Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
I'm trying to type as many chapters beforehand as possible, so that you all don't have to wait as long for updates. That was my strategy for the original version of this fic, up until chapter five or so. Then I just magically threw a chapter out almost every day. It was crazy what I did back in high school, I wish I still had all that extra time on my hands now!
In this chapter, I thought I'd enlighten you all on how hard it is to be as beautiful as Sasuke, because it's pretty damn hard.
Recommended song for today!
Sungha Jung- That XX (Gdragon cover)
Again, dedicated to Olivia. As South Park once said "she is my muse, my flame."
JUST LIKE HEROIN
Chapter Two: Mr. A-List Celebrity
A loud beeping broke the wondrous silence in the Uzumaki household—apartment, whatever you wanted to call it. Two lumps, one big and one small, wiggled simultaneously underneath a cream-colored bed sheet, comforter having already been kicked onto the floor at some point during the night. Silo's new cat, a two-year-old blue calico named Moscow (1), was curled up on a pile of dirty clothes by the open bedroom door. Her ears shifted at the alarm, but her eyes remained closed, a whiskered lip twitching in half-slumber.
The biggest of the two lumps squirmed rather violently before a tan arm reached out to slam down on the clock, effectively silencing the annoying electronic device. There was a groan, followed by a drawn-out yawn. Sheets shifted to reveal a messy mop of golden hair and blue eyes at half mast. The man sat up and popped his neck while reaching over to shake the smaller boy under the sheet.
"Silo, it's time to get u-u-uuuuup," he couldn't stop the yawn, eyes crinkling.
The small boy popped his head out from under the covers with bright eyes, ready to start the day. He crawled out of bed and bounced over to Moscow, lifting her up and holding her as if he were cradling an infant. The feline blinked up at him while purring happily and Naruto watched the two with a warm smile on his face.
He was so happy Sasuke managed to get them into the pet store. Silo adored his new kitty companion, not leaving her behind for anything, even to go to the bathroom. The cat didn't seem to mind either, her face always set in an 'I love you, I love you, I love you!" expression. The two looked destined for each other.
"Chichiue, can we have pancakes for breakfast?" Silo asked, playing with Moscow's paws.
"Yessir, " Naruto rubbed at his tired eyes and climbed out of bed, his boxers hanging low on his hips. Apologizing to no one but his empty bedroom (since Silo had ran out already without notice), he tugged up on the silky material and trudged down the hallway, past his son who was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, and into the surprisingly clean kitchen.
Listening to the usual sounds of Silo getting ready for school, Naruto began to cook. As he went about grabbing a skillet and mixing bowl, a thought occurred to him and he straightened up, brows scrunching together in concentration.
Why exactly did that store associate let Sasuke in after hours? She'd looked severely smitten with him, but he was positive the dark-haired man wasn't the least bit interested, so they couldn't be dating. Theories raced through his head, but the best one he could come up with was that Sasuke was a celebrity stopping by for an extremely uncalled for visit.
"Hah," he got a good chuckle out of that, "and one day Sai will confess his undying love to you. Right. You should not even try to use your brain so early in the morning, Uzumaki."
"Chichiue?" Silo broke him out of his thoughts.
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
Naruto puckered his lips, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Do you need my permission to ask me something? Is this communist Russia?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing, nothing. I'm just being a silly grown-up."
Silo had Moscow in his arms, but he bent down to let her go before he spoke again. She rubbed against his legs lovingly, then bounced to the kitchen to eat some of her wet cat food. With a pout, the child fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt and wiggled his toes inside of his worn-out sneakers. It was a nervous habit of his: squirming.
"This Tuesday, moms are supposed to take their sons to work with them..." he trailed off, eyes burning holes into the kitchen's linoleum. "Do you think I can go with you instead? Since Okasan is..." he refused to finish.
The arm that was holding the flipping spatula lowered, Naruto's suspicious look instantly melting away.
"You know I'd love to take you to work with me, kiddo, but it just wouldn't be the same. You know?" he scratched at the back of his head, feeling terrible for his rejection. "I don't want you to be upset with me; I don't even think your teachers would let me take you, since I'm not your mom."
Silo blinked a few times and Naruto's heart throbbed. He knew when his little boy was holding back tears.
"It's okay, I understand," the crow mumbled.
"Some day, you're going to have a mom who loves you with all of her heart," Naruto continued to cook, finishing up the last of the pancakes and placing them on a red plate. Carrying them over to the table, he pulled out a chair and motioned for Silo to sit down. "You know what? She'll absolutely love taking you to work, too, so that she can show you off to all of her co-workers."
Silo smiled at that, cheering up a bit. He took the offered fork from his dad and dug in, squealing in delight.
"When am I gon' get a new Okasan?" he asked with chewed up pancake in his mouth.
Looking up in thought, Naruto tapped his chin.
"Hm, I don't know. I haven't even thought about dating anyone right now."
…
...
While plucking his eyebrows, Sasuke sneezed.
"Catching a cold?" Kakashi asked from his spot on the neatly made guest bed. He was flipping through a farming magazine while the raven was getting ready for the day, needing anything he could find to keep his mind off of how long it was taking. It was something he should have been used to, though. He'd worked alongside three Uchiha's in his lifetime and two out of the three were narcissistic beyond belief.
"No, there's just too much dust in here. Kiba probably doesn't clean it very often," he commented.
"I heard that, ass hole, and I clean in there almost every day so shut your mouth," Kiba waltzed into the guest room, leaning his body against the door frame to the bathroom so he could glare at the other man. His coffee colored hair was stuck to his jawline and neck with sweat , his red tribal tattoos on both cheeks barely noticeable because of how flushed his face was. He looked like he'd been running a marathon.
"You look terrible," Sasuke smirked, still tweezing his brows.
"Not everyone can look as fabulous as you, princess," Kiba retorted while reaching for the hand towel hanging by the sink, not apologizing when he elbowed Sasuke in the chest rather harshly. He rubbed at his face then at the nape of his neck, tilting his head back. "Is there a reason you're getting all dolled up, Honey Boo Boo?"
Kakashi chuckled in the other room.
Sasuke ignored the remark, sitting the tweezers on the bathroom counter and crossing his legs. He reached down and rummaged through a leather bag by his feet, then pulled out a bottle of facial cleanser, a small tub of skin moisturizer, and wax strips. Kiba's lip twitched.
"I do this every day, whether I go out or not. Is there a problem?"
Kiba snorted on laughter.
"Do you rub that green shit on your face and put cucumber slices on your eyelids too?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, popping open his facial cleanser to squirt it on his hands. Rubbing his palms together, he smeared it along his forehead and cheeks.
"Don't you have animals to tend to, Inuzuka? I'm busy."
"Oh, believe me, I'll be back outside soon enough. I just can't understand how any guy can spend so long on his appearance," Kiba ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, when I wake up, I wash my face, brush my teeth, shave if I need to... and that's about it. I don't even wash my balls unless I have a girl coming over."
Sasuke actually smiled at that one, rubbing cleanser onto his fair skin.
"You and I are very different, let's just say that."
"You can say that again. Oh, before I forget!" Kiba smacked his hand on the door frame for emphasis. "Kakashi told me that you'd probably be doing auditions for whatever homoerotic movie you're starring in next, so I offered up my place to host 'em. Er, as long as no dick touching goes on. That okay with you?"
"If you don't mind. It will only be a few people, if I even find anyone worth auditioning around here."
"Oh man, there's this guy I know who does these awesome YouTube videos with his friends. Reminds me of a young George Clooney," Kiba pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and began fooling around with it, trying to find something. "Man, my internet sucks out here... Well, whatever. His channel name is NoodleKid, look him up later. I gotta head back outside before Akamaru decides to run off."
Kakashi watched him leave, then turned to say something to Sasuke, stopping short when he noticed the Uchiha applying lip balm while ruffling his bangs with his fingers and batting his lashes in the mirror.
Sasuke caught him staring.
"If you don't have anything kind to say, then leave."
Kakashi just sighed and stood up, leaving the magazine on the bed as he left the guest room.
…
...
"Good morning," Sai greeted his gathered group of coworkers with a friendly smile.
"G'morning, Sai!" Sakura replied cheerfully, waving at him from behind a shorter girl with pale eyes. "G'morning, Naruto!"
Sai turned to look over his shoulder, watching said blond run up behind him with his uniform shirt slung over his arm. For some reason, he never liked coming in or leaving work with his navy blue shirt on, but Sai didn't mind in the least because that meant he got a few minutes to enjoy the view. Clearing his throat, Sai held out a fist, which received an enthusiastic bump from Naruto.
"Yo!" Naruto greeted everyone, wiping at his sweaty brow with his forearm. "What are you all doing here at the same time? That never happens. It's like 'Children of the Corn'"
Hinata, the worker with the pale eyes, blushed, tapping her pointer fingers together in a nervous gesture. Her short black hair fell around her ears as she looked down at her sneakers.
"I-I have a doctor's appointment later, so I'm m-making up the hours now," she answered with a timid smile.
"The beautiful birds outside of my bedroom window awoke me to this glorious day, singing 'Lee, Lee! Wake up and enjoy what wonderful youth you have!', so here I am," a thin boy with a bowl cut and thick eyebrows bounced on his feet, smiling like his answer was a completely sane one.
Sakura stared at Lee and made a face, before turning her attention back to Naruto.
"There's a new movie out that I want to get before it's sold out," she started. "Sai is going to be grabbing me a copy from the back right now, aren't you Sai?" she tilted her head to the side cutely and blinked soft, emerald eyes in the direction of the electronics associate.
"Of course," Sai answered, "anything for you," he cooed. Sakura smacked his arm.
"Come on, my shift starts in fifteen," the pink-haired employee tugged Sai by the hand, gesturing for Naruto to follow. "I'm so excited, I heard the movie was really good," she began to gush as they made their way toward the back of the store. Her grip tightened on Sai's hand. "Oh boy, what I would give to plant a big kiss right on Uchiha Sasuke's wonderful lips..." she squealed.
"Sasuke?" Naruto piped up. "I met a Sasuke last night when I took Silo to the pet store."
"I doubt it was him. What would an A-list celebrity be doing in Frederick, Maryland of all places?"
"I don't know, but he was pretty good looking for a guy," Naruto thought back on the previous night. "He had on an expensive suit, too. Not businessman-like, but... movie star-like."
Sai frowned at the comment and Naruto took notice.
"Aw, don't be jealous! You're the best looking guy out there!" the blond beamed, ruffling his friend's hair.
"Look who it is," their manager, Jiraiya, chuckled from his spot behind the electronics counter. "All three of you here at one time? This must be karma for finishing off my wife's last bottle of vodka without telling her."
"Oh shush," Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Since Sai's not clocked in, do you think you could grab me a copy of Narita Heights? I want it by my register, so I can look at Sasuke's gorgeous face all day..." she sighed dreamily.
"Eh, sure, kid," Jiraiya took out a set of keys from his back pocket and headed toward the stock room, rolling his eyes at Sakura's excited giggle behind him. Women. No matter what day in age it was, they were always the same.
"So what does this Sasuke guy you're so in love with look like?" Naruto asked, still feeling a bit curious.
Sakura put on a lecherous smile then.
"He's delicious. He has beautiful, creamy skin, silky black hair, a chocolatey deep voice... I swear I had an orgasm once just listening to him talk."
Sai made a disgusted face while Naruto grinned.
"Sakura, I'm pretty sure that's the guy I met last night."
"No way, I don't believe you," the girl crossed her arms.
"Trust me, that's the guy."
"Did you have an orgasm listening to him talk, too?" Sai entered in curiously, his voice a bit strained.
"Oh yeah," Naruto laughed. "Like, five times."
"Sorry to butt in," Jiraiya returned and tucked his keys back into his pocket, "but here's your chick-flick, Pinky Pie," he held out a DVD case to the beaming pink-haired associate and she gladly took it, lifting it up for Naruto to see.
"Is this the guy you saw?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
All it took was one quick glance at the cover and Naruto crossed his arms, whistling low and laughing.
"Oh boy. Sakura-chan, what would you do for me if I got you an autograph?"
…
...
Naruto groaned inwardly, hoping his day would speed up and come to an end. Now, he usually never had a complaint about his job (other than that he'd like to be able to legally punch a few people for being creepers), but his head was starting to pound and he had a feeling in his stomach similar to a baby kicking. He wasn't one to let sickness affect him, so he just continued on with his work with a huge smile on his face and a gleeful tinge to his voice.
Unfortunately, he was getting worn down quick. Sweat was prickling on his brow just as the clock by the front customer restrooms struck six. Only two more hours and he'd be able to collapse in his bed and pass out. Though, anyone who has ever been sick on the job can say those two hours were going to be pure hell.
The customers weren't helping with his dilemma either, none of them interesting enough to keep his mind off of how shitty he felt. An older woman fumbled with her wallet across from him, mumbling something about her bank card in a thick Polish accent. He wasn't paying the least but of attention to her, his blue eyes staring longingly at the slushy machine churning icy goodness in Subway.
"Credit, please."
Blinking, Naruto tapped a finger onto his screen and apologized to the woman for spacing out. She didn't say anything as she put the last of her groceries in her cart and headed out, one of the cart's wheels squealing loudly as she went. He turned, once again, to stare at the slushy machine. It was practically screaming at him to have a cup and he was too busy debating if he wanted cherry or coca-cola to notice the few items being dumped onto his conveyer belt.
"You look like you don't want to be here," a deep voice drew Naruto back to the real world.
Sasuke stood across from him, wearing a pair of form-fitting denim jeans and a short-sleeve v-neck the color of rusted metal. Casual clothes looked good on him, Naruto noted, and he even leaned forward to look at the raven's shoes over the bagging area. He grinned as he spotted the cowboy boots. There was no way those were his; he'd bet his life on it.
"This is what I get for only packing dress shoes," the Uchiha joked.
Naruto choked on a laugh.
"They wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have those sequin hearts on the side," he sniggered. "You manage to pull it off, though."
Naruto went to scan Sasuke's items, but stopped dead when he saw what they were. He tossed a hesitant look in the man's direction, but then grinned cheekily. He scanned both the lube and rubber gloves with a flamboyant flick of his wrist.
"You dog."
Sasuke snorted, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket and flipping through his cards.
"I can assure you that they're not for anything sexual."
"Uh-huh. Your total comes to $6.54."
Sasuke pulled out his VISA and was about to slide it through the card reader, but a photo next to the register caught his eye. It was a picture of Naruto's son in swimming trunks at the pool, flexing his non-existent biceps for the camera with a dopey smile on his face and a band-aid on his cheek. Humming in thought, he turned around and picked a Christmas themed VISA gift card and handed it to the cashier.
"Put five-hundred dollars on this, please," he asked.
Not only did Naruto's eyes become wide, but so did the eyes of the few customers in line.
"Er, alright."
It shouldn't have been that much of a shock to the blond, since he was positive the other male was "big business", as Sakura had put it before their shift began. Sasuke probably had enough money do whatever the hell he wanted, so with a shrug and a few taps on his screen, the transaction was finished, two receipts were handed over, and the two items were bagged.
"You get a gift receipt and a normal receipt for the card," Naruto pointed out. "Try to hold onto the gift receipt, just in case."
"Thank you," Sasuke did a quick once-over of the slip of paper before grabbing his bag.
"Don't be a stranger," Naruto smiled. "I'm here every day other than Sundays and Wednesdays, so try and stop by for some more lube if you need it," he teased.
"Most certainly," Sasuke replied with a short chuckle of his own. "And try to get some rest, you're looking a little pale," he commented before lifting his hand in a farewell and walking in the direction of the automatic doors. But instead of exiting, he took a left and went into the Subway, disappearing into the back sitting room out of Naruto's line of sight.
Naruto really didn't know what to say about the actor, other than that he was actually very kind for someone who naturally looked like a brood. If he hadn't met him before, he was sure he'd be a bit intimidated. He definitely carried himself like a big, scary corporate CEO, with the dark suits and hard eyes.
A painful lurch in his stomach made him focus back on his job, his teeth gritting. He only had two hours left, then he could suck down all of the pepto he wanted to. Greeting his next customer in line, he began scanning and bagging their groceries, only to be interrupted by one of the Subway associates waving at him from beside his bagging area. He continued to bag, smiling at her.
"Hola, Carmen," he winked.
"Hola, sweetheart," the dark-haired, caramel-skinned beauty flushed. "I have a gift for you," she handed him the very same gift card Sasuke ordered not even five minutes ago, along with the gift receipt, a cherry slushy, and a written message on a white napkin. Taking everything from her, Naruto looked down at the perfect handwriting with his mouth open. There was no way someone who was almost a complete stranger gave him a five-hundred dollar gift card.
A close friend of mine is a single parent and I understand how difficult it is. Merry Christmas.
Naruto almost dropped the card, his fingers trembling.
"That... that charitable bastard," he grinned, eyes crinkling.
…
...
"Chichiue!" Silo jumped onto his father as soon as he entered the apartment. "Can we go see a movie?!"
Naruto groaned, rubbing at the ache just above his eyes.
"Can we do it tomorrow? I have a splitting headache and I feel like I'm going to hurl..." he grumbled, ruffling his son's hair and trudging forward to flop down on the couch. He ignored the snort from the love seat across from him, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. Silo plopped down on the floor beside him.
"Thank you for picking Silo up from day care and watching him, Baa-chan. I didn't know they were closing early tonight," he cracked one eye open and smiled tiredly at the busty blonde woman settled on his loveseat with a purring Moscow on her lap.
Tsunade, a close friend and Jiraiya's wife, lifted the feline from her lap and placed her on the floor.
"There's a bug going around," she walked over and pressed the back of her hand against the man's forehead. "All three of my grand-kids have it, but it's mostly head pain and stomach aches. Try and get some rest so you can go see that movie with Silo-chan, alright?" her bright red lips pulled up into a smile and she flicked Naruto's forehead before he could reply.
"Yes, ma'am. Drive home safe," he waved to her as she grabbed her purse from the coat rack and left. Silo was crawling onto the couch by his legs in an instant, laying his cheek against a bony knee with bright, worried eyes.
"I hope you feel better," he whispered, harsh hues of blue flashing over his skin from the muted television.
"Don't you worry, I'll be back at one-hundred percent in the morning," Naruto assured him, turning to look at the old flat screen. Silo's favorite cartoon, Adventure Time, was playing and he was curious as to why it was on mute. "This is your favorite episode, how come you're not watching it?"
Silo looked away, lips tight. He reminded Naruto of the child's mom when she was worrying over something.
"Hey there, what's wrong?"
The crow was hesitant to reply, but he eventually propped himself up on his elbows so he could face his dad.
"I told Baa-chan something... before you got here," he began quietly. "Promise me you won't hate me?"
"There's not a single thing in this world that could make me hate you, musuko."
"I..." Silo stopped himself, then breathed in, "I think I like boys."
Naruto blinked. If there was one thing he hadn't prepared himself for, it was his son telling him he was gay. That was a talk a parent had with their child when they were a teenager nearing adulthood, not when they were six going on seven. He didn't even know if someone could know their sexuality so young... but then again, he'd started flirting with girls his first day of kindergarten.
"Um," he didn't really know what to say. He didn't disapprove, he was just shocked. "I'm not mad. I'm just... absorbing."
"What does that mean?" Silo bit his lip.
"It means I'm a sponge..." he mindlessly mumbled. "Silo, you can like whoever you want because I'll love you just the same. But are you sure you like boys?"
The crow pouted, pink cheeks visible even in the blue shadows of the T.V.
"There's a boy who goes to daycare with me and when I see him, I-" he stopped.
"You get butterflies in your tummy?" Naruto finished for him, sitting himself up and pulling the boy close. "I know, I know. Did I ever tell you that I knew your mom when I was your age? She was the very first girl I liked," he smiled fondly at the memory. "She used to call me names and throw toys at me, but I still got those butterflies every time I saw her."
Silo snuggled close, breathing in and shutting his eyes.
"Do you think Okasan would still love me?"
"If she found out you liked boys? Of course!" Naruto ruffled Silo's hair. "Your mom wouldn't care at all. But hey, how about this? Why don't you invite your 'friend' to come with us to the movies some time? It would be a lot more fun than going with just boring ol' me," he laughed.
His son's face reminded him of a tomato.
"I-Invite him?" he croaked, looking nervous.
"Haha! Look at you!" the blond tickled Silo's sides. "Don't get all shy!"
"S-s-stooooop!" the boy giggled, flailing around but not being able to get away. Tears sprung to his eyes as he choked on his breath, his laughter bouncing off of the apartment walls. "Lemme go!"
"Are you gonna invite him?"
"F-fine! Just lemme go!"
To be continued...
(1)- As soon as I tried to find a name for that cat, MOSCOW lit up my mind like a 4th of July show.
Hope you all liked the new chapter two! Silo is six instead of five, meaning Naruto is 21 instead of 20. Why would I change something so unimportant? I don't even know. I also really like the feeling between Naruto and Sasuke in this story as opposed to my others ones. There's just something strong there, even from the beginning and I absolutely love that.
Please remember to review!