It was ironic for him to want to become a decorator when his apartment was a mess.
He was an orphan, and he only had his godparent, Jiraiya, as his relative. Jiraiya was a writer, and the man always traveling so Naruto had to spend most of his time alone.
On his graduation day of high school, Jiraiya came back to Japan. The man had asked him what he wanted to do next. He had said that he wanted to go to the university to become a decorator. The man had agreed on his decision, even though he was hoping that Naruto would come with him traveling the world. Jiraiya was willing to pay for his college, but Naruto refused. He didn't want to burden the man after what he had done to him. The writer had paid the electronic bills, his everyday needs, and his schools tuition for the past few years, so he had hoped that he would start working on his own and pay for his school by himself rather than hoping everything on the old man. Jiraiya understood his godson's way of thinking, he gave Naruto a choice.
"If you insist on it, how about you postponed your plan on going to university and go with me? I will pay you and you can save the money for your college."
"What I am going to do with you abroad?"
"Hmm… I was thinking about proof-reading my book since you are good with English."
Jiraiya had been teaching Naruto foreign languages for all of his life. English was like his second language by now. That was why he always scored the best when it came to English in his schools.
Jiraiya had given him a week to think it over before he flew back to the US. Naruto eventually agreed to it and he ended up spending his two years in New York.
When he came back to Japan, he was already 20. He entered his dream university two years later after high school. The money he had earned from working with his godfather overseas only last for the first two years of university. Even though Jiraiya still sent him money, it only covered up the electronic bills and his everyday needs. There was some money left, but it wasn't enough to pay for the third and fourth years of his university, so he was forced to work again and saved them while at the same time he had to attend classes.
"How are you, old man?" Naruto smiled seeing his godfather as he slurped his ramen. They were video calling. It was Thursday at seven in the morning, and he had a class at nine. The class would end at eleven. After that, he would go to his part-time job at eleven thirty and it would end at three before his second class at four in the evening. Hectic day.
"You should worry about yourself first, son. Nobody in their right mind would eat ramen as their breakfast." Jiraiya laughed at his grandson. Sometimes he was worried about his godson's eating habit. But as far as he was worried, the kid was still as healthy as ever.
"I'm amazed that you keep track on our time differences, old man." Naruto grinned.
Jiraiya smiled. "How's your university going?"
Naruto hummed after he slurped his ramen. "It's my last year as a student. Hopefully, I could become a million-yen decorator as Uchiha sensei in two years!"
"I don't agree with you saying that you hopefully could become a million-yen decorator."
"Hm? Why?"
"Not that you could, but you WILL become one."
Naruto gave his godfather a blinding smile. "I surely will, my bad!"
Jiraiya smiled back. He sometimes couldn't fathom how he could raise someone to become as good as Naruto. The boy was too sweet around people contrary to himself, but you wouldn't ever cross the line.
"Old man, I have class today and I need to hurry. I will call you later!"
"Alright, brat. Take care!"
"Bye, old man! You, too!"
The video-call ended. Naruto emptied the cup of his ramen by drinking it in one go before he stood up and ready to leave his house. He always went to the university by train, and it took him about fifteen minutes. He still had time before his first class started but he always liked coming to the university early. That way he had time to walk around the university leisurely. He usually got inspirations before his first class that day started. Beside getting inspirations, he just enjoyed walking around the university in the morning, since it was so refreshing.
The first class of that day started. He was the first person to enter the class. His lecturer that day was Hatake sensei, and the man was famous for being late, but luckily when the class ended, Hatake sensei would dismiss the class, not prolonging it, so he was grateful with that.
"There is a news that Hatake sensei won't be coming to class. He ordered us to check our email right now." Tenten, one of his classmates said. As instructed, Naruto went to check on his email on his already opened laptop.
"Dear minions,
I'm so sorry that I do not actually feel the slightest sorry for not attending class today, as I have a more important thing to do than seeing all of you today. I want you all to make a design for a bedroom with "Black & White" as the theme. Be as creative as possible. I want the design to be sent back to me by replying this email today before midnight. If you are late for a day, I will reduce the score by ten points.
With so much love,
Your one and only beloved decorator
Kakashi Hatake."
Naruto rolled his eyes throughout the email. His lecturers were all crazy on their own "unique" way, and Kakashi was not an exception. He would have strangled them if only they were on the same age as him. He shook his head and began working on his task. It was still nine in the morning and he only had two hours before he left off to his part-time job. He began thinking about his time management. He would finish his part-time job at three, and he had to get back to the university again because he had another class at four. The second class would finish at six, and he would go back to his job at seven. The restaurant he worked at closed at ten, so he had two hours left before midnight. If he were, to sum up his time to make a design, he only had four hours. He shook his head. He could do this. With that in mind, he began doing his assignment.
It was almost eleven when Kiba decided to crash into his class.
"What's up, man!"
Kiba was his best friend since middle school. They attended high school together and went to the same university as well, only the guy took vet as his major, given that he liked animal, especially dogs.
"Kiba, I'm busy," Naruto complained absent-mindedly as his eyes were kept glued to the screen of his laptop.
"I know. I just have a message for you."
This caught Naruto's attention. "Huh? From who?"
Kiba grinned. "Your favorite lecturer needs you at his room."
"Huh? My fave- who?" For some reason he already know the answer.
Kiba deadpanned. "Uchiha sensei."
"Don't put it that way, Kiba!" The fact that everyone in the university called him as Uchiha's favorite gave him a different idea. Naruto shook his head to repel the thought away. "Also, when? Now?"
"Nah. He said next year. Of course now, you idiot!" Kiba had the tendency to hit Naruto's head.
Naruto flinched and massage his abused head. He sighed deeply as he began saving his half-done design, shutting down his laptop and put it in his bag. "I wonder what he needs now? Do you think I made a mistake today, Kiba? Did I pee in his car?"
Kiba shrugged. "He said you have to hurry."
"Damn him!" But eventually, Naruto fastened his movement and thanked Kiba before he left the brunette to the yet another "crazy" lecturer of his.
In no time he was outside his lecturer's room. There on the mahogany door was placed a metal plate with the "Uchiha S." engraved on it. Naruto was hesitant on coming inside but this was his lecturer.
Naruto took a deep breath before he lifted his hand in the air, ready to knock on the door. What could it be this time? Yes, this time, because it was not like the first time the Uchiha ordered someone to tell that he needed him. He always met the guy like every day in the university, except Saturday and Sunday, and it usually concerned about –what he thought as– something random or silly things and he had started to think that the guy just wanted to see him with his lame conversation which somehow looked like something deadly serious just to annoy the hell out of him to no end. Now that he thought about that, was the guy a sadist? Naruto was sure that the guy loved to make others suffer, and that smirks... He unconsciously shuddered when he thought about being the guy's lover.
Wait a minute, what was he thinking?
He rolled his eyes at his ridiculous thoughts and knocked three times before there was a "come in" coming from the inside. He opened the room and bowed before he closed it behind.
"Uchiha-sensei." Meet the guy, Uchiha Sasuke, twenty-seven years old, one of those successful million-dollar decorators in Japan, which happened to be one of his lecturers, the God had sent to make one Naruto Uzumaki's life a hell lot of complicated in a painful, twisted way.
"Uzumaki. Have a seat." was the order Naruto received from the somehow intimidating man before he made his way to sit across the Uchiha with a mahogany desk separating them. Naruto would never understand what the guy was thinking. Since the beginning of the time, about three years ago, he never heard the guy called others with honorific after their last name, and he never heard the guy calling others with the first name, either. Either the guy was too much of an anti-social with no close friends or the guy was too heartless to even care.
His classmates had said that he was Uchiha's favorite since the beginning of the time about how he would always be the one who the Uchiha would call out for, no matter what it would be which was false because the guy seemed to always have the way to get on his nerves or so what he defended himself to others.
If a person made someone as their favorite, wouldn't they treat them nice? If his friends were right, then he hoped that he wasn't anybody's favorite.
"Have you gotten yourself a place for an internship?"
Oh right, internship this time… Not so lame, after all… Now that he thought about that… "No, sir."
Uchiha raised his eyebrow. "How come? What did you do this whole time, then?"
See? The guy would always rub it on him like a lotion. Calm down, Naruto… "I have been busy with my part-time job and other things…" He trailed off. Well, he needed money for the university…
"I believe that you have to put your school first than anything else. Don't you worry about whether you would graduate, no?"
Naruto suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. If they were in the same age, they would never get along and Naruto would punch the guy to death for being an ass. Why did the guy always have his way on him? Did the guy not have a fucking life? And why would it always be him? What did he do in his past life to deserve this? Did he kill a puppy?
Naruto sighed. He was being too exaggerating. "I'm sorry, sir. I will look for one." If he wasn't thinking about graduating, he would bark back at the guy for sticking up his nose for everything he did, or even his life. Why? He had everybody's attention, that's why, and it left him with no one. One time he had liked a girl and she seemed to like him back but then just the next day he saw the girl with the Uchiha and then the day after when he was about to ask the girl out, she turned him down. Just what the hell?
"With the remaining time you have, I am afraid that you wouldn't get it in time,"
Naruto raised his eyebrow in confusion. Back to the current topic, they still have thirty days left until the internship so he thought that he would get one in no time but what's with this guy? Did he seriously think that he wouldn't get one in less than a month? Did he really underestimating him this much?
Naruto was ready to counterattack but the guy cuts him off. "-so I will offer you to have an internship in my company."
WHAT THE HELL? Grr… This guy! If it was what his intention would be from the beginning, then why did he have to ramble first? Oh right, Uchiha-sensei always did things in a complicated way.
"I-"
"Oh and one thing, Uzumaki… I don't take no for an answer."
Fucking… What? Naruto wanted to retort something but there's no word coming out from his mouth and it made him appear like a fish on the land in need for oxygen.
What the hell?
Oh, that fucking smirked… How he seriously wanted to punch that demonic expression so bad. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to control himself from exploding. But then at the bright side, at least the guy helped him saving the time to look for a company. And on top of that, wait… Did the guy just offer him to have an internship in the Uchiha's Group?
"Uchiha-sensei, are you offering me to actually have an internship in your company?" He had to ask again just to make sure if he heard it right, no? The group was best known for their million dollar decorators and decorations! Uchiha could actually earn enough money from the group alone but why would he actually volunteer himself in teaching? That's right, this was Uchiha and they were just unpredictable and unreadable in a complicated, twisted way. Naruto seriously had thought about the guy as an alien.
Uchiha raised his eyebrow, still smirking. "Are you deaf, Uzumaki?"
Fucking… "No, sir, I mean, maybe I heard it wrong so-"
"Make sure you don't have any other plans in the near future. Pack your bags and I will send my man to pick you up on Sunday evening. We will start on Monday."
Wait a minute… "Pack my bags for?" What's the packing shit? "Also, Sunday when?" He didn't seriously think Sunday, as in the day after tomorrow, right?
Uchiha rolled his eyes. "You heard me, Idiot."
Idiot? "What? Isn't that the internship would start next month?"
"Pack your bags, because you are moving with me. Sunday… as in the day after tomorrow. And FYI, I need you as soon as possible. The earlier you start, the earlier you'll finish."
"Hey, why would I be moving out with you?"
"Because. Having an internship in a big scale company is a pain in the ass and I will need you all the time at any moment and I expect you to get ready at any time, and I wouldn't want to have to wait for you to come from that filthy place of yours that you called your house to me, got it?"
"What kind of work I am in, anyway?" and anyway, filthy house? Just what-
"You are going to be my assistant."
Excuse me? "But, my part-time job-" It was hard enough to be his, say, favorite student, for about three years by now and it only less than five days each week, and now Uchiha wanted him to be his assistant? And what's more, asking him to live under the same roof with the Uchiha? He would face the guy who practically annoyed him to no end for three fucking months, twenty-four seven?
"Don't worry. I will pay you. Just say how much you need and I will think about it."
Naruto hesitated with the whole idea. But then again, he had heard rumors of those of his seniors who had an internship with the Uchiha group that the pay was high and the Uchiha himself just said that he could just say how much he needed, and it was his weakness, high pay.
"You don't need to worry about bills and foods."
Shit, this was it. "Okay then."
"Good. I will call you an hour before my man picks you up, Sunday."
Naruto nodded and bowed for the last time before he took his leave. He had no idea that it would be the beginning of the apocalypse…