A/N: I am horrifically sorry for the tardiness of this post. While I am very much inspired to write I am finding myself without the time to do so. I would love to make some sort of double post peace offering, but unfortunately I cannot. Thanks to everybody who reviewed, glad I am able to weave a bit of intrigue into this fic. I hope you enjoy and I promise as soon as I finish with my latest chapter, I will post ch. 4.
Warnings: More language than lemons I'm affraid, but don't fear - citrus is right around the corner.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I don't get paid for my work. Maybe if I did I could work less and write more.
Naruto grumbled as he flicked his wrist, causing clumps of thick white liquid to be flung unceremoniously to the ground. He wiped his hand off on his boxers and tucked himself back into his pants. That had been a rather mundane climax, more the result of his body tired of being manhandled and less the pleasureful release he had been seeking. He spared a glance over to Sasuke and frowned at the placated smirk on that pale face.
"Something funny?" Naruto spat as he plopped down on the bench.
Sasuke shrugged, "When we get out of here, I promise I'll show you a good time."
Naruto huffed. The idea of fucking Sasuke should have been thrilling, but it somehow felt cheap given the circumstances. His head lolled to the side and he gazed at the raven-haired man, "You're awfully confident considering that nobody knows we're here and they seem pretty intent on chopping up our bodies and tossing the parts in acid before burying our remains."
Sasuke grimaced at the morose statement, "That is a little dark for you Naruto."
The blond shrugged, "Yeah well, if the shoe fits..."
As Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, the door creaked open. Two sets of eyes shot to the stairs as a masked man made his way down the steps and to Sasuke's cell. The man, dressed in all black save the white mask stood in front of the cell door. The pale prisoner stood and sauntered over to the man, all the while trying to determine if the minimalistic designs of the mask were supposed represent cat or a dog.
"You first," the man said coldly.
Sasuke smirked, "Are you taking me to a kabuki theatre?"
The man flicked his wrist, drawing Sasuke's attention to the sparking cattle prod in his grip. Sasuke's smirk fell from his face and he took a step back. The masked man unlocked the door and swung it out. Sasuke quickly processed all possibilities, his gaze traveled up the stairs and his heart sank at the sight of another pair of feet at the top. Even if he ran, he would be subdued before he ever made it through the door. He found the fact that they didn't even bother to restrain him unnerving – they weren't threatened by him in the least.
Sasuke walked slowly up the stairs, as if the steps led him to the gallows. For all he knew, they did. The man with the cattle prod poked him in between the shoulder blades occasionally – he never once gave the raven-haired prisoner a shock but he seemed pleased by the way Sasuke tensed each time he felt the jab.
He was led to an empty room, fitted with a single chair positioned directly beneath a low hanging lamp. Sasuke spun around as the door was slammed shut. Yet another man stood before him – Sasuke presumed him to be the 'associate' mentioned previously. This man wore no mask; under his black flat cap two scars marred his face – one running down from his left temple, the other coming up from the right side of his jaw. He stood with his arms crossed, a black trench coat covering the crisp gray suit he wore underneath. If anybody was going to be digging graves tonight, Sasuke suspected, it was not going to be him.
"Sit down," the man's deep voice was cold and cutting.
Sasuke did not break eye contact as he groped for the chair and slowly took his seat. His gaze followed the man as he moved his intimidating frame around the dilapidated room. He stopped and leaned against the wall next to a boarded up window. The man rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. His hands moved deftly as they plucked a stick from the pack and flicked the lighter to life.
The man inhaled deeply and held the breath for a few long seconds before letting it out in a whoosh, "We know all about you, Sasuke Uchiha." He took another drag, "We know about your parents' death and the... circumstances surrounding your brother. We know that your estranged uncle took you in after the unpleasantness." Sasuke fought to keep his eyes trained on the man, but his anxiety was belied by rapid blinking. The man puffed again before continuing, "What we don't know about is your relationship to that mongrel downstairs. Why don't you tell me about Naruto Uzumaki?" He pulled the cigarette from his lips and eyed the burning red ember at the tip before returning his gaze to the pale man, "And don't be difficult."
Freshman Year
Sasuke sat quietly, albeit impatiently, in the library. Even if he wasn't meeting with his English partner he would likely have been in this very same seat – in the basement one aisle down from the microfiche. He had discovered this spot during the first week of school and it suited him well – no natural light, the smell of lightly oiled machinery and most importantly the lack of students.
The still of the room was interrupted by the sprint of a blond out the elevator door and through the aisle. Naruto skidded to a stop in front of Sasuke's table and offered a harshly whispered apology as he set down his back pack and took a seat across from the dark-haired man.
"You're late... again," Sasuke said coolly without even sparing a glance up at the blond.
Naruto heaved a sigh, "I know, sorry. I was eating lunch on the other side of campus."
Midnight eyes rolled in response and Sasuke continued to proof read their paper. Naruto shifted in his seat, rapping his fingers against the table top while he waited for his partner to finish. The incessant tapping of fingers tugged at Sasuke's already short patience, he completed his reading with an irritated huff.
"Can I help you with something?" His dark gaze finally lifted to acknowledge his partner for the first time.
"I wanna read it," Naruto replied as he reached across the table to the stack of papers in front of Sasuke.
The pale man swiped the papers off the table and out of the blond's reach, "Why?"
Naruto's brow knotted, "If my name is on it I want to know what it says."
Sasuke's eyes slit ever so slightly; he was almost offended that his relatively useless partner would question his work. He found his resistance wavering as he stared into bright azure eyes. Despite his aversion to group projects and this particular partner's deficiencies, Sasuke couldn't help but hate Naruto a little less than most.
With an indifferent sigh he handed the papers over to the blond, "Whatever."
Naruto grinned as he accepted the essay and Sasuke shifted his gaze away. Every time the blond smiled Sasuke felt an inexplicable sensation – a rise in body temperature and quickening of his pulse. The normally stoic man refused to accept this could be a blush, though the symptoms did seem to fit. He cleared his throat and slouched down in his chair while the blond tapped the stack of papers on the desk and proceeded to read.
It was closing in on the end of their first semester – about two months since they had turned in their English project. Sasuke and Naruto had established their working relationship and it had been serving them well. The few jobs he had received from the blond had given Sasuke the extra funds necessary for the RAM he had been eying – he could have waited until the spring semester, when his allowance would be replenished, but the work was easy and the compensation substantial.
Sasuke couldn't help but notice the lack of enjoyment he felt as he reconstructed his computer. Normally upgrades brought him a sense of satisfaction – but tonight he felt little more than boredom. Sasuke scrunched his nose as he focused his attention on reconnecting his hard drive rather than the looming sense of loneliness.
"Fuck," he sighed.
Setting down his screwdriver and slouching forward, he cradled his head in his hands. He contemplated his past and the discomfort he was experiencing presently. All through high school Sasuke had his share of acquaintances and the occasional girlfriend – nobody he really connected with, or rather nobody he had bothered to connect with. His past had taught him the importance of self reliance and the fragile nature of bonds. He wouldn't deny himself human interaction entirely – he wasn't a complete misanthrope – but he remained guarded, closed off. Or at least he had.
In the time he had spent with Naruto, the blond had managed to weasel his way into Sasuke's life. He had clawed his way through the walls Sasuke had fastidiously maintained for so many years. Perturbed though Sasuke was by this knowledge, he couldn't help but be resigned to accept it.
Letting loose a frustrated growl, the pale man lifted himself off the floor and pulled his phone from his pocket. Sasuke pursed his lips – if ever he needed proof of just how much Naruto had infiltrated his life it was evident by his near exclusivity in the call log.
Within an hour Naruto was at his door, a twelve pack of Sam Adams in hand. Sasuke didn't bother to inquire how the 19 year old had so easily acquired the beer, he simply smirked as a bottle was handed to him. And another bottle, and another. Within two hours the room was littered with a dozen empty bottles. Sasuke laid sprawled on his bed while Naruto sat on the floor, leaning back against the mattress; the TV was on but paid little attention.
"Naruto..." Sasuke rolled over on the mattress to address the blond.
Naruto tilted his head back, cloudy cobalt eyes moving to catch Sasuke's face in their periphery, "'Sup?"
"We're friends, right?" The words fell from Sasuke's lips with little control.
The blond furrowed his brow, "Yeah..."
Sasuke nodded, his eyes unfocused as they traveled across his room. Returning the midnight orbs to Naruto, the pale man continued, "We should hang out more."
Naruto grinned, "Yeah."
"Hey!" Sasuke tapped the blond on the head and Naruto tilted back further until he was able to focus on the pale face, "How 'bout we get together after a job. Instead of me gettin' paid, we could go out."
Azure eyes slit and Naruto furrowed his brow, "What? Like a date?"
"Pffttt..." Sasuke laughed nervously, "n-no... just like hang out. Like tonight."
Naruto shrugged and repositioned himself to once again stare at the far wall, "Okay."
Sasuke rolled onto his back and sighed. This agreement made him curiously happier than he imagined it would. Certainly he enjoyed Naruto's company and after tonight it could have been a reasonable assumption that they would continue to hang out in the future. But now he was guaranteed – so long as he continued to do jobs for Naruto's customers, he would be able to continue fraternizing with the blond. He considered that is was the certainty that made him so happy, but it somehow felt deeper than that.
Sophomore Year
"No," Sasuke swiveled in his chair to face the blond sitting on his bed.
Naruto ran a hand through his shaggy flaxen spikes, "Well then what?"
The raven-haired man shrugged, "I don't know but you better make it good. I didn't just have to hack into the Blackboard, I had to get into the teacher's personal account." Sasuke stood and made his way to the fridge, "Last time I got dinner and a movie was for hacking a Facebook account, this is completely different." He extracted two bottles from the depths of the fridge and turned to the blond, "Beer?"
Naruto strolled over to the pale man and accepted the bottle as Sasuke kicked the door closed and grabbed a magnetic bottle opener from the side. Naruto was contemplating the raise in payment when Sasuke began to chuckle.
Flipping the cap off his bottle he smirked, "We haven't gotten to first base yet."
Laughter continued to bubble up from Sasuke's chest as he brought the bottle to his lips and took a swig. Naruto didn't reply, he didn't laugh – he just stared at the raven-haired man. It wasn't that the idea disgusted him, it didn't even perturb him. In fact he was more shocked by his lack of response than he was by the offer itself.
Sasuke lowered the bottle, laughter having finally subsided, to find cobalt eyes nearly searing into him. His lips moved to form a 'what' when Naruto's mouth suddenly collided with his own. Sasuke went rigid; air trapped in lungs, heart temporarily stopped pumping, mouth frozen in place. Perhaps frozen wasn't the right word – his lips were immobilized but not cold. In fact, as Naruto's lips pressed against Sasuke's, the sensation was more a blazing heat.
Naruto pulled back as quickly as he had descended. Sasuke still couldn't find the will to breathe, despite the complaint of his lungs. What the hell? Sasuke's brain began to process questions at a frenzied pace. What did Naruto just do? Why are my lips tingling? When can we do that again?
Onyx eyes blinked as systems slowly came back online. Words fell from Sasuke's now functioning mouth, "That is acceptable."
"What?" Naruto's voice was abnormally quiet.
Sasuke tweaked his dark eyebrows as his lips settled into a smirk, "That's an acceptable form of payment."
Beads of sweat were forming on Sasuke's brow – the combination of heat from the lamp above his head and fear of the man staring at him. He swallowed once in attempt to wet his throat, the last thing his wanted was for his voice to crack like a prepubescent boy.
"I met Naruto at school. He is my friend and business associate of sorts." Sasuke was quiet pleased with the neutrality in his tone, "There really isn't much more to it."
"What kind of business?" The brutish man flicked his cigarette, revealing the burning orange ember.
"He refers students with computer problems to me," Sasuke felt no need to elaborate.
The man hummed, "Yes, our sources tell us you are a skilled hacker."
Sasuke clenched his jaw, dammit. But this couldn't be the school, he wasn't being threatened with torture and death because he fucked with a student file. So what was it? Who are these people and what do they want?
"Hacker is such a dirty word," Sasuke replied coolly, "I prefer code savvy."
A strange rumbling sound emanated from the scarred man and within seconds he was in a full guffaw. Sasuke felt his blood chill with the sound of the man's laughter. As abruptly as it began, the sound dissipated and Sasuke nearly swallowed his tongue with the speed at which the man approached.
He gripped pale forearms, fingers digging into the muscle with bruising force, "What were you doing in the school's system? What were you looking for?"
Sasuke couldn't help but flinch as he felt viscous and rancid saliva splatter against his face; the scarred visage that lingered just inches away from his own reeked of cheap tobacco. Slowly Sasuke reopened his eyes to square his gaze with the man's beady black eyes.
"I was looking for a student file," Sasuke was surprised by his steady voice.
"Uzumaki's?" The man backed off slightly. Though Sasuke did not reply, the shift of his onyx eyes answered the question. The brutish interrogator sneered, "I don't suppose a talented hacker such as yourself got lost along the way to the student records."
Sasuke's jaw clenched as he remembered his reluctance in entering the financial records... why hadn't he trusted his instincts? He turned icy midnight eyes back to the man, "I thought it might be beneficial to dig up some dirt, in case altering the student file was not enough."
"And did you find anything interesting?" The inquisitor's tone was mocking.
It took much of Sasuke's self control to keep from rolling his eyes. Obviously, otherwise we wouldn't be here. The only question was what exactly it was that he had found. He could extrapolate a few things based on what he saw an what he had learned since his abduction. Sasuke decided it would be best to keep answers succinct and not divulge all that he did and did not know.
"It would appear that a certain organization has been making sizable donations to the university." Sasuke's voice was cold and calculating as he gauged the man's response, "I could be mistaken, but something tells me the school wouldn't want the public knowing where this money is coming from... or what they are doing to earn it."
The man pursed his lips, straightened his posture and abruptly backhanded Sasuke. The pale face snapped to the side with the force of the blow. Sasuke's bloody mouth gaped as he blinked himself back to his senses. So threatening is not recommended.
"Thank you Mr. Uchiha, this has been enlightening," the man spoke coolly as he pulled a handkerchief out from his pocket to clean the droplets of blood from his knuckles.
Sasuke released a shuddered breath as the man backed up. He thanked God once, that he hadn't pissed himself, and again as the man retreated to the door. He listened as the heavy footfalls faded and slowly he lifted himself off the chair. Knees weak and hands shaking slightly, Sasuke retreated back down the hall; the same masked man that led him into the interrogation room led him back to the cellar, this time noticeably less jovial and teasing. Sasuke noted the man with the eye patch sitting in a dusty armchair, flipping lazily through a magazine – he blinked in confusion as he read the title. Hustler? One steely eye watched as the raven-haired man was once again led down the stairs.
Naruto perked up when he saw Sasuke being returned, but his mood quickly shifted as he noticed the red mark spread across one side of the pale face.
The masked man, finished with Sasuke, turned to Naruto, "You're up blondie."
Naruto gripped at the bars to his cell, "Fuck you guy."
The man cocked his head slightly, an action made exponentially creepier by the mask he was wearing. In one quick motion the man slammed his cattle prod to the cell, a crackle zipped through the connected metal bars, Naruto didn't have time to process the man's response before it was too late. When the electric shock met his hands the crackle turned to a sizzle, which was in turn followed by an embarrassingly high pitched scream. Seemingly satisfied, the man removed the device and Naruto stumbled backward, clenching his hands to his chest. When the door swung open, Naruto did not hesitate. He exited the cell and moved quickly up the stairs, the masked man chuckling softly behind him.
Alone in the interrogation room, Naruto brought his trembling hands to his face – examining the seared skin that had already began to blister. It could have been worse, he thought to himself... and then the door opened.
