A New Leaf
Ch 1 – Ways to Skin a Cat
It was a beautiful day. The sky was a dreamy blue and only a few wispy clouds hung around its edges like the remaining hair of a balding man. A sultry breeze knocked the leaves off a nearby maple. They tumbled down, waving like the severed hands of dead babies. In the shadow of the tree, a young man finished locking his bike to the designated rack. Straightening, Sasuke dragged fingers vainly through his black hair. Partway through said gesture, his hand collided forcefully with the helmet he was wearing. Cursing quietly, he yanked the offending object off his head and threw it at his bicycle before returning to grooming himself. Sasuke ran his fingers repeatedly through his hair in a gesture that could have been nervous had it not appeared so saturated with self-confidence.
Like hell was going to look like a helmet-haired imbecile on his first day at a new job.
In a brisk fashion that contrasted the lazy ease of the weather, Sasuke stalked pointedly across the parking lot. He scowled irritably at New Leaf Animal Clinic as he approached it. Sasuke had wanted a job at the veterinary clinic across town because it was bigger and was located closer to his home. But of course they were fully staffed and had to turn Sasuke down. They'd referenced him here, where New Leaf had welcomed him with open arms. They had barely looked at his resume before hiring him. Sasuke's scowl deepened, and he stopped in front of the building to get a good look at the place.
New Leaf was small and domestic looking, with screen doors and neon animals standing around in the windows. Sasuke was not impressed. He'd seen the place a few days ago when he'd come for his job application, but that had been at night, and somehow the place had looked more elegant in the dark. Braced against the inevitable, Sasuke smoothed his features into a look of indifference, grabbed the handle of one of those endearing screen doors and marched inside.
The interior of the clinic was as homely as its exterior. Mismatched chairs stood around on the linoleum floor and peculiar leafy plants sprouted from various locations around the room. To the right of the door was a sort of mini pet store, its merchandise varying from vitamins to kitty litter. Directly in front of the door, and consequentially Sasuke, was a counter and the front desk. Behind it was the front office. The reception area was unmanned.
With an aggravated sigh, Sasuke approached the counter, noting the massive shelves of files and the unruly heaps of junk on the desks. There were two Dell computers, the size of their monitors a silent testimony to their age. A woman's voice came from the door to the back. Sasuke immediately checked his impassive mask. He heard a male voice, and then laughter. Sasuke grit his teeth at the obvious incompetence of the staff. There could be clients out here waiting (the fact that there weren't notwithstanding), and the receptionist was in the back, flirting. He noticed a small stainless steel bell lying all-too-innocently on the counter. It was tempting. Sasuke's fingers twitched.
$$#&&$#$
Naruto grinned as Anko laughed at his joke. His blue eyes slid half-closed and he let them drift to the glass back door. Gods, it's a beautiful day. An impatient ding rung from the reception area, and Anko reeled away from him, moaning, "Ugh, the bell!"
Naruto nodded absentmindedly as she slammed through the door leading to the front office, still staring at the outside world through the glass. He tuned out Anko's voice as he watched the some idiot jaywalk across the busy mainstreet. A truck blocked his view as it pulled up in front of the glass. Naruto snapped back to attention, reinvigorating his grin as Gaara stepped out of the vehicle. The redhead slowly unlocked the back door and made his way inside, passing the grooming area as he approached his coworker.
Naruto leaned casually against another counter, smiling. "And the doctor is in! So, Dr Sabaku, how was your day off?" Naruto received a death-glare for his trouble. He remained completely unfazed and his grin widened while he added, "Oh, right, not a morning person. I forgot."
Gaara paused in front of his back office. He gave Naruto a truly horrible smile before calmly replying, "That's what she said."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock as Gaara strolled into his office, smirking. When he was gone, Naruto slapped a hand to his forehead, bursting into bemused laughter. So Gaara can crack a joke. He stepped back, about to head to the computer to check the schedule for the day, when he collided with something solid.
Sasuke stumbled back, clutching his new uniform to his chest as he glared at the back of the man in front of him. Anko, the woman up front, had worn him down while checking him out and milking all the innuendo she could get while asking what size 'uniform' he was. Sasuke was feeling a migraine coming on. Whoever had just run into him was about to bevery sorry. Then the man in front of him turned around and Sasuke froze.
There's something incredibly disorienting about finally finding a stress ball for your frustrations and having it turn around and be drop-dead gorgeous. Sasuke watched as the blond man's lips formed some sort of apology. He was a deer in the headlights staring into his impending doom.
Then the man smiled, and Sasuke snapped out of his reverie. His glare returned full-force. He stared at the man's white teeth and remembered someone else's jeering laughter. Sasuke's eyes hardened and he looked away, scanning the area for the restroom. He needed to change. He peeled the uniform away from his chest, secretly appalled he'd clutched it like a schoolgirl, and began to walk in a direction that looked promising. Promising meaning as far away from the smiling man as possible.
The man started to follow him, saying something and trying to get Sasuke to listen. The sound of his voice did terrible things to Sasuke's stomach.
La la la, not listening. Go away, go away, go away!
Sasuke sped up the pace as the man closed in behind him. He was halfway across the room when a strong hand closed around his arm, halting him.
"Hey," the man's voice was deep, and Sasuke's eyes flicked closed a moment as he grit his teeth. High school had been one long, humiliating coming out party for him, and he had no desire for history to repeat itself. No one in this new city could learn his secret. Sasuke pursed his lips.
Prepared, Sasuke turned slowly, his face perfectly poised and his eyebrows arched disdainfully. The man faltered, and Sasuke saw blue eyes dance not-so-subtly over him.
"Uh, um, I'm Naruto," the man said somewhat breathlessly.
"That's nice." Sasuke said coldly. He looked away from the entrancing blue eyes, searching for an escape. Pulling easily out of the man's slackened grip, he walked calmly over to the nearest door and pried it open, praying he had discovered the bathroom.
Apparently, someone up there cared, because Sasuke found himself in a rather nasty-smelling water closet with the ugliest flower-motif he'd ever seen. Closing the door and locking it firmly behind him, Sasuke let out a long-suffering sigh. Stupid man. Way to make my life difficult. But Sasuke wasn't worried; he knew that no man, no matter how handsome or charming, could make it passed his resolve. Sasuke was not going to get into a relationship any time soon. Having consoled himself, Sasuke shook out his uniform. And stared. Oh, God, no.
Naruto's eyes were still glued to the place he'd last seen the dark haired man. Slapping himself out of it, he tilted his head back contemplatively. What a jerk. What a goddamn sexy jerk. Naruto shook his head. He stood awkwardly in front of the bathroom door a moment longer. What just happened? The dark haired man had looked completely fuckable all wide-eyed and flushed, then he'd pulled on the cactus mask and gone prickly. What the hell? Naruto's forehead wrinkled in contemplation as he stared at the closed door. Shrugging, he walked back across the room to the computer. Well, that was awkward.
Anko poked her head through the indoor window in the door to the front office. "Did he find the bathroom alright?"
Naruto grunted a "yeah."
She grinned, shifting her gaze to the closed door, "He's a looker, that one."
Naruto just smiled slightly and followed her gaze to where Sasuke had disappeared.
"I hired him, you know," the woman's eyes shot back to Naruto's and her smile stretched disturbingly. "I deserve a raise for such a good find. You should talk me up to Sabaku."
Naruto could tell she was mostly joking. He looked at her sideways, and snorted, "We haven't seen him in action yet. He could be terrible."
Anko shrugged, looking unconcerned, "As understaffed as we are, we can't afford to lose him, even if he leaves much to be … desired."
The woman gave Naruto a rather calculating stare, "Though, speaking of desire, I'm surprised you're not humping his leg by now. I thought you'd recognize a good-looking man when you saw one. I take it he's not your type?"
Naruto fixed her with a scathing glare. Before he could retort, the bell in the front office dinged again.
"Goddamnit," Anko snarled, her smile vanishing, "I really hate that thing."
Her head disappeared as she went to assist up front. Naruto glared at nothing in particular as he turned back to the computer in front of him. He mindlessly checked the database for the next client, grabbed their chart and went up front.
&$$#!$#$#
Sasuke fingered the thin polyester fabric of his new scrubs in dismay. The top was a sort of smock – with a V-neck – and the crotch of his pants hung awkwardly low. The color, a dusky blue, he didn't mind, but God, the ensemble was hideous. Sasuke stared at his reflection in disgust.
Scrubs were standard dress at the clinic, so all the techs' clothing were uniform. Funny, it hadn't looked particularly bad on any of his coworkers. Somehow, they'd managed to maintain an amount of dignity. Vaguely, he wondered how they wore their polyester soul-killers with such grace.
Resigned to his fate, Sasuke sighed. At least he wasn't the only one in ugly clothing. Finally calm, his mind returned full-force to his sudden mental short-circuit in the presence of that Naruto person. Sasuke frowned at his reflection. But there's nothing to worry about. There is no way I'd humiliate myself for the likes of him. He sighed again, running his hand over his face. He pulled his fingers away and his scowl was back in full force. Sasuke gained comfort in his returning sense of superiority. Squaring his shoulders, he turned to the door and prepared to face the lions.
But not before spraying the bathroom heartily with air freshener.
U$$#!
Sakura made her way past the 'Authorized Personnel Only' door that lead to the back of the clinic and dropped her purse gracelessly into her cubby. She'd been up all night watching therapeutic chick flicks with some friends and was dog-tired. Sakura yawned broadly, knowing she wouldn't be fully alive until after her coffee. By the smell of it, someone had already started a pot. She smiled to herself, thankful for small miracles. Stretching her arms above her pink head, she turned around – and locked eyes with the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.
His black hair flipped up in back, hung forward around his face, and probably would have looked ridiculous on anyone else. But somehow he pulled it off. From across the room, his eyes looked black. The V-neck of his uniform revealed the hollow of his throat, and she thought suddenly that it made him seem oddly delicate. Like he might blow away if the wind caught him just right. Her eyes moved lower. His uniform was stiff and creased, obviously new. He gave off an enigmatic vibe that, along with his beauty, attracted her. Yet a certain vibe he gave off left her with the odd desire not to get closer but to admire him from a distance. Her roaming eyes moved back to his face, and she mused at its blankness. Then he raised a perfect eyebrow and she realized to her sudden horror that her arms were still up in the air. A slight flush graced her cheeks.
Attempting to cover her embarrassment, Sakura quickly finished her stretch before lowering her arms. She took a few hasty steps closer the silent man.
"You're the new guy, right?"
The man didn't grace her with an answer. He gave her an aloof look that clearly said, 'Obviously.'
"Right," She mumbled, before enunciating, "Well, I'm Sakura."
There was an awkward silence. Then a clipped, "Sasuke Uchiha."
Sakura maintained a silent thrill at the sound of his voice and repressed a bout of giggles. "Right," she said again, replacing her nerves with a professional calm. She was in her element. She could take this. She cleared her throat, "Okay, Sasuke, since this is your first day here," she paused, looking at him for affirmation. He gave none. Deciding two could play the game, she continued, "I'll show you around real quick. We have a busy morning ahead of us, so you'll have plenty to do."
Bustling off, she whisked him around the clinic. She showed him the examination rooms, surgery room, the hospital ward, the x-ray table and the bathroom (again). There was a refrigerator for vaccinations and a smaller one for people. She showed him a pair of gridded basins in back where procedures were performed on smaller animals. By it was the ICU ward, a stack of cages dedicated to critically injured patients. There were six computers and a multitude of printers hidden in a variety of cabinets, shelves, and other bizarre places. Sakura took a quiet pride in the clinic and how much it had progressed in the short three years she had worked there. Her silent companion's apparent disdain for the place did not escape her, but she ignored it. In time, she told herself. He'll learn in time.
She led him toward the glass back door, pointing out the autoclave and doctor's office on the way. They approached an elevated porcelain bathtub. "The grooming ward," Sakura pointed out another stack of cages and looked back at Sasuke as though introducing him, "and the tub." She turned around, looking the man straight in the face. "You'll be spending a lot of time here. When the cages are dirty, you'll wash the grates back here using this," she touched a squirt bottle of bleach, "and this," she held up an bristly off-white scrub brush. She proceeded to explain that there was a "people sponge" for "people dishes." Sakura had apparently misplaced it, but informed him it was unmistakably heart-shaped and not to wash any "people dishes" without it. The last time Naruto had, she'd made sure he'd walked with a limp for a week.
"Well, I have to get to work now, no more slacking," she grinned at Sasuke, but he ignored her. Sobering, she cleared her throat, "Right. Cages 6 and 8 are dirty. Take the grates to the tub and wash them like I showed you. Then go back and clean the cages." Sakura pointed at a collection of squirt bottles and paper towels stacked on top of the grooming ward. "There're supplies on top of every ward. Spray the cages with Fulsan and wipe them down with paper towels."
With a wave and a cheerful "have fun," Sakura made a beeline for the coffee machine to pour herself a good strong cup.
&#$#&
The pinball launched, ricocheting mutely off bumpers and shooting through wormholes. Gaara stared unblinkingly as his fingers pecked the keyboard, triggering flippers and keeping the little silver ball flying across the monitor.
Footsteps passed, and he heard Sakura's voice echoing throughout the clinic. The noise faded and more footsteps passed. Snuggled deep within his office, Gaara scored 500 points. Through his focus, he recognized the squeaky tread of Naruto's sneakers and heard the other's feet stop at the open door of his office. The tech rapped his knuckles gently against the frame before approaching the doctor. Gaara scored another 500 points, feigning ignorance of the other's presence. A hand rested on his shoulder, and Gaara closed his eyes at the touch.
"There are patients waiting for you in exam rooms 1 and 3." Naruto paused, surveying the screen. Despite his closed eyes, Gaara was still going strong. "Has Kiba beaten your high score yet?"
Gaara smirked. "The day Inuzuka beats my high score by his own devices, it'll be time for me to pass the clinic on to him."
Gaara leaned his head back and opened his eyes, staring up at the man above him. He was smirking. Naruto snorted.
"Yeah, and then hell will freeze over and end Global Warming. You mean never. Is that your way of telling me to eat shit or grow a brain?" Gaara's smirk stretched as Naruto eyed him in mock offense. The doctor remained silent and the blond rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, move your butt, slacker. We have clients waiting." Naruto smacked the redhead's shoulder familiarly before waltzing out of the office.
Alone, Gaara's smirk faded and his eyes were oddly vacant. Lifting his hand, he brought it up to his shoulder, fingers gently brushing where the other's had been.
&$$#!$#$#
Anko had hidden the bell. The stainless steel bane of her existence was now securely stashed behind an impregnable mountain of canned dog food. Chuckling evilly at her accomplishment, she smiled extra hard at the customer before her. He shifted uneasily.
"Your flea medicine will be here in a moment," she told him smoothly, her teeth bared in a terrifyingly gleeful expression. There were a few more moments of silence, smug for the receptionist and uncomfortable for the customer, before a blue eye shone through the indoor window. Naruto flashed a grin and handed over the merchandise. Anko leaned over and plucked the box of Frontline out of the tech's brown fingers and handed it to the customer in a mockery of a relay race. She had barely finished ringing him up when a screen door banged open and a boy flew in, his oversized scarf swinging in after. His face-splitting smile vanished at the sight of the woman behind the counter. He narrowed his eyes at Anko, his face bunching up into a scowl.
"Why are you here?" He snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at the receptionist.
"I work here. Clearly the better question is: why are you here?" Anko replied coolly, a sneer breaking out across her face, "Shouldn't you be at day care or something, brat?"
"Where's Tsunade?" The boy peered around suspiciously, as though the voluptuous woman might suddenly spring from behind a dog carrier.
"Not here, obviously," Anko's lip curled, "she's sick. Listening to you babble must have worn down her immune system."
The boy's face purpled and he howled, "You're so full of shit!" before spinning around and storming out of the clinic.
Anko chuckled, suddenly feeling far better than she had before. She returned to typing, humming quietly to herself.
In a corner of the room, the Frontline customer slowly unfurled from the fetal position.
#$#&$$#
Naruto led his charge into the back. He had shaken off Sakura's help, deciding that now was as good a time as ever to get a feel for the new guy. He pulled a muzzle off a hook on the wall. The dog was scheduled for a blood test. She was a heavy animal, with a tucked tail and big brown eyes. She didn't look happy to be there at all.
Naruto caught the dark haired man as he tried to pass him in the hall. He gave him his most charming smile.
"Hey, mind giving me a hand?"
The man eyed him warily before nodding. It was a slight jerk of the head, barely enough to indicate his assent, and he followed as Naruto led them to an area open for procedures. Sitting the dog and squatting next to it, Naruto clipped the muzzle over her face. He beckoned the silent man to the floor beside him and handed over the syringe. He squirted rubbing alcohol over part of the dog's foreleg and indicated the area to the man.
"Okay, newbie, think you can draw some blood for me?"
"What, you can't?" The man's voice was cool and indifferent, mocking. He looked somewhat irked at the 'newbie' comment.
"Oh, I can. I'm just testing you. Humor me?" Naruto replied cheerfully, cranking his charm up a notch.
The man grunted and took the needle's sheath between his teeth. Grinning, Naruto wrapped an arm around the dog's chest and grabbed her leg to steady it. She was shaking like a leaf. The new tech bent low in front of the dog, taking her leg into his hand and tapping for a vein. He pressed the needle into her skin and Naruto felt her give a little jump. He tapped her head to distract her, crooning quietly. The new tech slowly drew back the pump and the syringe began to fill with red liquid. Naruto opened his mouth.
"Hey, you got a name?" That was not so smooth.
Impossibly dark eyes found his. They rolled sarcastically. "No, my parents turned in a blank birth certificate. They just couldn't decide."
Naruto chuckled, deciding to take what could only be a joke into stride, "Okay, No-Name. Think you got enough blood there? We want a sample, not a dead dog."
The man swore. He yanked out the needle, pressing a cotton ball to the small wound. The syringe was almost full and had about four times the amount of blood they needed.
Rising to his feet, the new tech stared lividly at the mishap. He seethed silently, and slowly dragged his burning eyes to Naruto's face. Naruto felt his baggy uniform pants readjust slightly. Damn, the No-Name bastard was hot when he was angry.
The man reined his temper, and said with astounding calm, "In the future, it would be appreciated if you kept your mouth shut. I don't need distractions."
Naruto stood as well, the leash in his hand tightening as the dog tried and failed to run for it. He leaned forward, tilting his head so his mouth came dangerously close to the dark haired man's ear. His voice lowered seductively and he said, "Do I distract you?"
The other tech's response was to lurch away. He glared furiously at the smiling Naruto, and gripped the loaded syringe like a weapon.
Another man took that moment to pass by. He paused briefly to assess the situation before looking at Naruto.
"Do try to refrain from flirting at work, Uzumaki." He said coolly.
Naruto's eyes shifted to the man who'd spoken. His smile broadened. "Sorry if I scarred your virgin eyes, Gaara dearest."
Gaara snorted a "hardly," but didn't smile. He gave the new tech a calculating once-over before looking back at Naruto.
"Call me if I'm needed," he said, stalking off in the direction of his office for another game of virtual pinball.
Naruto threw a "can do," after the retreating doctor. He sighed, turning back to the guy who still hadn't introduced himself.
"Look, I'm not going to rape you, so chill." He held out a hand for the blood and traded it for the dog's leash. "This girl is called Shana. Would you take her out front and give her to her mom? Thanks."
The dark-haired tech left, and Naruto took the blood to the designated machine. He went through the motions with his mind on Gaara. The vet was in a bad mood, and Naruto secretly hoped there were no euthanasia cases today. The last thing Gaara needed was another death on his mind.
$#!$!$#!#$#&
Sasuke was bored. After that humiliating incident with the blood work, he'd been left with only menial chores to entertain himself. Sakura and Naruto had been too busy to find things for him to do. He'd finished all the dirty cages, and the clean grates stood drying against the wall. He glared irritably at the wall. Sasuke wasn't sure what to do. He could always ask, but he didn't like to ask for directions. He knew he already looked like a china doll and refused to compromise his masculinity any farther.
So he settled for trying to burn holes in the wall with his eyes. Several silent minutes of Sasuke struggling to cause combustion on eye contact commenced. Fortunately for the clinic, a streaking grey something caught Sasuke's eye and interrupted his failing attempts at telekinesis. He glanced down and saw that whatever it was had taken a seat at his feet and was staring up at him. He saw pointy ears and recognized it as an enormous grey cat. Sasuke jumped a little. The grey monstrosity was gazing up at him with a half-lidded eye, its other one closed and scarred, apparently missing. It was gargantuan and obese, and if he hadn't seen it move earlier, Sasuke would have wondered if it had legs underneath its underneath.
Sasuke stared down at the cat. It stared back. Apparently bored with this epic staring exchange, the cat leapt up onto a nearby table with surprising grace and glanced back at Sasuke before heading over to scratch in a litter box.
Sasuke snorted in disgust and heard the padding of footsteps. He turned and saw Sakura hastily approaching him with a carrier in one hand.
"Oh, good, you're done already?"
Already? Sasuke smirked wryly.
Sakura was smiling thinly at him. "Right. Anyway, Sasuke, this is Dotty," she lifted the carrier up to eye-level and brandished it at the new tech. He saw the gleam of yellow eyes and swallowed. "Dotty, this is Sasuke. Now that introductions are over, this stinky girl needs a bath. Mind washing her for me?"
Sasuke had no time to reply as Dotty, complete with carrier, was thrust into his arms. Sakura turned to the tub and fiddled with the spray nozzle.
"Right, this should be a good temperature. The shampoo's over there. She's one of our regular's so don't worry, she's gentle." Sakura was already walking away. "And try not to get soap into her eyes!"
Sasuke looked down at the carrier in his arms with dismay.
The cat inside was growling. It was a deep, bad-tempered sound.
Sasuke couldn't help but feel that this was karma.
$$#$$U$#$$$$
The afternoon was winding down and dusk was approaching. The wind was picking up, scattering leaves and chilling the evening. Both Sakura and Anko were having a smoke outside, leaning against New Leaf clinic's massive windows. There were no more clients for the day and Dr Sabaku had already gone home. Naruto had followed sounds of piteous meowing to the tub, where he found the new enigma rubbing shampoo into a rather disgruntled cat. Naruto recognized Dotty, in for her regular grooming session.
He watched, amused, as his new coworker carefully rinsed the mewling beast and dropped a towel onto her back, rubbing gently. Naruto approached, the squeak of his sneakers giving him away. The man glanced idly at him as he dried the cat's tail. Naruto reached the grooming ward and set up a clean cage, throwing down a towel and hooking up a cumbersome blow-drying device. He stood back for the new tech to put away the cat. When he set Dotty down and withdrew from the cage, Naruto closed Dotty's cage and switched on the blow dryer. His eyes caught dark ones and he arched a blond eyebrow.
"You going to tell me your name now or am I going to have to make up an embarrassing nickname for you?"
The other man gave him a calculating look. "It's Sasuke."
"Sasuke," Naruto repeated, smiling. "Ready to close up shop?"
There was a nod, and Naruto followed Sasuke out of the room, hitting a switch that killed the flood of fluorescent light. In the semidarkness, he turned to the dark haired man, a grin in his voice.
"Welcome to the team."
A/N Thank you so much for reading! This is my first fic. Hope it didn't burn your eyes out! Chapter 2 will be out eventually. Ciao!