Chapter Two: Unfortunate Contamination
The early morning light filtered through the amber blinds of Naruto's bedroom, dust particles danced mischievously in its rays. Naruto watched them drift slowly to the old, wooden floor, and thought about last night. The hangover wasn't nearly as bad as the ache in his loins. He hadn't been with anyone, let alone kissed another person since he and Hinata separated. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't felt the need to. Boruto's happiness was his priority. He had wanted nothing else. Yet, he had wanted Suke.
What confused him the most from last night was that there was no denying Suke's masculine qualities, and yet those seemed to turn him on even more then Hinata's femininity—not that he had ever really been turned on by her. Well, he supposed he always was more of an ass man then one for breasts or curves. Then again, he never did see Suke's backside. What was it then that had captivated him so intensely?
Naruto sighed and rolled onto his side. Did it really matter? It wasn't like he would ever see her again. He thought of the number on his arm and instinctively held that arm closer to his chest. He should just wash it off and forget about her. The last thing Boruto needed was for some woman to come into his life and then suddenly leave. His son had had enough heartache to last him a lifetime.
Naruto's back was to the door, but Boruto had not yet mastered the art of stealth. He knew the boy was coming even before he felt the subtle dip in the bed. Closing his eyes, he pretended to sleep. He felt Boruto move about on the bed, trying to gage if his father was asleep or not. It took Naruto every ounce of self-control not to smile when he felt his son's tiny hand waving in front of his face. He heard Boruto take a deep breath, preparing to scare him, but Naruto was ready.
"RAWR!" Naruto roared, rolling around and grabbing Boruto. His son let out a high-pitched scream and then fell into a fit of giggles as Naruto tickled him. Naruto smiled. Rolling onto his back, he hugged his son. Boruto was definitely the best cure-all for hangovers.
"Dad?" Boruto asked when he had caught his breath, his head laying on his father's chest.
Naruto looked down at his son, who looked so much like he had as a child. His fingers combed through his son's thick, blonde hair. "Hmm?"
Boruto looked up at his father, his big, blue eyes filled with worry. "Are you lonely?"
Naruto frowned. "Why would you ask that?"
"Uncle Sai was here to drop off your birthday present and take something sort of paper out of your jeans, and he said that it was unfor…" Boruto paused, trying to remember what Sai had said.
"Unforgettable?" Naruto offered.
"No."
"Unforgiving?"
"No, that's not it either. Unfor…"
"Unformitable?"
Boruto's brow crinkled. "What's that mean?"
"Not scary," Naruto said, his fingers twisting a strand of his son's hair. "A formidable opponent is one who is scary or really powerful. An unformidable one isn't scary."
Boruto digested that bit of information for a moment and then shook his head. Naruto couldn't help but smile. His son was so much more studious than he had been at that age. Boruto seemed to like learning and was an oddly thoughtful child at times. Perhaps it was Shikamaru's influence. The two played chess every Wednesday night without failure and Naruto couldn't believe some of the intellectual conversations he overheard them have.
"No, that's not it either," Boruto said eventually.
"Well, what else did he say? After the word you can't remember."
"It had to do with your pockets not being full of numbers after a night at the club."
"Unfortunate?"
"Yes! Unfortunate." Boruto's face brightened as he repeated the word a few times, memorizing it. Then it fell into confusion as he asked," Why would you fill your pockets with numbers? Wouldn't they get heavy?"
Naruto laughed and hugged his son. "Uncle Sai meant little pieces of paper with people's phone numbers written on them."
Boruto blushed, his bottom lip pouting out indignantly. "I know that!"
Smiling softly, Naruto tucked some loose strands behind his son's ear and asked, "So why did that make you think I was lonely?"
"I asked Uncle Sai what unfortunate meant and he said it was a sad thing. He said that it was sad that you don't have anyone like mom has Uncle Kiba. He said it was unfortunate when good people went to bed alone."
Naruto sighed and ruffled his son's hair. "I have you, that's all I need."
"But what about when I grow up and become a man?"
Rolling his eyes, Naruto said, "You've been hanging out with Uncle Shikamaru too much. Hungry?"
"No. Uncle Sai made me breakfast before he left."
"Then how about some anime? Granny Tsunade bought you a new one, didn't she?"
"Shouldn't we watch what you want? It's your birthday, dad."
"I want nothing more for my birthday then to lay in bed and watch anime with my son."
With a gleeful shout, Boruto bounced off of the bed and went to get his newest anime, but then paused at the door. He hesitated, fidgeting with the sleeve of his panda pajamas.
"You okay?" Naruto asked gently.
Boruto bit his bottom lip and then looked at his father. "I think I'd like it," he said quietly, "if you got married again. If…" His eyes fell to the overflowing laundry basket in the corner of the room. "If we had a family, like before. Not with mom, though," he added quickly. "She makes you sad and I like her better with Uncle Kiba, but it," Boruto took a deep breath. "It would be nice if I had another mom that could be here when you had to leave for work, you know? One that could make you smile when you look at the photo albums after I've gone to bed." He looked back up at his father, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. "Someone to go to bed with at night."
Naruto held back tears as he looked at his son. He would not cry in front of him. Never again. When had Boruto grown so big? His heart swelled with love and pride and sorrow. He smiled. "I'll think about it. Now, go get that anime."
Grinning, Boruto saluted his father and ran to his room. Naruto leaned against his pillows. Another mom, huh? He looked at the neat, black script on his arm and then back at his doorway. Naruto picked up his cellphone.
Sasuke awoke to the chime of his phone and buried his face further into the pillows, contemplating mass murder. Mornings were not his thing—especially on his day off. Not that he really considered this a day off. There was so much work to be done for the nine am board meeting tomorrow. Why didn't old people sleep in? Plus he had to meet his brother for coffee this afternoon and clean his apartment. His phone chimed again.
Growling, Sasuke reached over to his side table for his glasses. Rolling onto his side, he slipped them on and grabbed his phone. He had several work emails that he'd get to later, six missed calls and a voice mail from his mother, and then a text from an unknown number. Quickly, he sent a text to his mother, telling her that his plane didn't crash and he would call her sometime this week. Maybe. Scratching his head he clicked on the text from the unknown sender, his hair was still damp from the shower he took after getting home from the club a few hours ago.
Is it the alcohol?
Sasuke smiled. I'm not sure yet. What do you think?
A reply came within seconds. I hope not.
Sasuke bit his bottom lip and looked up at his ceiling, which had been painted with a galaxy mural depicting flowers and mythical gods. Was this wise? Naruto thought he was Suke, an imaginary woman that Temari had created to sneak him out of his father's house as a teenager. He felt an unsetting desperation deep in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to see Naruto. Maybe it would be okay. Despite being drunk, they had both clearly stated that they couldn't offer anything more—except kisses.
Sasuke closed his eyes. He had been so hard after that last kiss that he was amazed Naruto didn't discover him right there and then. And he had been surprised that he had wanted to keep kissing the other man, despite how dirty Naruto was. He wasn't even as drunk as he usually had to be to kiss another person. There had been a strange, feral edge to the way Naruto kissed him that distracted him and kept him from thinking about the dirt. Sasuke had to admit that he was curious.
Dishes clattered in the kitchen. Sasuke groaned. Temari. He loved her like a sister, but he really needed to get his key back from her. Tossing his phone and glasses back onto the side table, Sasuke slipped on some pants and went out to the kitchen. Like the rest of his apartment, the kitchen was designer modern with very little clutter. Sasuke hated clutter. The counters were black marble and the cabinets were glass and chrome. All of his appliances were top of the line and pure white—none of that ivory nonsense. The only real colour came from a few fake plants and the sandy blonde floating about the kitchen, humming as she cooked breakfast. Temari danced as she moved from cabinet to cabinet in a man's flannel and shorts that clearly weren't hers.
Absentmindedly, Sasuke wondered what all she had touched. He really needed to get his key back from her—or change the locks. Clearing his throat, he said, "I had to take a taxi home. It was disgusting."
Temari didn't even bat an eye. "And I bet you felt just fine after a nice, scolding hot shower."
Sasuke frowned. "I hope the sex was terrible."
"It was fantastic." She smiled at him. "Tea?"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke entered the kitchen. "I'll make it. Did you bathe after you got here?"
"No, but I washed my hands up to my elbows before touching anything. Twice."
He made a mental note to clean after she left, and began washing his hands. His skin was red and chapped and the antibacterial soap burned his raw flesh. "Are you going to see him again?"
She shrugged and popped a grape in her mouth. "If he calls."
"Do you want him too?"
"Yes! And, Jesus, is he surprisingly buff. Nearly creamed myself when he took his shirt off."
Sasuke shook his head. "I don't need to know that."
"Virgin. How'd Suke do?"
He didn't look at her as he said, "Actually, I gave a guy my number."
Temari grinned. "Yeah?"
"Yes."
"And?" she asked as she began putting French toast with fresh, organic fruit on two plates.
"He texted me this morning before you got here."
Temari shut the water off. "They're clean. Come eat and give me the details."
Sasuke dried his hands with a clean paper towel and then wiped them off with a sanitary cloth before sitting at the kitchen table. "It was all right. We talked."
One of Temari's slender eyebrows lifted as she took in Sasuke's appearance. His normally chaotically stylized hair was just a plain mess and his shoulders were straighter than normal. "Just all right?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"Darling, 'all right' does not lead to that angsty, horny mess that walked into this kitchen bitching about a taxi and then washed his hands half a million times more than usual. I know you. Something happened, now spill."
With a roll of his eyes, he began to nibble on his breakfast before she harped at him for not eating too. "So, does that guy you hooked up with have a name?"
"Shikamaru. Don't change the subject. What happened?"
"Nothing, we just talked."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
"He didn't even try to kiss you?" Temari asked, leaning back in her chair and took a bite of French toast. "Incredible."
Sasuke looked down at his food, busying himself with rolling a plump, green grape around half of a strawberry.
Temari's eyes narrowed and the corners of her lips rose in a smirk. "You're lying."
"I am not."
"You're a blushing fool! What happened? Tell me everything."
"Nothing happened," Sasuke said more forcefully.
"Sasuke Uchiha, don't use that businessman tone with me. I have known you for twenty-six years. I know when you're being a lying bastard. Now, tell me everything that happened!"
"Nosy bitch," Sasuke mumbled around a grape with a slight smile. "Yes, we kissed."
Temari leaned forward, grinning. "And?"
"Nothing. I gave him my number and he left."
Temari slammed her fist on the table, making the expensive, white china plates clatter. "That's it?"
"That's it."
She frowned. "Was it at least a decent kiss? Were you even remotely sober?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and tried not to think about how Naruto's lips savagely moving against his made him feel.
Temari giggled. "More than decent?"
"I think it's time for you to head out. I have to clean up before meeting Itachi for coffee at one."
Temari looked around the apartment. Even a hospital wasn't half as clean or sanitary as Sasuke's apartment. Yet she knew him well enough not to push the subject any further. She wasn't his betrothed for nothing after all.
"Okay, love," she said as she stood. "I'll see you Thursday for dinner?"
"Dinner?"
"To celebrate my gallery opening. My brothers are taking us to dinner beforehand. Five o'clock, remember?"
Sasuke mentally sighed. "Of course."
Temari smiled softly. "Don't be late. They have a vegetarian menu. I checked."
"I won't."
"Love you," Temari said as she left the apartment.
"You too!"
Sasuke waited until he had heard the click of the lock and then counted to one hundred before going to the bathroom. Instinct and self-preservation took over and he threw up the few bites he had managed to eat of her cooking. It felt like his skin was crawling. His insides burned with disgust and his hands shook. He was so dirty. The entire apartment was covered in filth. His refuge contaminated. He had to clean everything. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on the presentation for the board until it was done. Fuck, there was so much to do.
