Chapter 1: Better

Sasuke moved from place to place until he finally decided to settle down in a small house in Boston. After her older brother went back to Maine to care for their mother, the twenty-three year old decided to go at it alone.

The house was small, unfurnished and plain. The walls were all painted white and there were no carpets. Everything was hardwood. Upon entering there is a foyer for shoes and a step that led inside. The house was all one story so there were no stairs. Past the foyer was a hallway with two doors on either side: one for the closet and one for a fully furnished bathroom. The hallway led to a fork and a sliding glass door.

On the right was the living room area. There was a built-in fireplace made from white stone. There was another door that led to the master bedroom (accompanied with toilet and shower), which had a walk-in closet and a master bath. To the left was the kitchen with an all-around counter top, built-in black oven/stove, dishwasher and sink. All he needed was a refrigerator and electricity.

Itachi saw the house before and after he bought it and gave his little brother kudos; he liked the place. It was quaint and cozy and perfect for a single guy like him. His only suggestion was to get the electricity working and some painting done. He and their mother had helped him with the furnishing part. His old king sized bed was moved into the bedroom, along with his nightstand and box of giant candles that he would use for light until his electricity was up and running.

Sadly, though, Sasuke was on a budget of $3,000 dollars.

The movers installed the Ultrafridge3000, a not so recent refrigerator, but it was spacious and it worked; that was all that mattered to Sasuke. It cost $700. The plumbers fixed his bathrooms and kitchen, all of which totaled to $1,230. To install electricity in the kitchen cost $900.89. Sasuke was left with $169.11 for groceries and absolutely no light or heating or air conditioning in his house except for the kitchen. Convenient.

Sasuke went about three weeks with a boring house and cereal for breakfast, chicken and tomato sandwiches for lunch and soba for dinner that the cheapest price. Luckily for him, though, it was about that time that his boss paid him for his hard work.

Sasuke was shamefully underpaid. By the time he got his pay check of $300.75, half went into his savings account and the other half went to food and electricity savings.

"You know, Sasuke, I think you need a man."

"I don't think so."

"No, no, I'm very serious. You used to talk about how you wanted to settle down and find a partner and have a nice house and a good job and –"

"Ino, I didn't move here to spend time with you. I wanted a fresh start. I don't want a serious relationship right now," Sasuke poured his old friend from college a glass of dragon-well tea. Yeah, he remembered saying that during his freshman year when he started dating a sophomore named Kankuro. They broke up a few months after because Sasuke didn't want to have sex with him. "I'm quitting my current job and getting a new one. I'm going to get damn heating before the winter, and a new TV. That's what I want."

"TV my ass. You said that shit rots your brain! Jesus, what did that bitch do to you?"

"Who, my mother?"

"No, I'm talking about Karin." Ino had a sour look on her face. Karin. The name was taboo to Ino's ears. Back at University of Maine, Sasuke dated two women: Ino and Karin. He neither broke up nor was dumped by her. It was a mutual agreement that they would rather be best friends. (Also because Ino thought Sasuke was too gay to date, but she didn't mention that…)

"Oh." Karin, on the other hand, was one who Ino liked to call a 'butt-fucking bitch.'

"Yeah, she ruined you. I know she did. You need a man."

"Why? So you can come over and watch us make a porno for you?"

"Yes and no, Sasuke. Yes and no. But you should know that I also care for your wellbeing."

Yeah, okay. Sasuke wanted to say that so badly. As an honest person, he should have and he definitely felt obligated to do so, but Ino was not the type to lose in an argument. They got along that way because it was something they had in common – but that was only one out of a few things. Everything else was different. For example, Sasuke liked skintight jeans for casual days while Ino wore skirts every day. For work as an accountant, she wore nice, pressed, normal skirts with dress shirts tucked in. On casual days she wore her outfits according to what was 'in' at the time.

Another thing was when it came to men and women. Sasuke was into those workaholic types, men for women, who weren't so clingy. Ino, however, would be willing to work for her man as long as she gets a good lay at the end of the day. Just as long as they weren't fat.

"Well," Sasuke murmured after pouring himself some tea and sipping some to keep it from spilling. "If I end up finding someone to settle down with, I'll let you know. But for now I want my TV."

"Can I at least get you a blind date? Just one, I swear!"

Sasuke scoffed and cocked his head to the side. He was so irritated. She called him almost every night asking to set him up with some random person from work 'for his wellbeing and health'. But, alas, he said, "Okay. Just one. And not anytime soon. My mother is having someone paint my house tomorrow afternoon and I'll be home while the person paints."

"Done. Thanks for the tea, honey. I've got plans with Sakura and Hinata for lunch. Are you going to the wedding?"

"Sakura's?"

"Yeah, duh. She's the only one we know getting married in two weeks," she laughed.

Sasuke gave a small smile and hugged his old friend loosely. "Yeah, just keep me updated before I forget."

"See yah," Ino waved as she walked out the door, leaving a happy and unaccompanied Sasuke in the kitchen with wonderful scented tea in his hands. In the dead of winter, it was crucial that he had hot tea at all times while cuddled in blankets as he read his favourite Stephen King books.

Sasuke had a wonderful family. That wonderful family paid for him to paint his house!

Mikoto had called Kaka-Sensei's Designer Co. to paint his bedroom and kitchen in whatever colour he wanted, although Sasuke's artistic abilities were at the zero mark. Hopefully the painter was creative enough to help him out. An ugly house was not acceptable when mommy was paying for it to look wonderful.

The next day Sasuke made plans with himself to go to the market for new supplies. Traffic was not as bad as it had been when Sasuke first moved here during the summer, so Sasuke mentally congratulated himself when he got a parking spot close to the front entrance of the store.

He got a back of ripe tomatoes, two boxes of noodles and a roll of wheat bread for dinner. He also picked up a few boxes of healthy granola bars and milk.

When he got home he made enough spaghetti too last him the rest of the week. Around two o'clock that afternoon, his doorbell rang.

"Hi," the American man said when Sasuke opened the door.

"Hello. I assume you're Kiba?" he asked the man in a white painting suit that had stains all over it of all colours.

The blond guy at the front door smiled. This guy was really formal. "No, Kiba called in sick. I'm taking over for him today. My name is –"

"That's fine. Please, come in. I'll show you the bedroom."

Sasuke led the painter to his bedroom, not even noticing the taken-aback look on Naruto's face. Even if he did, he wouldn't care. He wasn;t here to be friends, just to do a job. Right?

The walls in the bedroom were white and plain, as described from the woman on the phone said. The only thing in the room was the bed and sheets, bedside table and a large bundle of candles that were on the bed and out the way.

"I'm not creative at all. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Well, describe your personality. We can go from there," The painter put down a large white sheet over the bed and table and another over the carpets. All the while, Sasuke was trying to describe his personality.

He couldn't.

The blond guy started to put blue tape around the baseboards while another man walked in with a ladder and a box full of colourful paints. He set them down and told the blonde that he'd be back later and left for his lunch break.

"What's your name?" the guy asked curiously.

"Sasuke," the brunette murmured, still thinking of ways to describe himself. He wasn't boring. He wasn't bubbly. He was just… Sasuke.

"That's a nice name. Do you have a favourite color?"

"No."

"Okay, what are your hobbies?"

"Working, I guess. I don't know."

"Tch. Well, by the end of the day I think I'll know you better than you know yourself."

Sasuke scoffed. "I don't doubt that."

"My name is Naruto, by the way."

"Nice to meet you,"

"Yeah, you too, Sasuke."

They played the question game for at least an hour or two. They sat on the floor and ate left over spaghetti. Everything was done except for the painting part.

"I think this room should be blue. Like, a very blue purple. We could do two adjacent walls that colour and just for fun make the other side's off-white, or maybe a lighter shade of violet. What d'you think?" Honestly, Sasuke liked the idea. That way he could put the bed against the coloured wall and have the candles hanging up on either side, or something. He was no interior designer. He was an accountant, for crying out loud.

"Okay." Naruto smiled crookedly, showing his perfectly straight, white teeth. Sasuke smiled back – though not as brightly. "Why that colour, though?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Well, you basically scream 'nerd'. Every conversation we've had today was serious all smart-people talk."

"I'm sorry I'm an intellectual person."

"No need to be sorry, Sasuke. I'm just trying to say that this room is one that you'd be sleeping or reading in. Not one to hang out." Sasuke nodded in agreement. Yeah, he definitely didn't want people hanging around in his bedroom. Not even his mother dared enter his bedroom to 'chill', as she called it. She was so hip.

"So, I say we take a look at the other room you want to do." Naruto took Sasuke's half-eaten and waited for Sasuke to stand up and lead the way. He put the plates in Sasuke's sink and followed him to his living room, which consisted of a loveseat couch and a large book case with only three shelves worth of books. There were two extra large boxes that were both unopened and probably full of books or clothes.

They sat on the couch, one studying the room and one studying the others' features. His skin was tan and perfectly shaped. His nose was not flat, but not too pointy. His eyes were so blue that they almost popped out of his face and said look at me, I'm beautiful! His hair was short and spiky. The only things questionable were the three whisker-like scars on his cheeks. Sasuke would ask about them, though. It might be too personal.

It wasn't like Sasuke was checking him out, though. He was just curious because without a doubt this guy was super attractive. Maybe not his type, but definitely attractive.

Naruto looked at Sasuke who looked away, slightly blushing.

"So, while you're checking me out, did you have anything in mind for this room?"

"Checking you out? Hardly."

"I was only kidding, Sasuke. You aren't really gay, are you?"

"What's it to you?" Well, that made things extremely awkward.

"I was just asking."

"Yeah…" Sasuke trailed off. He needed to learn to stop being so rude unintentionally.

Naruto shifted awkwardly on the couch while Sasuke sat perfectly still. All of a sudden the air thickened and both of them felt stuffy and hot. "So, did you have anything in mind, colour wise?"

"Not a clue." Sasuke opened one of the windows that had a view of the small front yard and the road the led to the highway.

"Can I?" Sasuke nodded. "Well, since this is a room you'd probably have company in so I think we could to a neutral colour. Maybe shades of tan." Naruto stood up and walked closer to the wall where the fireplace would be installed. "We could do it descending from dark to light starting from the bottom."

"Would that be harder, though? The layers would be thicker." Sasuke asked from the couch.

"Yeah, and it would cost you a little more, but a can make that cost a gift if you make me more of that noodle stuff for me," he said with a grin.

"It's called spaghetti, smart ass. And I guess I could. Do whatever you want." Naruto nodded.

"This is going to look so much better when it's all done. Thanks for letter me pick out the colours."

He started to tape the baseboards, top and bottom and Sasuke helped by covering the couch and moved the bookcase towards the middle of the room. Naruto's co-worker never showed back up, but Naruto didn't seem to mind.

"You look American, but your name says otherwise," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, my granddad was Japanese and married an American woman and had my dad and he took her blonde hair and eyes for some reason. My dad married Japanese and I popped out looking like him," he laughed. Sasuke smirked.

"Your last name…?"

"Uzumaki," he murmured with a thoughtful smile. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He shook away the look on his face that made Sasuke look at him just as thoughtfully. "Yours?"

"Uchiha."

"Ah,"

"Do you like your job, Naruto?" his question was a little off topic, but it just kind of left his lips at a moment's notice.

"I love it. If I could paint for the rest of my life, I'd be in my own personal heaven." He laughed. "Well, not really painting walls, but painting, nonetheless." He ripped off the extra tape and put it in his pocket.

"What do you paint, then?"

"People, mostly. I do a lot of nudes, though." Go figure, Sasuke thought with a smirk. "Don't get me wrong – I'm not that perverted. I just appreciate the human body, male and female. I mean, we spent how many years without clothes? Ya know?"

"I know. You are very educated aren't you?"

"I didn't go to college, but I'm fairly smart. Not like you are, though, Mr. Accountant." Naruto teased. He went to sit on the covered couch and slouched, looking a little too comfortable next to the brunette. "What about you? Counting numbers can't be that fun, can it?"

"It's not fun, per se. I'm good at it."

"And you don't do anything for fun, then?"

"As I said, I like to read."

"Do you write?"

"I have. I minored in creative literature my freshman year, but that wouldn't get me any money."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

For a moment, Sasuke thought about what Ino said. He needed a man. He needed the company of someone who he could trust and learn to live with, to fight with and resolve conflicts with. He agreed to some extent, but if he told Ino about his small attraction to Naruto, she'd flip out and tell him to go for it, possibly contact Naruto and try to set them up. Sasuke probably wouldn't mind, but Naruto wasn't really his type. He had the looks, but he wasn't the workaholic smarty-pants that Sasuke wanted. Naruto seemed… clingy, almost. He hadn't done it, but he just had that vibe to him.

But he and Naruto would surely become friends, even if Sasuke didn't want to be.

Beep! Beepbeep!

Both of them got up and looked out in Sasuke's driveway; the co-worker was outside and waiting to leave.

"I guess my shift is over. I'll come back tomorrow and we can get started on this room, sound good?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke showed Naruto to the door after retrieving the box of paints that sat in Sasuke's bedroom.

"Thanks for the food, Sasuke."

"Don't mention it,"

Sasuke opened the door to let Naruto out, but he didn't exactly leave right away. He paused and bit his bottom lip. "You don't… you don't think you'd wanna… you know, go out for coffee sometime?"

Somehow, Sasuke saw that one coming. He merely chuckled and smirked. "I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto."

Looking a little hurt, Naruto walked out with hope in his eyes. "Yeah, tomorrow then."

He watched as Naruto put the box in the back of the truck and walked around to get in the passenger seat.

"Naruto, I'll think about it," he called out. Naruto's face lit up and he smiled. Sasuke didn't wait for a response before he shut the door and looked it. It was about seven, so he pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial.

A male voice answered. "Sasuke? Did the painter come over?"

"Yeah, he just left." Sasuke walked into his kitchen and hunched his should up to hold his phone in place. He put the rest of his uneaten spaghetti in the trash and shoved it in the dishwasher and started on Naruto's plate.

"Okay. Did he start?"

"He's coming back tomorrow."

There was a slight silence over the phone and then the man asked, "Why do you sound so sad?"

"Itachi, I have this feeling that something is going to happen, and I'm not sure if it's good or bad."

"Well, you know what?"

"What?"

"I think you should do whatever your heart tells you."

"Why do you say that like I'm in love?"

"Why do you imply I'm talking about you being in love?"

Sasuke didn't answer that. He took in his brothers words as if they were his last, but his last words for this conversation were, "Just think about it, little brother. You'll know it when you feel it."

That's when he realized that he was still scrubbing Naruto's plate. He hung up the phone, dried his hands and headed to his freezing cold bedroom. He showered, brushed his teeth and climbed into his bed under a mountain of blankets and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Yeah, he just might take him up on that coffee date.

a/n: yay (: okay, so what do you think? I need to know! The reason I called this one 'Higher' is because... well, you'll find out. I was inspired, however. when my dad and brother took down the mirrors in my bathroom and were repainting. They did a horrible job at painting, so, as the only real painter in the house at the time, I took liberty to paint away all the streaks and make it bold.

Then I saw that they were just going to hang up new mirrors.

So much for a job well done.