One Night
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: Naruto and Sasuke take the first tentative steps towards a real relationship, but you'll find out next chapter that things are never as easy as they first appear ;)
Chapter 2
Sasuke knew that it was a risk, but he had no other choice. His hands shake slightly as he pulls out his cell phone and calls Itachi. Itachi was likely never going to let him live this down, but he always gave sound advice. That's what he needed at the moment.
"Itachi." Sasuke says into the phone.
"Sasuke, it's good to hear from you. Though I'm a bit surprised you called while on your lunch break. That can only mean one thing, you did something foolish." The elder Uchiha greets him.
The young lawyer sighs. He wanted to deny that, but this time it was accurate. He had done something very foolish. He slept with his best friend.
"You know I resent that implication. I don't only call you when something bad happens." Sasuke protests.
"That's true, but you only call during my lunch break during emergencies. So what did you do this time? Please don't tell me that you found a camera hidden in your shower again." The personal injury lawyer says.
That's right. Itachi specialized representing clients who had been injured through no fault of their own. His particular specialization got a bad wrap sometimes, but Sasuke knew better than to judge Itachi based on his job title. He was damn good at getting people the money they deserved. Insurance companies definitely liked to rip off their customers.
"That was only one time and she moved out of the country anyway. No, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You're right though. I fucked up. I fucked up GOOD." Sasuke admits.
"Your admirers certainly can be a little overenthusiastic at times. Quite honestly, I think a restraining order or two might be in order. Now tell me what's troubling you." The elder Uchiha replies.
Sasuke braces himself. Itachi was never going to let him live this down. Still this his best chance at salvaging his friendship with Naruto or maybe taking it to the next level. His older brother was practically a sage when it came to this type of thing. He would know what to do. Itachi always did.
"I've considered asking for restraining orders, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not really sure if this is the sort of thing that can be discussed over the phone. Think you can swing by my place tonight? I can order us some pizza or something." Sasuke offers.
"Foolish little brother, of course I can stop by. Though I refuse to dine on fast food. I'll bring something with me. Honestly, what would mother say if she knew you were reduced to eating that junk food?" Itachi chides him.
Sasuke shrugs. It wasn't like he ate it every night. It was just easier than cooking some nights after a long day in the courtroom or at his office. That was all.
"Alright, you can bring some food. You aren't actually going to tattle on me though, are you?" Sasuke demands.
"No, I'm not going to inform mother of your poor dietary habits. You simply have to remedy them. I will be there at eight. I have to get back to work though. I'll see you then." Itachi says as he hangs up on Sasuke.
Later that night, Itachi shows up at Sasuke's place. The elder Uchiha brother raises an eyebrow at the young lawyer's solemn expression. He looked like a man that was walking to the gallows.
"That expression is rather dramatic. I'm certain this will be highly entertaining. I brought a nice steak dinner though." He informs him.
"That does look pretty good. Just set it on the table. I guess I might as well just get this over with. You know how I went to Naruto's birthday party?" Sasuke asks.
Itachi merely nods. That was a given. Sasuke and Naruto had been friends for years. What was so scandalous about him attending the blonde's party? It would have been more shocking, if he hadn't.
"Yes, I'm aware. What of it?" The smoky eyed Uchiha asks.
"Well we had a lot of drinks. I called us a cab. When we got back, one thing led to another and we slept together." Sasuke admits in a rush.
The other lawyer blinks. Whatever he had been expecting, that hadn't been it. Oh he knew that there was something lurking underneath the surface between the two of them. Something a lot stronger than friendship, but he didn't actually expect them to act on it.
"I must admit, you have surprised me. I didn't think you were going to say that. Was it a mutually enjoyable experience?" He asks.
"Itachi, that is NOT the point!" Sasuke snaps at him.
"What? I'm merely curious. Besides, it is part of the point. Do you wish to just remain friends or did your encounter make you want more than that?" Itachi inquires.
Sasuke pauses. He knew that his answer was very important here. Both to his relationship with Naruto and determining how badly Itachi would tease him about this for the rest of his life.
"I'm not going to lie. It was extremely mutually enjoyable, as you say. Still that's a big risk to take. We've been friends so long and I don't know if I want to risk jeopardizing that because he's a talented lover." The younger Uchiha replies warily.
"Just out of curiosity, who topped? Not that it makes a difference. I don't want graphic details, but you know there is a betting pool going around." The other lawyer informs him.
Sasuke blinks. A betting pool?! People were betting that he and Naruto were going to have sex and on who would top?! Of all the sick, twisted garbage that he had heard in his life, that took the cake!
"It's a good thing you are a personal injury lawyer. They are going to need your expertise, when I get done with them. I want names." The raven haired man demands.
Itachi chuckles. Sasuke had always been a rather feisty individual. It was what made him such a good lawyer. (Well that and his keen mind, of course.)
"I refuse to tell you their names. I would rather not have to bail you out of jail. Are you going to answer the question?" His brother inquires.
Sasuke shakes his head. Fuck no. Either way, he'd never live it down. If he told Itachi that he topped, he'd tease Naruto. If he told his brother that Naruto topped, Itachi would tease him. It just wasn't going to happen.
"You didn't answer my question, so I'm not going to answer yours. Anyway, what do you think I should do?" The Prosecutor asks.
"Well you won't come out and say it directly, but the implication is rather clear. You'd be agreeable to the idea of it lasting more than one night. You are just scared that if it doesn't work out, you'll lose your best friend. It's a valid fear, but you have to decide which is stronger. Desire or fear." Itachi answers him.
The raven haired man frowns at that answer. They were both really strong. Sasuke believed in being honest with himself, his body definitely wouldn't say no to another go. His mind knew that it was best to proceed with caution though.
"We are best friends and we work together. If it didn't work out, that would be really awkward to have to work in the same building." Sasuke points out.
"Indeed it would. As Sharingan is a family practice, I imagine that he would be the one to leave in that case. Don't let your concern over your professional lives ruin your personal ones though. Naruto could easily find another job, in the worst case scenario." His brother reassures him.
Sasuke nods. That was true. Naruto was a rising star in the legal community. The man got a new job offer at least every couple of months. Some of them were very attractive to put it mildly.
"You're right about that. Naruto always lands on his feet." Sasuke concedes.
"Have you talked to Naruto yet about this?" Itachi inquires.
Sasuke sighs. Yes, he had. The blonde was a bit cautious, but apparently feeling more daring about the whole thing than he was at the moment. He wasn't exactly sure how to explain that to Itachi, but he had to try.
"Yes. We had lunch a little before I called you." The younger man confesses.
"And how did that go? Did you discuss what happened between the two of you or did you both evade the issue at hand?" The smoky eyed Uchiha asks.
The Prosecutor takes a deep breath and braces himself. He knew that Itachi wouldn't let him get away without answering that question. So he summoned up all his courage and did so.
"We discussed it. Long story short, I think he wants to give it a shot. He's cautiously optimistic." Sasuke replies.
"He's cautiously optimistic? Hmm cautious isn't a word that I associate with Naruto. Alright then. How would you describe your view of everything? If he's cautiously optimistic, what are you?" The older lawyer questions him.
"Realistic?" Sasuke offers.
Itachi shakes his head. What on Earth was he going to do with his foolish little brother? It was a damn good thing that Sasuke had him or he'd be completely hopeless.
"Well let him know that you have no issue with exploring a more romantic relationship with him, provided that you take things slow and certain ground rules are set beforehand." The other lawyer suggests.
Sasuke mulls that over. He nods after a few minutes. Maybe Itachi was right. He and Naruto were both lawyers. They understood the importance of being thorough and stating your case. It might work.
"Yeah. Maybe I'll do that. Thanks, Itachi." He says.
"Of course, what are big brothers for. Since you didn't answer my earlier question though, I shall just assume that Naruto was the more aggressive lover." Itachi taunts him and Sasuke growls.
"ITACHI!" The younger Uchiha hisses at him.
"Oh come now. Surely, you can't begrudge me having a little fun." His brother says and Sasuke sighs.
He knew that he would never be able to tell Itachi everything, without being teased. It was just the price he paid for advice. Still it was good to know that his brother had his back, even if Itachi could be annoying about it sometimes.
"Right. So I'll just talk to him about it tomorrow then." Sasuke says and Itachi nods approvingly.
The next day, Naruto heads to work. He was pathetic, he mentally decides. He was looking for every excuse he could walk past Sasuke's office. Sasuke always left his office door open, when he wasn't in a meeting. It was his way of advertising that he was available to help you, if you needed it.
Right now, the blonde swore that someone up there was taunting him. Sasuke was doing some paperwork. His bastard had a habit of sipping on a drink while he waged a war against the dreaded Paperwork Monster of Doom!
Normally, this wasn't a problem for Naruto. Now that he knew what Sasuke could do with his mouth though, it definitely was. There was something very Freudian about the way that Sasuke would chew on his straw while he sucked on it and continued his valiant effort to slay the paperwork.
"Naruto, just go talk to him." Gaara says and Naruto jumps about three feet into the air.
"Shit! Don't sneak up on me like that!" The blonde yells.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow, when he hears the commotion and gets up. He saunters over to them and shakes his head. He didn't even need to say it. He wanted to know what the big deal was.
"Sorry. I just startled Naruto. It's hard to understand how such a brilliant lawyer can be so oblivious to his surroundings sometimes. He tends to miss the most obvious things." Gaara says.
Damn it. Gaara knew. Sasuke mentally smacks his forehead against a wall. The red head was aware that something was going on between him and Naruto. The precise level of detail that the other lawyer was aware of was unclear, but he definitely knew something.
"Yes, I've wondered about that more than once. Naruto, do you want to give me a hand on the Sannin case? I'm never going to get this paperwork done by myself before closing time." Sasuke asks.
"Yeah. Sure! No problem!" Naruto says as he walks inside Sasuke's office and shuts the door behind them.
Gaara shakes his head in amusement. Finally, there was some progress on the Sasuke and Naruto front. He of course had participated in the pool. His bet was that Sasuke topped. Surprisingly, Itachi was betting that Naruto would. The bets were split right down the middle actually.
"Well that's my good deed for the day." He mutters to himself as he heads off.
"So what are you working on exactly?" The blonde asks.
"The standard paperwork. I haven't gotten into the meat of the case yet." Sasuke replies with a shrug.
Naruto raises an eyebrow. He knew his bastard. Sasuke could cut through the standard bullshit like a knife could demolish butter. He didn't need help with THAT.
"We both know that is such bullshit. You've never needed help finishing that up before." The blonde says.
"I know, but it sounded good." The raven haired lawyer defends himself.
"Yeah. I guess it did." The blue eyed man agrees and pauses as he tries to think of what to say.
He should say something. Sasuke had wanted some time to think it over. It had only been a day, but Gaara was right. People like Sasuke didn't stay single for long. It was kinda a miracle he wasn't already seeing someone.
"So how are your cases going?" Sasuke asks.
"Good. I shouldn't have any problem winning my latest one. Pretty much a slam dunk really. They should have assigned it to a rookie." The blonde says brightly.
"Naruto, you are a rookie. You're barely out of law school." Sasuke notes with amusement.
Naruto shakes his head. Nah. He wasn't a rookie and Sasuke damn sure wasn't. They were the best at what they did. It didn't matter how many years they had over their belt. Quality over quantity and all that.
"Nah. You know that's not true. You definitely wasn't saying that on Monday night either." The environmental lawyer insists.
Sasuke felt his face heat up. That was true. There was no getting around that. The boisterous lawyer was definitely not a rookie when it came to his skills in the courtroom or the bedroom.
"That's a little different than working on court cases." Sasuke says.
"Maybe a little. There are some similarities though." Naruto insists.
The youngest Uchiha debates for a moment. Did he even want to know how Naruto had decided that sex and arguing court cases were similar? Nevermind. It was probably better not to ask.
"I'm not even going to ask." The raven haired man replies.
"Awe. You know you are more fun when you are intoxicated? You are so strait-laced at work. Which is ironic considering that you are about as straight as a circle." Naruto continues.
"You didn't mind my "circular" nature on your birthday." Sasuke retorts.
Nope. That was true. Naruto definitely hadn't minded it then. Birthday sex really should become a thing. Best present ever and that included when his parents got him a car for his 16th birthday.
"You're right. It didn't. So did you think about it?" The blonde asks.
"Honestly? I haven't really thought of much else since then." Sasuke admits.
Naruto wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign. Should he press Sasuke for an answer or just let the other man spit it out at his own pace? He wasn't sure. Damn it.
"Did you figure out what your closing statement will be?" The environmental lawyer inquires.
"No. I think I might have figured out what my opening one is though." The youngest Uchiha replies cautiously.
The blonde mentally gulps. Well this was it. Once Sasuke made a decision, it was almost impossible for him to change his mind.
"So what's your opening statement then?" He asks nervously.
"I'm not going to lie. I'm worried. If this doesn't work out we might be throwing away our friendship and work would become rather uncomfortable for both of us. But if you were willing to agree to a few ground rules, then I might be willing to give it a shot." He says.
Well that was better than expected. Still Naruto wasn't exactly sure what Sasuke meant by ground rules. He nods his head encouragingly.
"Alright. What did you have in mind exactly?" The blue eyed lawyer dares himself to ask.
"We keep this completely separate from work for now. Our relationship is too new to have it subjected to office gossip. I know that Gaara knows. That was somewhat of a given, but don't tell anyone else." Sasuke states firmly.
That one kinda sucked. Naruto liked being affectionate with his lovers in public. He was fond of PDA. Sasuke was different in that respect though. Neji was the most serious relationship that he had ever had and he'd only seen Sasuke kiss him a handful of times in public.
"I should have figured that one was coming. Can I agree to that one, under the condition that we revisit it later?" The other man inquires.
"That's agreeable. Secondly, it's not going to happen again. Well at least not for a long time. If we are going to try this for real, we have to do so without the "assistance" of vodka, whiskey, beer, fruity drinks, or any other forms of alcohol. If we are intimate again, I don't want us to be able to blame it on the fact that we were drunk." The youngest Uchiha says.
"Yeah. That makes sense. Is that it?" Naruto asks and Sasuke nods.
Well that wasn't too unreasonable. He just didn't want to get cozy at the office or do it while they were drunk. He kinda expected a lot more resistance really.
"Alright. Well I have two conditions too." Naruto says brightly.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to. He gestures for the blonde to continue.
"I'm listening. What are your conditions?" He asks warily.
"Well exclusivity. While we are sorting this all out, I don't want anyone else hanging all over you. We'll get restraining orders from your stalkers, if necessary." Naruto begins.
Sasuke makes a small snort of amusement. That was definitely Naruto. He had never liked to share his "toys." It seemed that trait had carried over into the romantic sphere as well.
"Fine by me. I'm exclusive with anyone I date, anyway." He replies iwht a shrug.
"Great. My other condition is based on the assumption that we have sex again. If we do, I want to be able to tie you up next time. Nothing too crazy. Just you know handcuffs or something like that." The blonde assumes him.
Sasuke blinks. He hadn't seen that one coming. He probably should have though. Naruto had always been rather…creative. So he should have assumed he'd have at least a couple of hidden kinks. Apparently one of those was light bondage.
"That's putting the cart before the horse. I guess that's alright. You didn't say how long they had to stay on." He says with a smirk.
"Bastard, that is so not fair!" Naruto growls.
"You should have written your contract more carefully then. It's not my fault that you didn't think your request through. But yeah, I guess we have a deal then." Sasuke says, feeling rather smug at having outwitted his best friend and lover.
Naruto grumbles something about sneaky bastards. Sasuke shakes his head and smiles. Maybe this would work out. Naruto was still Naruto. Now their friendship just came with the benefit of really great sex.
"It's not my fault that you just lived up to the stereotype of dumb blondes." Sasuke replies with a shrug.
"Oh that's it. Definitely using the cuffs. You are going to pay for that one." Naruto says.
Sasuke smirks. He had always enjoyed getting under Naruto's skin. The best part about that was how easy it was to do. The blonde reacted to everything intensely. He honestly had no idea where Naruto got all his energy from. What was in that fucking ramen anyway?
"I'm trembling with…excitement. I have to get back to this paperwork. It's a pain in the ass, but it's got to be done. I'm sure you have actual work to do as well. So I'll see you later." Sasuke says as he turns his attention back to his job.
"You know you don't have to rush. Your family owns the place." The blue eyed lawyer protests.
"That's exactly why I can't afford to be seen slacking. I don't want anyone to think that I didn't get this job based on merit." Sasuke mutters.
Naruto blinks. He never knew that Sasuke felt that way. His record was fucking legendary. No one seriously thought that he hadn't earned his job.
"Bastard, I think everyone knows by now that you are a damn fine lawyer. If they don't, then they are just really dumb. But alright, I'll see you later then." He says as he walks off.
"So what did he say?" Gaara says as he walks over to Naruto.
Naruto drags Gaara off again. The red head raises an eyebrow. This was honestly starting to be a pattern. He really should inform the blonde that he was not a rag doll.
"That bad?" The Suna Lawyer inquires.
"No. It's good news. He's willing to give it a shot. He just doesn't want it to be spread around the office just yet." The blonde says.
Oh boy. Gaara could see that was going to be a problem later on. Naruto tended to be very possessive of his lovers and he was a big believer in PDA. That was one area where the two lawyers definitely differed. This might be a train wreck in the making.
"Well that's good. Don't force the public issue. He probably doesn't want people to think that he's exploiting you or that you are trying to sleep your way to the top." The other man points out.
Naruto blinks. He hadn't even looked at it from that angle. Maybe that was why Sasuke wanted them to keep a low profile.
"That would make sense. I didn't even think of that." He mutters.
"Well Sasuke has always been the more practical of you two. So it's not surprising that he would think of things like that. In a way, you two balance each other out well. You are a natural extravert and optimistic. He's a realistic introvert. You compliment each other. Yin and Yang really." He muses.
"Oh that was good. I'm surprised you are still single with lines like that." Naruto says.
Gaara shrugs. He was married to his work more or less. He was really young to be in charge of a law firm and eager to prove himself. He'd find someone eventually.
"I'm more worried about your love life than mine at the moment. Good luck with the Uchiha. You are going to need it. You know how stubborn he can be." The red head reminds him.
"Yeah. I know. Don't worry. I can handle him. Believe it!" The blonde says with a bright smile.
Gaara shakes his head. One thing was for certain, things were definitely about to get a whole lot more interesting in the Sharingan Law Firm. He just hoped the Uchihas had damn good insurance. They were probably going to need it. Mixing Naruto and Sasuke together romantically was bound to be an explosive combination.
