Author's note:
I'm sure you've noticed by now that Orochimaru and Sasuke's relationship is, well, somewhat dysfunctional. It's not going to get much better anytime soon. Sorry XD
Also, this story is becoming a lot longer than I originally planned. When it first came to my mind, it was going to be three chapters or so, but it's been taking on a life of its own.
There was a knock at the door, rousing Sasuke from his sleep. He grabbed his phone to check the time. 8am? He wasn't used to having visitors, especially not those who would call so early on a Saturday morning. He figured it must be… the maintenance guy? Or a delivery? He didn't recall ordering anything online recently. He supposed he had to get up soon anyway so that he could start job-hunting again at some point.
He sighed deeply and got up and snatched his jeans up off of the floor as there was another knock, this time louder.
"I'm coming!" he shouted, annoyed. He'd only gotten three or four hours of sleep as he'd been up most of the night.
He opened the door irritably to reveal… his brother? Sasuke squinted and stepped back, allowing space for Itachi to come in if he so wished.
Itachi sauntered past him and sat down on the only couch in the small living room. "Sasuke," he said by way of greeting, "you look like shit."
Sasuke's brows knitted together as he closed the door as calmly as he could. He took a deep breath and said, "I didn't get much sleep last night." He walked into the open plan kitchen. "Something to drink?"
"Just some cold water would be fine," Itachi replied.
Sasuke peered into the fridge, glad that's what his brother had asked for because that was all he had. He usually bought groceries on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, depending when he was free. He had completely forgotten about it yesterday.
He poured some water into a glass. "So to what do I owe this visit?"
"Haven't seen you in a while," Itachi responded, turning on the TV and putting his feet on the coffee table. "Just thought I'd stop by. Also, I wanted to congratulate you on your new job. I could have sent you an email but wanted to do it in person."
Sasuke was glad his back was turned to Itachi as he put the water jug back into the fridge. He panicked for a moment. What should he say? If he said he'd been fired, his family would never believe he'd actually had the job. The fact that Itachi had said anything at all meant that his mother had believed him after all, and the rest of his family probably believed it, too, then. He couldn't tell them yet.
"Thanks," he said, as calmly as he possibly could, walking back to the living room area. He gave his brother the glass of water and sat down expressionlessly.
"So how's it going?" Itachi asked, flipping through channels.
Sasuke wasn't sure whether he was asking about the job or about his life in general. Well, the job was now non-existent and his life was pretty much screwed again at the moment, so he had to lie either way. "Fine."
There was silence between them for a few moments as Itachi continued channel-surfing. Sasuke remembered that he had bought a game a few months ago that the two of them could play together, so he went over and picked up both controllers. The brothers spent a good part of the morning playing video games amiably until Itachi had to leave due to prior arrangements.
It had been a long time since Sasuke had just hung out with Itachi like that. He was really grateful though – it had cheered him up immensely which was something he'd really needed.
Orochimaru sat at the small table on his balcony, holding his phone in his hand. Sasuke's number was already typed up on the screen. He wanted to press 'dial' but he really wasn't sure. Was it too soon?
He was feeling a hundred times better than when he'd woken up. Zabuza and Haku had been mightily pissed off as they hadn't been given their dinner the night before, or their breakfast this morning. He'd given them food the moment he'd arrived back home and they'd both wolfed it down and then ignored him for the rest of the day. Orochimaru felt really guilty about it, and so still felt rather miserable because it was just another thing he'd screwed up badly over the past two days.
The sun was setting as Orochimaru finally pressed dial. His palms were sweating and he had to clear his throat. He presumed Sasuke would decide not to answer when he saw who was calling. It would be understandable, after all. He let it ring for a while, anyway.
He was about to end the call when the ringing finally stopped, and he heard Sasuke say, "Hello?"
Orochimaru's voice caught in his throat as he panicked slightly. Eventually he managed to say, "Sasuke, I called to apologise for what happened yesterday." He remembered Kabuto's advice to not be too formal as this was no longer business, so he tried to soften his tone. "I'd like to… see you sometime so that we can discuss it."
There was silence on the other end for an agonising few seconds. "Alright," Sasuke replied.
Orochimaru hadn't truly expected the younger man to agree. He didn't have much time to think, so he asked, "Does lunch tomorrow suit you?"
"Uh…" Sasuke hesitated. "Sure."
They agreed upon a restaurant at which they would meet, and then ended the conversation.
As Orochimaru put his phone down he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe things wouldn't turn out too badly after all. Sasuke had agreed to meet him, at least, so that surely meant that he hadn't destroyed his chances completely.
Perhaps Sasuke just wanted his job back. As much as Orochimaru wanted to, though, he wouldn't be able to re-employ him. It would be disastrous.
Haku wandered outside and sat near Orochimaru's chair. It seemed his cats were no longer avoiding him, too. Things were starting to look up.
Sasuke nervously stepped into the restaurant. The only time he went to kind-of-fancy places like this was on the rare occasion he was invited out with his family. He'd fretted for an hour over whether he should wear something sort of smart for this, and finally he'd picked out good jeans and a collared shirt. Even dressed neatly and with it being a Sunday afternoon, he felt like it might not be enough. Knowing Orochimaru, he was probably expected to show up in a suit.
He'd walked to the restaurant since it was only several blocks from his flat, and it had been hot outside, so he hoped he didn't smell of sweat, even though he hadn't felt himself sweating on the way there. Luckily he was used to walking around, since he didn't have a car.
He felt annoyed at himself. Why did he care suddenly? He hadn't worried about dressing smartly before, and he was almost sure he smelled just fine. Almost.
He was pleasantly surprised when he was shown to the table reserved for them. Mostly because Orochimaru was actually there before him, but also because the older man was dressed semi-casually as well.
Sasuke relaxed a little as he sat down and exchanged greetings with his former employer. They both ordered sparkling water – Sasuke just following suit since he actually disliked the stuff – and after receiving the drinks almost immediately, the waiter left them alone for a while.
Sasuke remained quiet. He really wasn't sure what to say, anyway.
Orochimaru sighed as he swished the liquid around a bit in his glass. "I apologise for the way things happened on Friday," he began. "I let the situation spiral out of control. I had no intention of that happening."
Sasuke looked down at the table but still said nothing.
"I may not have made this clear but… we can't work together due to the feelings I've developed for you," Orochimaru confessed. He said the last part too quickly, rushing to get the words out before he decided not to say them at all.
Sasuke's eyes widened and his breathing became visible. It looked as though the younger man was struggling to comprehend what he had heard. Orochimaru tried to remain calm and patient while he waited for the other's response. Perhaps it would be dramatic – he'd get up from the table abruptly and run from the restaurant, the same way he'd fled Orochimaru's office. Or maybe he would get angry because the older man kept making advances on him. Orochimaru smirked to himself, admitting defeat already but glad that he had at least tried, since it was easier to let go than to have not known if there was a chance at all.
Orochimaru took a long sip of sparkling water, ready to thank Sasuke for his time and end the conversation once and for all.
"I feel the same way," Sasuke said quietly.
Orochimaru choked slightly as he quickly set his glass down and then stared intently at the handsome young man in front of him. Had he heard correctly? He almost never misheard things… What were the chances of this actually being true?
Sasuke was still looking down at the table as he reached for Orochimaru's hand.
Orochimaru let Sasuke take his hand and their eyes met. He was sure this was the first time he had seen Sasuke smile, which made him smile too. He could barely believe this was happening, and he hoped it wasn't just a joke, perhaps set up by Kabuto.
Orochimaru refused to let it seem as though he was nervous, though. He leaned back casually in his chair but left his hand resting with Sasuke's. "You ready to order something to eat, then?"
After lunch, they ended up taking a short walk in the park that was near the restaurant. Sasuke found out that Orochimaru didn't like dogs that much, when one playfully came up to them while playing fetch with its owner.
Sasuke considered suggesting to Orochimaru that they have some ice cream from the stand in the central area of the park. He imagined himself eating it in a cute manner like in the movies, where some might remain on his lip and Orochimaru would kiss it away.
Sasuke blushed and decided against it. They still hadn't spoken about the kiss that had happened between them on Friday. When they parted ways today, would they kiss goodbye? Would they kiss before then, even? Would they talk about Friday's kiss at any point?
He had been panicking too much when Orochimaru had kissed him, and the kiss itself had been so sudden and rushed that it was hard to say he had enjoyed it. He really wanted to try again though, under better circumstances of course. Sasuke's heart was pounding as he thought about it. He glanced over at Orochimaru as they strolled along under some tall trees.
He blushed even more furiously as Orochimaru took his hand as they walked along, a little ashamed that after all these years he still couldn't control such a basic thing.
This is a big mistake. Sasuke's conscience scolded him. He didn't want to admit it, though, and pushed the thought away. He hadn't just let go and had such a good time in so long – he wouldn't let himself ruin it.
"As much as I'd love to, I can't stay much longer," Orochimaru announced, stopping under a tree and pulling Sasuke along with him. He held the boy close to him and continued, "I have some work to do before tomorrow morning and thinking of you all weekend has not helped me progress at all."
"Good luck finding a new assistant, especially one as good as I was," Sasuke joked, slightly surprised when Orochimaru smirked at the joke, but also suddenly worried. What if he acted this way with each assistant he employed? Perhaps they were just playthings that he hired to keep him entertained.
Sasuke forgot about his doubts quickly as the other man finally leaned in for a kiss. This time, Sasuke was more than ready for it, kissing Orochimaru back passionately, his arms around the paler man's neck.
As they broke apart, Sasuke realised that he was falling for Orochimaru much faster than he wanted to admit. Surely this he was going to regret this.
