a good possibility that I'll be posting extra chapters at the end. As of right now, I have no good estimate on how long this story will be, but once I get a better idea of how the story progresses relative to my outline, I'll throw out a ballpark number.

As usual, please leave any comments or feedback if you like this story! In my early writing days I swore off tackling longer fics, but while writing Knife Ears I concocted so many other amazing long-fic ideas that it'd be a waste if I didn't at least try them out. So, any feedback is really appreciated. But if you wanna just leave a nice motivational comment or two, they fill my writing gas tank too! :)

Okay, enough rambling for now. Enjoy!

Naruto lay his arm over Sasuke's pale chest, the both of them covered in a sheen of sweat.

They were in Sasuke's room, which was covered almost entirely in black and dark blue. The walls were painted a dark blue (instead of black, at Naruto's insistence), the carpet a plush black that was vacuumed once a week by the maids, the curtains black veils shielding the room from harsh sunlight, and the bedsheets switching off between black and dark blue sets. The teenagers' clothes were strewn all over the floor, with Naruto's bright ones contrasting horrifically against the carpet while Sasuke's nearly blended in.

"I'm hungry," Naruto said lazily, scratching his belly as he yawned.

Sasuke's eyes were closed, hands behind his bed as he lounged, but Naruto knew he'd heard him; he'd just chose to ignore him, as usual. The silent treatment was something Naruto got used to dealing with from his childhood best friend. Sasuke was likely either wanting Naruto to figure out why he wasn't answering, or he was coming up with a proper response. Naruto guessed it was the former.

The tanned male shrugged at the silence, got up from the bed, and looked around the room for his clothes, easily spotting them and picking them up. The brunet didn't even bother opening his eyes as he responded.

"Itachi has guests over. We'll get something to eat when they're gone."

Naruto wiped himself down with his clothes and threw them into Sasuke's hamper. He started rummaging through one of the dresser drawers, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. As Naruto started pulling them on, Sasuke had peeked an eye open to spot the other going commando under the sweatpants.

"Ugh, but he always has guests over," Naruto groaned as he turned around and threw himself down on the foot of the bed, now fully clothed.

"It's part of the business," Sasuke said, shrugging, "Be glad that he deals with it so I don't have to."

Sasuke remained as he was, lounging on his bed, content with the silence that followed. He highly enjoyed moments like this, when he and Naruto were so close to one another, able to feel each other's presence.

A few minutes into the silence, however, Naruto broke it with, "Hey, Sasuke?"

The brunet grunted, urging Naruto to get on with it. When there was another minute of silence, Sasuke looked over at Naruto, who was fidgeting. He fidgeted when he was nervous.

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto was lying on his back, frowning at the ceiling, and his frown continued as he turned his head to Sasuke.

"Are you ever going to...you know, end up helping with the family business?"

Sasuke propped himself up on his elbows to look at Naruto and frowned, mirroring Naruto's expression.

"Why would you even think that? You know I hate all this shit."

It was true. Sasuke had grown up in it, and with all the time he'd spent knee deep in that shit, he'd grown to hate it. Despite his family trying to keep him out of the loop as much as possible, the Uchiha name was so deeply entrenched in the mafia, in the darker side of Konoha's politics and the black market, that he'd be stupid not to notice. Sasuke's parents were killed because of their involvement, and despite Sasuke's pleading, Itachi had taken over the family business two years ago. The brunet had since accepted the possibility that his brother was next on the chopping block.

But all along the way, Naruto had stuck to his side, ever the faithful friend. They'd known each other since they were third graders, when Naruto transferred into the private school that Sasuke attended. From the very start, they fought— throwing crayons at each other in class, evolving to wads of paper to fists to, eventually, words. But no matter how much they fought, no matter how bad the fights got, they'd apologize and make up eventually.

Even more importantly, when Sasuke's parents had died, Naruto stuck to him like a stubborn barnacle clinging to the underside of a ship. Even when Sasuke tried to cast his friend away, Naruto had steadfastly remained at Sasuke's side. He was there the whole way while Sasuke experienced his grief at the loss of his parents and his anger at Itachi for involving himself in the family business. Suffice it to say that the blond had become Sasuke's most trusted confidante, his best friend, and his lover.

So at the question Naruto posed him, Sasuke was almost...offended.

Naruto was still fidgeting with his hands, having sat up from his spot on the bed.

"I know! I'm just—" Naruto sighed, "I'm nervous about college, you know? We're going to be far from each other and…"

The blond tapered off, averting his eyes from Sasuke's as he saw the growing annoyance build on the brunet's face.

"You think you're the one holding me back from going to the dark side?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity as genuine as his annoyance that Naruto would think that to be the case.

"No! No, it's not that—"

"Then what are you insinuating?"

Naruto bit his bottom lip, looking as if he was regretting even bringing up the subject. He stood up from the bed and looked down at Sasuke, who was still naked. Blue eyes roamed up and down the pale body appreciatively for a moment before they hardened.

"I'm not insinuating anything, Sasuke. God, you get so difficult when you're defensive."

Sasuke growled, annoyance as well as lust rushing through him. The way Naruto eyed him was a tempting invitation, much more so than the invitation for a fight from Naruto's cutting words. He got up from the bed as well and faced the other, sauntering up to Naruto and snaking his hand to the back of Naruto's head to grasp at blond locks.

"I only get defensive when provoked," Sasuke clarified softly, his breath fanning over Naruto's lips.

Those blue eyes, electrified with arousal and now annoyance, gazed up at Sasuke, not giving even the slightest hint of fear. Sasuke smirked. This defiance, this unwillingness to back off, was part of the reason why the pale teen loved Naruto. But Sasuke didn't want to delve into whatever serious conversation Naruto wanted to have—not now.

"Fuck you," Naruto growled, only to feel his breath hitch suddenly when Sasuke leaned in to nip at his throat.

Sasuke smirked again, his lips trailing lightly up that expanse of tanned skin to Naruto's chin. He captured Naruto's lips in a searing kiss, pressing his body hot against Naruto's as he pressed his tongue into the other's, swallowing whatever sounds that were threatening to escape between them. Sasuke tightened his grip on Naruto's hair, pulling his own head back as they parted from their kiss.

The look of utter arousal washed out any other emotion from Naruto's face, which sent a delicious jolt to Sasuke's groin. The tanned skin was slightly flush, and it took Sasuke all his willpower to not go ahead and just push Naruto back onto the bed.

"I'm sure we can make arrangements for that," Sasuke said in reply to Naruto's angry words.

Naruto growled again.

"You can't keep distracting me with sex everytime I try to have a real conversation with you, Sasuke."

Sasuke ignored Naruto, releasing his grip on the blond's hair, grabbing the other's shirt, and pulling it over his head. As soon as the shirt came off, Sasuke pushed Naruto back onto the bed, watching those blue eyes change from surprised to angry.

"Jesus, you're not even listening to me. Sasuke!"

Naruto had placed his hands on Sasuke's chest and pushed upward, separating their bodies for a moment as they stared at one another, both panting for air. Though the blond felt an aching need to feel Sasuke on him right now, he knew the other was only trying to get him to forget all about this conversation.

"I'm not letting this go," Naruto said firmly, earning him a grunt from Sasuke as the other teen pushed himself off and lay down next to the blond, "You can try to distract me all you want, but I need you to promise me, Sasuke— promise me that you won't have anything to do with the family business. God forbid, your brother actually gets killed or goes missing or whatever— promise me you'll let the business die. Itachi hated the business as much as you did, but look at him now; he's a fucking goddamn mafia boss."

Sasuke had turned to his side, his back to Naruto as he listened to the blond's words. Of course he'd let the fucking business die. He didn't want anything to do with it.

But hearing Naruto sounding so fearful, so desperate, made Sasuke's stomach churn. He felt his chest constrict at the thought that Naruto would even think he'd do that to him.

"I know you're worried, Naruto," Sasuke said as he looked over his shoulder, "but I'm not going to touch any of that shit with a ten foot pole."

"Then say it. Promise me you won't."

Those glistening blue eyes stared at Sasuke earnestly, Naruto wanting so badly to hear those words from the other teen. Sasuke sighed and turned around, propping himself on his elbow as he took Naruto's hands in his.

"I promise, Naruto."

oooOOooo

One year later

Sasuke looked up from his desk when he heard a knock, spotting Naruto at the door. If it were half a year ago, the brunet would have quickly alt-tabbed his computer to hide whatever he was working on, in fear that the blond would find out what was really preoccupying his time. But now, he simply ceased typing, turning from the angled computer monitor to watch Naruto take two steps into the study and stand there quietly, his hands clasped in front of him.

They watched each other for a few moments in silence, brilliant blue meeting smoldering black in an intense gaze. Naruto was the first to avert his eyes, however, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"You promised me you weren't going to go down this path, Sasuke."

The brunet could feel his chest constrict at the pain in Naruto's voice. Sasuke knew he'd gone back on his word, but Naruto just didn't understand. It was clear he didn't; this wasn't the first time Naruto was drudging this up. Despite what Naruto might think, however, Sasuke remembered the day that he'd made that promise to Naruto as if it were just yesterday.

But things were different then.

They had spoken about the change in Sasuke's "five-year plan" numerous times in the past few months, and Sasuke could tell Naruto was now getting tired. They'd argued about it, discussed it calmly, even, but Naruto just could not change Sasuke's mind. As it stood, Sasuke had nothing to say to Naruto, but he made no move to go back to the spreadsheet on his computer.

"You're supposed to be looking forward to your second year of college, Sasuke, not deal with this—this bullshit," Naruto stuttered as he gestured with his hands. He stilled, then let out a scoff before he continued, "I should've stayed in Konoha with you."

"It wouldn't have changed anything if you stayed, Naruto," Sasuke said, his baritone voice cutting through the room.

Sasuke had averted his gaze just slightly as he said it, missing the hurt that flashed across the blond's face. But that expression left as quickly as it came.

Naruto sighed, "We don't know that. But it's too fucking late for that now, isn't it?"

"It's too fucking late for a lot of things," Sasuke said flippantly as he leaned back in his chair, warily watching Naruto.

The blond bristled at the blatant disregard from Sasuke. He stomped up to the dark walnut desk and slammed his hands on the surface, throwing his face into the other's. Sasuke didn't even flinch.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you even at least the bit upset by any of this? Do you even understand why I'm upset?" Naruto yelled.

The commotion raised alarms with the two bodyguards down the hall, and they ran into the room to investigate. Sasuke dismissed them with a wave of a hand. The blond scoffed again, taking a step back as he shook his head.

"Honestly, I don't even know why I came here. I keep hoping that you'll change your mind, but you're a fucking lost cause."

Sasuke watched Naruto quietly, unsure of what to say. It seemed Sasuke was finding himself less and less able to explain himself to the blond, ever since he took over the family business.

Not two months after he'd promised Naruto he would let the family business die, Itachi went missing. No one could confirm whether he was dead or just MIA, but Sasuke mourned for the loss of his brother. It was just a few weeks before Sasuke and Naruto were due to start their first semesters in college. Sasuke's plan was to stay in Konoha and attend Sound University in the next town over, while Naruto moved to the on-campus dorms at Sand University an hour away.

But with Itachi's disappearance, Sasuke's world rapidly crumbled around him. He had full plans to let the family business die, as he'd promised Naruto, but the day after Itachi was reported missing, Sasuke was visited by his brother's right-hand man, Kakashi. It was only after the silver-haired man's explanation that he understood the delicate balance of all of Konoha rested on Sasuke's ascendance to the proverbial throne.

It was then that Sasuke entered the family business.

It was then that Sasuke realized his life was no longer his to control.

And so he quietly dropped from Sound University before he even started, not once discussing his decision with Naruto before he did so. The situation with the family business was bigger than either of them, and for Sasuke to even hesitate in taking over, as ignorant as he was about the dark path he was heading down, would mean the death of Konoha's delicate ecosystem.

When Naruto headed off to Sand University a week before classes officially started for freshman orientation, Naruto was none the wiser about Sasuke and the family business. By that point, Sasuke was dutifully immersed into the business with the help of Kakashi.

Sasuke and Naruto kept in constant contact with one another for the next few months. Naruto had visited home often on the weekends, and Sasuke had even visited Naruto at Sand University twice during the semester. But anytime they talked about classes, Naruto would prattle on while Sasuke listened. Throughout the entire fall semester, Sasuke thought he had successfully fooled Naruto.

But when Naruto came back to Konoha for the winter holidays, he barged his way into Sasuke's house and demanded Sasuke explain to him what the hell was going on. Apparently Naruto was more perceptive than he gave him credit for. Sasuke wasn't ready for that conversation, but he reluctantly admitted to dropping out of school to join the family business. The resulting argument, with Sasuke not having mentally prepared himself, was undoubtedly the worst, most emotional, most explosive argument ever. Sasuke definitely said some things he regretted. By the end of that argument, they'd broken up, ending their three-year romantic relationship.

That day was one of the worst for Sasuke, arguably even worse than when he'd found out his parents were dead. The following days were even worse still; it was the first time Sasuke was wholly alone for Christmas and New Year's.

Then spring semester came around. Sasuke continued to learn more about the business while Naruto lived a normal college life. Their communication was sparse, maybe a few texts sent a week, which was significantly less than before their argument. About once a month one would call the other, but every call would result in an argument about Sasuke's life decisions.

Even now, Naruto was still trying to bring him back from that dark path, desperately clinging on to the hope that Sasuke would eventually acquiesce and turn back towards the path they'd planned out together. It was a valiant effort, for sure, but Sasuke couldn't just drop everything and go back. He was too far in it now to turn back.

Sasuke shut his eyes as he let Naruto's biting words sink in. He was a lost cause. He knew he deserved this, deserved to be hated by the only important person left in his life who loved him.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say.

For the third time, Naruto scoffed, "You know what, Sasuke? I'm sorry too. I can't do this anymore. Good luck with the business."

And those were the blond's parting words before Naruto turned on his heel and walked out of Sasuke's life.

oooOOooo

Five years later

"Ugh, this place blows chunks. Can't we go somewhere else, Naruto?"

The blond male sat upright in the velvet booth, his charcoal grey suit feeling crisp against his skin, the cuffs of his white button down shirt peeking out at the wrists. He adjusted his navy striped tie as he looked down at his menu, ignoring the complaints from across the booth. Naruto much preferred places a bit more casual (and a bit more in his budget) than the pricey food fare at Copper, a high-end steakhouse that served small portions of quality cuts and cured steaks. But despite his preferences, it didn't change the fact that they had to be there.

"Narutooooo."

In response, Naruto scooched around the curve of the booth and sat next to the kid who'd whined at him. The blond pinched the kid's left cheek, grabbing enough fat there and pulling. All the while, Naruto was looking at the menu splayed out in front of them.

"Konohamaru, we're meeting your father here for dinner. I can call him for you if you'd like to petition a change in plans."

Despite Naruto's seemingly helpful offer, both knew that the kid's adoptive father, Danzo, would hardly be amenable. He was the kind of man who, once his mind was made up, stuck to the plan. Konohamaru swatted at Naruto, releasing himself from his caretaker's hellish touch and rubbing the sore spot.

Naruto was already back to his seat, looking at the menu again. His mouth watered at the variety of cuts and preparation methods, but nothing was particular to Konohamaru's picky palate.

"I'll have them prepare you a filet mignon with mushroom gravy, with a side of mixed vegetables. And if you finish all your vegetables tonight, I'll bring you to that frozen yogurt place downtown. How's that?"

At the mention of frozen yogurt, Konohamaru perked up and replied with an enthusiastic, "Yeah!" Naruto grinned; though the kid was a handful at times, he definitely reminded Naruto of his younger years.

"Naruto?"

The blond froze, a shiver traveling up his spine as a familiar but also unfamiliar voice called him. Naruto turned his head left, only to hold his breath at the sight of Sasuke.

The...man before them looked so familiar to Naruto and yet unfamiliar as well. It'd been five years since they last saw one another, but Sasuke looked—well, he looked great. His face had lost any trace of baby fat, filling out a strong jawline with sharp lines. Those intense eyes—they looked so much sharper, hardened from the past five years. Naruto continued to look Sasuke over, taking in the perfect fit of the black suit and dark blue tie that the other had on.

"Oh, Sasuke," Naruto said, surprise evident in his tone as he shook himself out of his daze, "It's, uh, been a while, hasn't it?"

Naruto knew it was a lame way to greet Sasuke, after all these years, but he was now completely wary of the other. They weren't the same kids they were years ago. Both Sasuke and Naruto had matured in their time away from one another.

If Sasuke thought the situation awkward, he didn't show it. Instead, he nodded his head in agreement as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, it has," Sasuke mirrored, then turning his gaze over to Konohamaru, "And who is this young lad?"

The blond withheld his desire to roll his eyes at Sasuke's choice of words. If anything had changed, it certainly wasn't the man's vernacular.

"I'm Konohamaru," the kid replied, thumbing at himself.

Sasuke's eyes moved over to Naruto, capturing those blue eyes in his gaze. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted.

"Sir, the car is ready."

A silver-haired man wearing a black turtleneck pulled up to his mouth placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, catching his attention. Sasuke turned his head abruptly, annoyance clear in his expression as he glared at the man. The man seemed to pay him no mind, instead addressing Naruto and Konohamaru.

"Very sorry to interrupt the conversation. Sasuke, why don't you leave your business card and you can resume this at a later time?"

Sasuke was already handing over his business card to Naruto, his fingertips brushing at a tanned wrist as he handed it off. At the soft touch, Naruto focused his gaze on their hands and did his best to calm himself before looking up to Sasuke's face. Even with that effort, however, when Naruto looked up to meet Sasuke's gaze, his stomach flipped, his palms started to sweat, and his mouth went dry. Sasuke, on the other hand, simply smirked at him.

"Yes, we'll resume this at a later time," Sasuke said before letting himself be led away by Kakashi.

They were only a few steps away when Sasuke heard the kid say, "Naruto, who was that man?"

Sasuke was pleased that Naruto had been so shaken by his appearance that the kid—Konohamaru, was it?—was already pressing the blond for answers. He felt a small flame of victory alight in him. But that feeling was only there for a moment, any bit of smugness extinguishing as he heard Naruto's answer.

"He's just an old classmate."

If Kakashi hadn't been essentially pushing him out the door, Sasuke might've had half a mind to turn around and kiss that fool in front of everyone—just to prove that he was certainly more than just an old classmate to Naruto. Instead, he pretended as if he hadn't heard Naruto's dismissive words and exited the restaurant.

Seeing Naruto set another flame alight in Sasuke, however. After five years of not seeing one another, Sasuke's feelings for Naruto were as strong as ever. Sure, they'd had a falling out and a relatively messy breakup, but Sasuke never actually wanted to let go of the blond. In the end, it'd been Naruto who'd called it off between them.

So yes, they would most certainly see each other again, especially now that Sasuke knew Naruto was back in the area.

Kakashi opened the back door of the luxury full-size black SUV, and the running board that had been flush underneath the door extended automatically out and down. Sasuke grabbed ahold of the car frame as he stepped up and into the car. The silver-haired man shut the door for him, then climbed to the passenger seat before they pulled out from Copper.

The next thing he'd need to find out, however, was the kid with Naruto. He looked far too old to be Naruto's, but...Sasuke was missing significant knowledge of Naruto's life from the past five years. Sasuke didn't want to make assumption on who Konohamaru was to him.

"Kakashi, see if you can find any information on the child who was with Naruto. And see if you can find Naruto's current address."

"Yes, sir."

. . . . .

It was only when Sasuke had left the restaurant that Naruto lost his cool and slouched back in the booth. He took a few shaky breaths, staring at his hands as if willing them to stop shaking. All the while Konohamaru just stared at the blond man, pressing his cheek on his palm as he propped himself up on the table.

"Just classmates, huh?"

Naruto looked up at Konohamaru and then sighed, "Just classmates, Kono."

"Uh-huh."

"If you're trying to goad me into saying more, it's not working," Naruto said as he frowned.

Konohamaru crossed his arms in front of his chest, puffing out his cheeks. He wanted to know why Naruto was getting his panties in a bunch over that arrogant asshole. They were definitely more than just old classmates.

But the kid knew his limits. He wouldn't push Naruto, partly because the man would probably be uber pissed at him, and partly because he actually, in some small part of him, respected Naruto.

"Fine," Konohamaru said, "but don't forget our deal. I want frozen yogurt later!"

The blond man immediately smiled, though he still looked somewhat unsettled, and said, "You need to keep your end of the bargain first."

oooOOooo

The next morning after his unexpected encounter with Sasuke at Copper, the doorbell rang. It was a Saturday, and Naruto was dressed in a pair of dark grey jogger pants, a yellow graphic t-shirt with a design of a stylistically drawn sun in white ink, and a pair of white socks. The blond was completely dressed down since it was his day off, as it was most weekends.

He'd been eating breakfast, and Naruto took one last bite of toast before he headed to the door and looked through the peephole. When he opened the door, a young male, wearing a floral white-and-green baseball cap and a green apron, was holding a clear vase of what looked like a dozen...daisies? Naruto frowned, his eyebrows furrowing, as he moved his gaze from the flowers to the teen's face. He couldn't have been more than 16, maybe 17, and he looked nervous under Naruto's gaze.

"I have a delivery for, uh," the kid stammered as he fished a piece of paper from one of the pockets of his aprons, "a Naruto Uzumaki?"

"I didn't order this," Naruto quickly said, hoping that he would leave with the flowers.

Somehow, the teen looked even more nervous as he adjusted the vase in his hands. Naruto waited patiently for him to recollect himself; he'd felt a little guilty in intimidating the kid.

"It's already been paid for, sir," the kid said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. The only person who ever gave him daisies was Sasuke. The blond sighed at the realization, then took the vase from the delivery kid.

"Okay. Thanks."

When he closed the door behind him, Naruto sighed again, looking at the daisies he now had. It was most definitely Sasuke's doing. He walked over to the table in his living room and placed the daisies on the coffee table. They were certainly a nice touch, livening up the sparse apartment. Naruto put his hands on his hips, wondering what the hell he should do now that Sasuke knew he was back in Konoha.

Naruto had been back since he graduated from Sand University, actually, living at his adoptive father's house for a while as he worked a few internships and temp jobs towards the business analyst side of things. It was something he found he was great at doing, especially given Naruto was naturally an outside-of-the-box thinker able to identify unique opportunities for organizations to achieve whatever goals it set, whether it be operational efficiency, cost efficiency, and so on.

It was only once he'd gotten his current job, however, that Naruto was able to move out of Iruka's house and be on his own. It'd been a year since then, and he was proud that he was as well-off as he was, all things considering.

But when he saw Sasuke last night, it'd been...well, it was definitely a blast from the past that Naruto wasn't at all prepared for. Just remembering the way the other had looked at him so intensely, so alluring, was enough to send shivers up and down Naruto's spine again. It'd been so long since he last saw Sasuke, and yet his body reacted like they were still lovers.

Naruto bit his lip, tearing his gaze away from the flowers as he grabbed his black leather bomber jacket off the back of his couch and wrenched it on him. After he'd grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone from the table by the door, he left the apartment, his mind going a hundred miles a minute.

oooOOooo

Seven days. It had been seven goddamn days since Sasuke started sending daisies to Naruto, and the blond idiot had yet to call him. The nerve of some people.

Even when he was young, Sasuke didn't like being ignored. He didn't like being the center of attention—he wasn't a spotlight hog—but when he was so clearly asking for Naruto's attention and not receiving it, well, that pissed him off.

After the third day of nothing but silence from the blond, Sasuke decided to up the ante. He called the florist and told them to start sending five dozen daisies each day until he told them to stop. The florist seemed more than happy to accommodate.

By now, Sasuke knew Naruto was likely drowning in the daisies (all 23 dozen of them), and he could only imagine the blond's flustered face every time his doorbell rang. He'd asked the florist to make the deliveries on the weekdays later in the day, more likely when Naruto was home to accept the delivery. Sasuke knew this was probably annoying Naruto, but he knew this would work in getting his full attention.

But Naruto had definitely matured over the years. Sasuke hadn't expected the blond to hold out for as long as he had; he was hoping that Naruto would've called him after only a day or two. Despite how impressive it was, Sasuke was getting frustrated.

Should be up the ante once again? Or he could simply show up at Naruto's place unannounced. Either choice would probably result in a pissed off Naruto, but Sasuke didn't know what other options he had.

Sasuke was in the backseat of a luxury sedan this time, gazing out the window but not looking at anything in particular. He was on his way home after having met with a few new suppliers to potentially replace the subpar ones they currently worked with. It was a long day, to be sure, but it was a normal working day for the brunet.

Just as Kakashi closed the door behind him when they entered the house, Sasuke's phone rang. He noted the unfamiliar number and picked up, moving seamlessly as Kakashi took his coat off and hung it up.

"Asshole. Are you trying to get me kicked out?"

At the sound of that deliciously angry voice on the line, Sasuke smirked. He waved a dismissive hand to Kakashi as he cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder, balancing on one leg as he crossed his other ankle on his thigh to untie his shoes.

"About time you called," Sasuke said calmly, switching the phone to his other ear as he untied his other shoe, "I was wondering when I would need to make a personal visit."

The brunet glanced at the clock, noting it was just past 7pm. He was hungry but wanted to change out of his suit, so he slipped on a pair of slippers and headed for his bedroom.

"Stop sending me flowers."

Sasuke smirked again. Naruto was oblivious sometimes, but he was certainly smarter than people gave him credit for.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke said, clearly feigning ignorance.

"Don't be a smartass. Who else would pull desperate shit like this to get my attention?"

At the insult, the spot above Sasuke's left eyebrow twitched. He knew that they'd parted unhappily, but it was clear that Naruto still held some bitter resentment towards him. However, the last thing he'd do was let Naruto's fiery words faze him.

"Fine, I will admit to the deliveries, but only if you admit that you should have called me sooner so I wouldn't have to resort to other methods."

Naruto sighed audibly on the line. Sasuke had made his way to his room, setting the phone to speakerphone and placing it on his dresser as he shimmied out of his suit jacket and undid his tie. He was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt when Naruto began speaking.

"What do you want?"

The shirt came off and was thrown in the dark wick hamper. Sasuke pulled off his white undershirt and threw that in as well.

"I just want to chat—you know, catch up on the past few years."

Silence again. Sasuke looked at his phone to make sure they were still connected. He smirked, realizing that Naruto was likely trying to formulate his response. The brunet unbuckled his belt and slipped out of his black suit pants, making sure they were folded at the proper creases before setting them on his bed. He was now just in his dark grey boxer briefs and black dress socks.

"You're kidding me."

"We haven't seen each other in five years. Can't I be curious about how you're doing?" Sasuke asked as he pulled off his dress socks and rummaged through his drawers for a pair of fitted black lounge pants.

The hesitation was clear in Naruto's response, "I don't know if that's a good idea, Sasuke."

"This isn't a date, dobe. I just want to catch up," Sasuke said, knowing that Naruto had probably bristled at his loathed pet name. He really wanted to see the blond though, so he said, in a much softer tone, "Besides, do you really not want to see me?"

There was a strange sound from Naruto's end, almost sounding like a hybrid of a groan, a sigh, and grumbling. Sasuke waited quietly, having thrown on a white tank top and picking his phone up, setting the speakerphone option off. He lay down on the bed with his phone pressed to his ear.

"One drink. We'll catch up over one drink, and that's it. Meet me at Black Barrel at 8."

Sasuke lifted a manicured eyebrow at the suggested bar.

"I didn't know you were the Black Barrel type."

"Shut it. You better be there on time. I'm not waiting around for your ass to show up."

Naruto hung up then. Sasuke lifted the phone above him, the electronic hovering above his face precariously. The call had ended, and the screen went black after 30 seconds of inactivity, reflecting a dark image of himself. He let his arm fall onto the bed, the phone bouncing out of his hand. Sasuke just changed, but at the thought of being able to see Naruto again, he willed himself up and rummaged through his wardrobe for a casual outfit.

His blood was rushing through him, and Sasuke was excited at the thought of seeing Naruto once again.

Author's Note: So, what'd you think? If you enjoyed this or have anything else to say, please leave me your thoughts. There are lots of juicy events coming up, but I want to know whether it's worth continuing this one based off what you've read so far. Thank you, and have a lovely day!