Club Locust was a popular gay club and bar located in a back alley near the Red Light District. It opened at 1am. The dance floor that took up most of the space was always submerged in darkness. The floating neon colors from the strobe lights were the only thing allowing the patrons to get a glimpse of the person they were dancing with. The bar, however, was always lit. On Friday and Saturday nights you were likely to meet a tall blond with bright blue eyes mixing up drinks behind the circular bar on the second level.

"Yo Naruto!" A voiced called through the music and bustling crowd. The blond bartender, Naruto Uzumaki, smiled at the familiar greeting but didn't look up as he carefully poured the mixed up whiskey sour in a short glass, topping it off with a half orange slice and two cherries the way the bubbly, young woman in the mini skirt had asked him to.

A slender guy with a neat ponytail and boring face sat at the bar with a lazy smile. Naruto glanced in his direction and grinned, holding up one finger to signal for him to hold on a moment. He stuck in two little straws and turned to the previously mentioned bubbly, young woman who was waiting anxiously. Naruto could tell she was itching to get back on the dance floor, but needed another drink or two to really get the party started.

Naruto slid the drink over to her and winked, "Here ya go sweetheart." The girl giggled at the crooked, boyish smile he sent her way and slid fifteen dollars over the bar to him. Five-dollar tip. Not bad. He turned to ring up the transaction at the register, pocketing the five as he addressed his friend; "Sup Shika?" Naruto moved over to the drafts with an empty glass and began pouring a beer. Shikamaru Nara watched as Naruto placed the beer in front of him. Heineken, his favorite.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he took a sip, swallowed, and then took another sip before he spoke. "Just in the area. Figured I'd swing by."

"Oh really?" Naruto wiped his hands on the towel that hung underneath the bar as he eyed his friend. "You, who hates being at clubs, let alone out, just so happened to be in the area at..." he turned to look at the clock hanging behind him, "almost two-thirty in the morning?"

Shikamaru gulped down a bit more beer. It was obvious to Naruto that he was stalling.

Naruto's eyes shifted to a small group of guys that gathered at one corner of the bar, two of them took seats in the stools. One of them picked up the small drink menu and flipped through it. The way they joked around and poked at each other made Naruto want to roll his eyes.

Naruto approached them and placed small napkins in front of them that would act as coasters. He could tell by looking at them they wanted beer, and lots of it. But just to follow procedure he smiled at them and said, "What's up guys? What're ya having?" They all turned to him, some of them still chuckling about what Beef-Head #1 said to Beef-Head #2.

"Hey uh," Beef-Head #2 spoke up, idly rubbing his chin. "How about a pitcher?" Not surprising

"Alright then," Naruto began setting empty glasses on the napkins. "What'll you like?"

Beef-Head #3 looked Naruto up and down, a distinct look of hunger in his eyes. Naruto resisted the urge to gag. "I wouldn't mind having a taste of you." Dear God.

Naruto gave a hearty laugh, hoping the disgust he was feeling was masked well enough for this dickhole to give him a nice tip. "Well I'm sorry but I'm not on the menu. How about Yuengling? It's on sale today for half off." He swiftly changed the subject to the 40 oz beer special on the menu. Beef-Head #3 gave him a flirty smile and nodded. Naruto quickly turned to fill their pitcher. When his eyes met Shikamaru's amused face he discreetly shoved a finger in and out of his mouth in a mock-gagging motion. Shikamaru laughed, peering at the guys who were back to chatting it up amongst themselves. "Here ya go," Naruto placed the pitcher in front of them before he continued, "That'll be ten dollars."

Beef-Head #3 held out a twenty-dollar bill, waiting with a stupid grin for Naruto to take it from him. This was getting annoying fast. He couldn't help but silently thank himself for gathering the proper amount of patience over the past few years of working in the service industry. A couple years ago, he might have slugged this asshole by now for being so damn cocky.

Instead of acting on his inner desires, Naruto simply took the bill from the douchebag with a forced smile. "Keep the change. Love the tats by the way," Beef-Head #3 said with a wink. Ew. Naruto knew he was referring to the whisker-like marks on his cheeks, something people in his past couldn't resist pointing out, either to make them seem cooler than they were or to make some sort of pussy joke out of it.

Naruto made a smile that almost looked like a grimace and nodded. "They're birth marks actually, but thanks."Naruto quickly turned towards the register before the guy had time to make some sort of irritating reply. When he looked down at the bill he was given, he wasn't surprised to see the strip of napkin attached to it with eleven digits scribbled across. He turned away from them and let out a heavy sigh. Going over to the register, he tapped in the transaction and discreetly threw the piece of napkin in the trash while pocketing his tip.

Finally, he was able to return his attention to Shikamaru. "So?" He spoke up as he refilled Shikamaru's empty glass with more of that shitty beer he enjoyed. Naruto wouldn't be caught dead drinking Heineken.

"So?" Shikamaru questioned, though Naruto knew he hadn't forgotten what they'd been talking about.

"The real reason why you're here spying on me?" Naruto moved over to address a pretty woman in a long dress. He gave her a shot of vodka as requested. His attention remained on Shikamaru as he went from customer to customer.

"I told you, I was just passing by…"

"Bullshit." He smiled at the two men he'd just prepared mojitos for, assuring them his foul language wasn't towards them.

Shikamaru sighed and scratched the back of his head, his expression thoughtful. It was as if he was battling between sticking to his lie and telling the truth. "Well…"

"Well?" Naruto urged.

"Ino wanted me to come see you and…"

"Jesus. Really?" Naruto rolled his eyes and slid a business looking man his shot of bourbon. "So the girls sent you here to babysit me?" He wasn't surprised that they'd sent Shikamaru and hadn't come themselves. It was early Friday and they had classes in the morning. Naruto had class, but his wasn't until the evening. Shikamaru, on the other hand, had graduated the year before and mostly worked from home. Therefore, he was the perfect candidate to come bug Naruto about something that they should know isn't any of their concern.

"Nah man, you know it's not like that." Shikamaru finished the last of his beer and shook his head when Naruto motioned for another one. The orders died down so Naruto crossed his arms and leaned over the bar towards Shikamaru, waiting for his explanation. "You're not still thinking about Neji and Kiba, are you? I mean we barely see you unless you're working. Even then, you're… I don't know… distant."

"That's pretty funny coming from you." Naruto joked, but didn't sound in the least bit humored. He moved to prepare another shot of vodka for the pretty woman in the long dress, as well as one for her friend with the pixie cut.

"Hey man," Shikamaru continued, knowing Naruto was listening even with his eyes and smile on the two girls demanding vodka. "It's not any of my business, I know. But Ino and the girls have been bothering me about coming here to talk to you. I tried coming to your place but you're never there…"

Naruto returned to the register before speaking, "I've been hanging around my dad's place."

"Is that so you don't run into them?"

Naruto all but slammed the register shut. This little interrogation was really getting old. "It's been a year," Naruto spoke through gritted teeth.

"Exactly Naruto. It's been a year and you refuse to go out unless you're here and that's only when you're working. And, like I said, it's none of my business. If you want to stay at home or at your dad's or whatever then who the hell am I to say you shouldn't." Naruto could tell Shikamaru was getting frustrated. It was a strange look for his usually laid back friend.

Naruto crossed his arms, "But, isn't that what you're doing right now? Telling me that I shouldn't..."

Shikamaru shook his head, "I'm telling you that you're not being you Naruto. You're being me, and that's not cool. Everyone's worried." Shikamaru got up from his stool and slid a twenty-dollar bill across the bar. "All I'm saying is maybe you should think about talking to one of us; at least the girls. They're driving me nuts," Shikamaru grumbled and rolled his eyes at the thought. Naruto couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Tell them I'm fine. I'm over it. Really." He looked into Shikamaru's eyes and Shikamaru nodded and turned to leave. "Hey Shika," Naruto stopped him. Shikamaru turned back and raised an eyebrow at him. "Thanks man."


Naruto's shift ended at 6am when the club closed. He'd barely gotten through it all after his talk with Shikamaru.

Once outside the sun hit him hard. Being cooped up in such a dark space for so long made him almost forget such light existed.

After taking some time to adjust to the morning light, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. He popped it open, and with a small shake, some ends of the cigarettes stuck out. He grabbed one with his mouth before placing the pack back into his pocket. He took a lighter from his back pocket and lit the short cigarette. He inhaled the nicotine with a content sigh. The morning breeze relaxed his aching muscles as he stood in the alley in front of the club's entrance.

Naruto shut his eyes tight, he could feel his mind going into places he was sure he'd buried over the last year. How his boyfriend of five years, his high school sweetheart, Neji Hyuga, looked as he hovered over that prick Kiba inuzuka, a guy he'd considered a best friend from way back when; both of them naked and looking over at Naruto who'd just come from visiting his mother in the hospital.

"Fuck," Naruto took another long drag of the cigarette then rubbed his brow with his wrist. Thinking about this shit wasn't going to do him any good.

No matter how many times he's told himself that, somehow, the images continue to find their way back.

He ditched the half smoked cigarette, tossing it onto the concrete and letting it burn out on its own. He was going to crash at his father's house, his old family home, out in Ginza. It was a long ride from the city, but being there always felt more comforting than being alone in his apartment. Turning, he made his way to the Shinjuku train station in the Business District that wasn't too far of a walk from the Red Light District. Naruto had a feeling that wasn't a strange coincidence. Most of his costumers were businessmen, too ashamed to come out, but too horny to say no to temptation. It was interesting the types of stories his drunken customers would spill out to him when they were on their fourth or fifth shot.

As he neared the train station he felt himself craving a little boost. The Coffee Shop was a café located in one of the fancy office building downtown. The coffee was a little expensive, but Naruto wasn't opposed to spending a few extra dollars when it was worth it.

Forgoing the station's entrance, Naruto walked three more blocks up till he reached a tall, gold and silver office building that looked more like a hotel. The only way to get to the café's entrance was through the lobby. Naruto ignored the side-eyed looks and sneers he got from the snobby high-class assholes that looked at him like he was some sort of street rat. He walked through until he made it to his destination and pushed through the double doors, immediately hugged by the smell of freshly ground espresso beans.

The woman behind the counter with two cute buns in her hair spotted him as he entered and called out to him, "Hey Naruto! Good morning," Her name was TenTen. She went to his school, but he hadn't actually known her until he started coming to this coffee shop. The first time he'd been there had been with Neji. He remembered joking to his then boyfriend that TenTen had a little crush on him. That joke wasn't so funny anymore.

"Hey Ten, how's it hanging?" He said through a yawn as his hand moved to cover his mouth. She didn't respond. It was just as a formality anyway. She continued ringing up her costumers instead. There were a few people in line ahead of him so he waited patiently, tapping his foot to a tune that was stuck in his head. When it was finally his turn to order, he leaned against the high counter on his elbows and laid his head down. TenTen laughed, patting his head gently as he pretended to take a nap.

"Long night at work, huh?" She said and he sat up to smile at her.

"Yeah, too long." He yawned again and turned his head so that TenTen wasn't assaulted with his overnight breath. "You just got in?" He looked around. There was a line forming behind him. Weekday mornings were always crazy busy. He realized he probably shouldn't hold up the line for his idle chitchatting, but a bigger part of him didn't care. TenTen didn't seem to mind either as she continued their small talk, letting the girl at the second register take on the next few orders.

Finally, Naruto put in his order and slid to the side, giving the fuming man behind him a cheeky grin. A couple minutes later, TenTen placed a caramel macchiato in front of him and smiled. "Here ya go, Naruto."

Naruto grabbed the drink and took a sip. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he let out a slow, throaty moan. "Mh, this is perfect Ten," He said before licking the foam from his lips.

TenTen rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Don't be nasty." Naruto grinned and shrugged. He took another sip, this time like a normal person. TenTen shook her head, but the warmth in her eyes wasn't lost. "Hey," she spoke up again as she moved to make a drink for the next customer. Her tone had undoubtably changed, "You doing better?"

The playfulness in Naruto's face and body seemed to melt away. Not again. He looked away from TenTen and solemnly took another sip. She didn't know much about what happened between him and Neji, but she knew the gist. And on top of that, Naruto's demeanor had been so completely different in the past year in comparison to how it was when he'd first come into the café one morning hanging onto Neji; apparently hungover from a night of dancing at the club he now worked at.

"I'm okay," Naruto finally spoke and nodded. It was as if he was not only affirming TenTen, but himself as well.

TenTen nodded back, seeming to consider his short response. After a moment she sighed and leaned back, sending Naruto a reassuring smile. "Well I'm glad," even though she didn't know Naruto that well, she still felt like she wanted to support him.

Naruto smiled and raised his macchiato up at her. "Thanks for the drink, babe." He turned to leave after that. Again, someone had to bring up Neji. Didn't they get that he didn't want to talk about it? He knew they meant well, but all he wanted was to wipe all of those memories away.

Leaving the café, he was back in the lobby of the office building. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't seen the man walking in his direction until he had completely slammed into a hard chest. He nearly fell onto the ground when a tight grip on his arm saved him. He looked up and nearly choked on the amount of air he'd subconsciously inhaled. His bright blue eyes met disturbingly dark ones. The man he'd bumped into was gorgeous. He was tall and had a body like someone in those gay porn movies he used to sneak into his house. The title, "Good Will Humping" suddenly came to mind. The man's face was flawless, angled in the right places and perfectly framed by silky black hair. If it wasn't for the murderous look he was giving Naruto, Naruto would have considered asking the man for his number.

Naruto's eyes trailed downward until he found the source of the mysterious man's irritation. "Oh," was all he'd managed to say. Naruto straightened; letting his arm fall from the stranger's grip as his other hand rose to cover his open mouth in shock.

The mysterious man had shoulder length black hair and was wearing designer black slacks, dress shoes and a midnight blue collar shirt that now had an ugly brown stain ruining the entire front. More of the liquid traveled further down and threatened to reach his slacks.

"Oh man, damn dude. I am so sorry," Naruto all but sputtered out the words. "Hold on, hold on," Naruto turned and dashed back into the café. TenTen gave him a curious look when he re-entered, but he ignored it. He trashed the crushed coffee cup and snatched a few napkins before heading back out to the soiled stranger.

The man was still standing there. His arms were crossed and his eyes were narrowed hard as he stared down at Naruto's antics.

"Okay, it might look really bad, but…" Naruto began as he pushed the napkins up against the stain and began swiping away at it "I'm sure its not as bad is it looks". He wasn't surprised when he'd felt the hard muscles under the stranger's shirt. He tried not to think about it.

Suddenly, pale hands swatted his away. Naruto took a step back, now holding wet napkins in his hands as he examined the stain. It was bad. Naruto looked back up at the man's face. Naruto felt himself gulp. The heat in the man's eyes was enough to give him goosebumps.

"Erm…" Naruto's arms went slack. He could feel the eyes of the people walking around and passing by them. At least it was less likely that this guy would slug him with this many witnesses.

Finally the man moved. He shook his head and looked down at himself, then returned his glare to Naruto. His eyes never left the quivering blond as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an expensive looking phone. He tapped the screen a few times before holding it up to his ear.

A second passed before he spoke into the device. The mysterious man's deep voice had Naruto's mind wandering to places he knew it shouldn't. Naruto swallowed, doing his best to suppress those devilish thoughts. "Be at my office in five minutes, and bring one of my shirts," the man said, finally taking his eyes off of Naruto to reexamine his Armani shirt with an angry grimace.

The man removed the phone from his ear and tapped on the screen. A second later he slipped the phone into his pocket and began walking back in the direction he'd initially been heading.

Naruto's mouth hung open. He just walked off as if Naruto had never existed.

Naruto jogged up to the man and tapped his back. The man stopped and turned sharply to face him, his eyes still narrowed as he looked down at Naruto.

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he began to speak, "Hey man, I'm sorry about your shirt. Maybe I could pay you back somehow? Get it dry-cleaned or something?"

The man turned to fully face Naruto. Then, the man spoke to him for the first time, "Don't bother," was all he said, then resumed his walking towards, what Naruto could now tell, was where the elevators were located.

For some odd reason, Naruto couldn't leave it alone. He sped up to the man again, walking beside him as he went. "Seriously? I mean, that's a pretty nasty stain," he observed, and then looked up to the man's face. He wasn't even looking at him. It was really bothering Naruto. Clearly the man was going into work and Naruto had potentially ruined the better half of the man's morning. What if the guy had a meeting or whatever important shit businessmen did? Naruto shook his head, trying to wean himself off the guilty feeling bubbling up within him. When they reached the elevator, he made a hasty decision and hopped forward then in front of the man to block his path. "Okay look," and the man finally did. Those dark eyes met his once again. Naruto suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable and exposed, but he pushed that unsettling feeling aside. "I work at a bar—well club, not too far from here called Club Locust on the second floor. Come anytime after one in the morning on a Friday or Saturday and I'll make you as many drinks as you want. On me." Naruto grinned, finding his solution to be the most fitting one. The man didn't comment. He reached behind Naruto and pressed the up button on the elevator. Naruto wondered if the man had even been listening to him.

With a heavy sigh, he gave up. He moved out of the way as the doors opened and allowed the man, who's name he still didn't know, to slip inside. Naruto lifted his sullen head as a thought came to mind.

"I'm Naruto, by the way!" He called out as just before the doors closed. He thought maybe the man had looked his way, but it happened too fast for him to really know. He felt a little embarrassed now. It wasn't as though people were too surprised by his appearance. All types of people came into this prestigious office building simply for the coffee shops and other restaurants that resided on the lobby level. But none of them were as loud and they usually didn't smell like alcohol and cigarettes. Naruto looked down at himself and sniffed at his shirt.

He scrunched up his nose at the smell. It wasn't horrible, but he was in definite need of a shower.

He walked away from the elevator, out the lobby and back onto the main street. Naruto yawned. Dammit, he'd lost his coffee and now there was nothing to temporarily cure his drowsiness. He vaguely wondered if that mysterious man would take him up on his offer.


Around 4pm Naruto woke up on his father's couch. He didn't have the strength to carry himself up the steps to his old bedroom. He'd spent the most of his time in the past year at his old house. At first it was to help out with cleaning and cooking. Without his mom around his dad seemed like a stranded puppy in more need than Naruto would ever know. A year ago in October, his mother had passed away the day before his birthday. She had liver cancer. They all knew it was coming, but even still, it had hit them hard.

His apartment near his college campus was likely collecting dust. Shikamaru wasn't completely wrong about him not wanting to run into Neji and Kiba. Kiba used to be his roommate. After finding him on the couch with his boyfriend, at the very least, Kiba had the decency to move out. Now the two lived together in some apartment complex a few blocks from him. Or at least, that what his friend, Sakura Haruno, had told him. She was a childhood friend of both Kiba and Naruto. She was obviously guilty about staying friends with the both of them, but Naruto had said he didn't care. It was the truth. It wouldn't be fair for him to rip them apart. Even if that's what Kiba had done to him.

"Good afternoon sleepy head," Naruto rolled onto his back to stare up at his father, Minato. He looked much older than he did two years ago before his mother was diagnosed. His forty-five year old father was looking like he was pushing sixty. Naruto was happy, at least, that his father was smiling again.

"Afternoon," Naruto said in a yawn. He sat up and rubbed the back of his messy hair before looking down at himself. He was still dressed in his boxers and his tight black top with the letters CL engraved on the breast pocket. He also had a fleece blanket draped over his legs, no doubt from his dad.

"Want some brunch?" Minatoasked, sitting beside Naruto with a cup of coffee. He switched on the TV and flipped through the channels until he landed on animal planet.

"Nah,"Naruto let out another yawn, this time stretching his arms over his head and letting his bones pop. "I'm gonna head back to my apartment. I've got evening class in," he checked his watch, "a little less than two hours."

"Hop to it then," Minatosaid, his eyes never leaving the program about how kangaroos raise their young.

A quick shower later and Naruto was brushing his teeth. He put on a pair of comfortable stonewashed skinny jeans and a bright orange polo. When he was finished, he slipped on his converse by the door along with the messenger bag he'd left on the coat rack. "Later dad," He waved at his father who was still staring mesmerized at the kangaroo program. He received an absentminded wave in return. He smiled and shook his head at his easy-to-impress father before he left, locking the door behind him.

His phone buzzed as he made his way down the street to the bullet train station. He slipped his phone from his back pocket and read the messages on his lock screen. He had a few he'd ignored when he was at work and hadn't bothered to check. Two from Sakura asking about when he was going back to his apartment, one from his dad asking if he was working, a couple more from Sakura and a few from Shikamaru and Chouji, who was also Ino's boyfriend of five years.

Then there was one from Hinata… He paused at the name. She was Neji's cousin. He didn't want to stop being friends with her, but it had been awkward talking to her over the past year. She'd attended his mother's funeral along with Neji and Kiba. He managed to smile at her without looking like he wanted to murder her cousin and his traitor of a "best friend". Since then they'd text every now and then, but they hadn't actually hung out since the break up. She asked him if he wanted to have coffee with her on Sunday. He'd think about it.

Scrolling through a few more he sighed before slipping his phone into his back pocket. He could tell it was going to be a long night.


After his three-hour class it was 9pm. He got to his apartment ten minutes later and dropped his bag on the floor next to the door. Only six more months on the lease and he could finally get the hell out of this apartment filled with nothing but bad memories. He'd remembered how excited he and Kiba were when they found this place. It was perfect! It was a two bedroom, two bathroom space with a balcony and big enough living room so that Kiba's oversized dog could run around without breaking anything. Hell, if there was anyone Naruto missed it was Akamaru.

Naruto went to the fridge and snatched a beer before entering the living room to plop down on the couch. He'd thrown his old couch out after he'd found the two traitors on it playing tonsil hockey with their dicks out.

The vibration of his phone in his back pocket startled him. He pulled it out and answered without checking the caller ID.

"Yo," he said lazily as he searched for his TV remote.

"Naruto, you ass!" He cringed at the high-pitched voice screeching at him over the speaker.

"Jesus Sakura, what crawled up your butt?" He found the remote squished between the two sofa cushions. He turned it on and tuned it to Cartoon Network. A cartoon was on that he'd never seen before.

"You, you jackass! I've been calling and texting you for three days. Ever think to check your phone?" Naruto frowned, feeling guilty. He didn't even realize he was ignoring her messages. He just didn't text back much anymore.

"Sorry," he grumbled. She let out a long sigh; he could tell she was pacing around her apartment.

"You're lucky Ino called me this morning. She told me Shikamaru came to see you. I was two seconds away from staking out your apartment." Her voice sounded softer. She seemed to be calming down. "Dammit Naruto, a little warning next time you go off the grid?"

"Yeah, okay," He scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. Sakura was like his big sister, even though they were the same age. Whenever she scolded him it made him think about the times his mother had caught him sneaking cookies out of the kitchen during Christmas dinners. "Sorry, I've been hanging out at my dads for a while. 'Been losing track of time. I wasn't trying to ignore you."

The line went silent for a moment. Naruto checked his phone to see if she had hung up. When he saw that the call was still active he placed the phone back against his ear.

"How's your dad doing?" Sakura finally spoke up.

"He's okay. Hanging in there. He's doing a lot better."

"What about you?"

Naruto sighed, should've seen that coming. "What about me?"

Sakura let out a strange noise sounding almost like a scoff. Naruto raised his eyebrow at the noise, even though he knew she couldn't see it. "You know what I mean, Naruto."

"No. I don't," This was getting annoying. He knew his friends worried about him, but he could take care of himself. He didn't need them butting in and constantly asking him how he was feeling. He took a sip of his beer.

"Naruto," she said, her tone signifying a warning.

"Sakura," Naruto mimicked.

"Look, if you don't want to talk about Neji and Kiba then…"

"And I don't," he added before she could finish.

"Then that's fine. But, you know I'm here if you need to talk. I just wish you wouldn't shut me out. I wish…" She paused. Naruto could feel himself tensing up. "I wish you could go back to the way you used to be. The happy Naruto I grew up with. I know this past year has been really shitty, but…"

"I get it…" He cut in, this time sounding exhausted. He hated himself for being this way, but he couldn't control the way he felt. The anger that had built up over the past year was intense and hard to beat. He needed time.

"Hey," Sakura spoke, her tone sounding lighter. She was obviously trying to brighten the grim mood. "You want to hang out with Lee and me this Sunday. We were planning on catching a movie and maybe checking out that new restaurant that's opened up over in Shinjuku."

Naruto laughed, "Nah," he shook his head. "I don't want to be a third wheel for you and Speedy." As much as he loved her boyfriend, Rock Lee, the guy could be a headache to hang out with. It was like hanging out with a cross between your high school gym teacher and a ten year old who'd just eaten all of their Halloween candy. The guy had energy. No doubt he was good in bed. He'd made that joke a few times and each time Sakura had blushed and smacked him on the back of the head for it.

"Aw Naruto, you know you'd never be a third wheel to me." He could practically hear the pout in her voice and it made him chuckle, but he shook his head again.

"No thanks. You two kids have fun though. Besides…" He hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure if he should talk to Sakura about Hinata. She might make it a bigger deal than it actually was. Then again, maybe Naruto was making it a bigger deal than it was. He and Hinata had been friends long before he even knew Neji existed. He knew he shouldn't cut her out like this, but...

"Besides what?"

"Well… Hinata sent me a text. Wants to meet up on Sunday." The line went quiet for another awkward moment.

"Oh." Was all Sakura managed to say. "Well," she cleared her throat. "You should go."

"I should?" Naruto took a long gulp of his beer. The last time he'd really hung out with Hinata was with Neji. They went to the beach together. Kiba had come along too. He'd remembered thinking it was odd that both Neji and Kiba went to the bathroom together and took thirty minutes to come back. Neji told him that they were stuck in a long line and Kiba had dropped his class ring in the sand so they spent some time looking for it. He was stupid to believe them.

"… me she misses you."

"Hm?" He had to blink himself out of those treacherous thoughts. He didn't need to go there.

"I said, she asked me about you the other day. She told me she misses you." He missed her too. It's just that whenever he looked into those pale eyes, he saw him. The way he used to look at him. The day they first kissed. When he took his virginity and those pale eyes stared down at him, promising things they had no business promising.

"I miss her too," he said honestly. He closed his eyes and finished off his beer. Damn it, he hated thinking about those times. He hated remembering.

"How about we double then?" Sakura spoke up, her tone bubbly and excited as if she'd just had the brightest idea of the year.

"Double? You know I'm gay right?"

Sakura chuckled, "No shit. You know what I meant. Plus, I miss you too, you know? I never get to see you and we go to the same university for crying out loud." She was right. Even though all of her classes were in the School of Medicine building while his were in the Liberal Arts building, they still went to the same school and the buildings weren't too far from each other. Hinata went to Sunagakura, which just allowed him a better excuse when he was feeling too awkward to see her.

"Fine." He conceded. "You're right. We can double, I guess." He rolled his eyes at the idea.

"Yay! I'm so excited. I feel like I haven't seen you in years." It might as well have been. The last time he'd seen her was a month ago. Spending most of his time at his dad's meant less time in the city where most of his friends were.

"It's a date then."

"It's a date."


Friday turned to Saturday and Naruto was on his way to work. He was still in his comfortably tight jeans but changed into the clean black work shirt he'd kept in his apartment. He'd left the one from the night before at his dad's. This one was just a tee shirt with the full words "CLUB LOCUST" written in bold white letters across his chest. It was a tight shirt that clung to his body like a second skin. He preferred to wear the collar shirt more because, while the tee shirt gave him more tips, it also drew in more douchebags who were looking for something he wasn't willing to offer.

It was 12:30am when he'd finally made it into Shinjuku where Club Locust resided. A line had already formed at the door and was quickly wrapping around the corner. At 12:45am he banged on the door. Seconds later it swung open revealing a burly looking man with a mean face.

"Sup Naruto, you're early." The bouncer stepped to the side and opened the door up just enough for Naruto to slip through. He quickly shut the door once Naruto was in to make sure no one got stupid and tried to slip through with him.

"Hey Kisame." Naruto nodded at the much larger man as he passed him and went towards the stairs.

By the time he'd settled behind the bar on the second floor the music was pumping and people were getting stamped and heading in. Saturdays were great for tips, but were damn exhausting.

When it hit 4am, most of the patrons were at their peak. They were dancing with people they didn't know, grinding and leaning on strangers, throwing their arms in the air and enjoying being alive. Naruto smiled out at the crowd, only seeing them through the colors of the flashing lights. They were all going to have killer headaches once morning came and the alcohol is drained from their systems. He couldn't remember the number of shots he'd poured in the last hour alone.

While he was shaking up a margarita for a pretty, redheaded American girl, a new patron moved in his peripheral. He looked over in time to see a familiar, tall man take a seat at the bar. Naruto tried not to look as surprised as he felt. Throughout the course of the day, Naruto had managed to push the man from the previous morning out of his mind. He hardly expected the man to take him up on his offer. And here he was, staring back into those dark, mysterious eyes.

Naruto slid closer to the man's side of the bar and placed a small napkin down in front of him.

"So," Naruto smiled to himself as he spoke before his eyes drifted up from the napkin to meet the familiar stranger's. He leaned against the bar on his elbows, "You decided to come."