Misery Business
Author: Ladelle
Rating: M
Comments: Revised...
Chapter 11:
Naruto debated on returning to the conference but couldn't bring his legs to carry him into the room. He was seated clumsily on a decorative couch, an occasional passerby lending him curious looks. He ignored them without a great deal of effort, his mind focused on yet another awkward encounter with Sasuke Uchiha.
His lips felt numb from the brief interaction, and Naruto felt the color drain from his cheeks as he relived his second kiss with the corporate mogul. He licked his lips and shook his head, wondering how he had been taken advantage of--again. He glanced at his Icon, shaking his head numbly as he briefly wondered what the trio could be discussing, and rubbed his eyes in frustration.
It wasn't as if he was surprised at Sasuke's actions, more that he was disappointed in how he had reacted. He had never met a person that he was unable to fight back against, and more than that, he had never met someone he felt totally powerless against. It wasn't threatening, and it wasn't demanding, but there was certain commanding nature in Sasuke's dark eyes that made Naruto feel completely at odds.
It was rare that Naruto could have a good intellectual argument, and it was obvious to him that Sasuke was a brilliant man, even if he was very physical. It was an attribute that Naruto was attracted to, though the kiss had been over the top, and Naruto felt as though he had been waiting for someone with Sasuke's traits and resources for the entire time that he had been in the future. It worried him though, because no matter how clever he thought Sasuke was, he himself wasn't gay.
He had a fiancée, after all.
His cheeks felt heavy and he rubbed the soft bulge of his lips, embarrassed that he could still feel Sasuke's pressed against his own. He sighed.
The door to the conference room budged, and Naruto peered up, surprised to see Neji exit, a serious expression on his face. He only opened the oak door enough to allow himself through, and closed it lightly behind him. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the lean figure and rested his head on the palm of his hand, waiting for the blue-eyed boy to make contact with him. It was momentary.
The Hyuuga approached him, his movements fluid and elegant, and took a seat to Naruto's right. Naruto followed him and he stayed silent, even though his eyes were wide in wait for a comment. Neji grinned at him and lowered his eyes, a movement that Naruto was beginning to find more and more attractive. He inwardly groaned.
What is happening to me?
"Uchiha can be intimidating. I'm sorry for his actions." Neji's comment was loose, and Naruto got the sense that Neji didn't really know what had happened, but in the least was trying to compensate for it. Naruto felt his embarrassment fade, and the original anger he had felt returned.
"I don't understand why everyone here is so physical."
He felt as if his pride had been hit hard by Sasuke, and he felt even more on edge as Neji slid a hand onto his thigh. He tensed, and Neji glanced up to him, searching him reproachfully. His eyes were examining again and Naruto felt annoyed. He could tell that the Hyuuga wanted to ask him questions, most likely about what had happened, and above that, why Naruto was hesitant with male attention. Neji always seemed to hold his questions in, and Naruto felt no pity for the boy as he appeared to be coming to some sort of conclusion on his own. Naruto waited for him to speak.
"There are a few conditions to the merge, and they mostly apply to you. I'll explain them, and I want you to tell me your honest views."
Naruto wondered why everything was so dependent on him, and vaguely imagined how important his knowledge was to both of the companies. He nodded and Neji continued.
"The first stipulation is that you give all of us a detailed presentation on your theory and knowledge. After that, you'll be working on a series of projects for Uchiha."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Projects?"
Neji sat back, his form draping over the comfortable backing of the loveseat. He sighed.
"I think Sasuke wants to test your working abilities, and to be honest, I'm not too opposed to it." Neji's hand began to roam the seam of Naruto's pants and Naruto quickly removed it. Hew as angry, and his features curled.
"I'm not going to give away something that took me forever to discover just to be thrown aside to do projects."
Neji returned his hand to Naruto's leg, and Naruto eyed it with irritation. It began to move higher and higher and Neji spoke casually, his voice smooth and convincing.
"No one would take the idea way from you. We would just want our scientists to be in charge of the development." His hand was soft and tickled, and Naruto jumped up, ruffling his hair and growling.
"What is wrong with you people? Who has a normal conversation while groping someone!?"
Naruto brushed at his thigh, wiping away the prickly sensation that Neji's ministrations had caused. He rolled his eyes and glared at the boy, who was eyeing him with a curious intelligence. Naruto fumed.
"And stop looking at me that way. If you have questions, ask them—don't keep making assumptions about me."
This seemed to catch Neji off guard, and the smirk on his face faded. He looked serious once again and Naruto crossed his arms in defiance.
"I'm not making assumptions about you. I'm just trying to figure out what your motives are."
Naruto blinked and licked his lips. "My motives? My only motive is to perfect cryopreservation. Believe me, if I had a greater goal in life, I'd tell you." It was the truth considering Naruto only planned on researching and returning home. He rested his weight on one foot, and avoided eye contact with the thick haired business owner.
"If that's the case, Sasuke wants you to work directly beneath him."
Naruto glared at the boy, his expression cold for his usually optimistic demeanor. His bright blue eyes darkened, he could feel it under the building emotion in his mind. He tapped his fingers against the lengths of his arms and eyed the Hyuuga, waiting for an explanation.
"Uchiha said that if you were serious, menial jobs would make you angry. And about being under him—Sasuke's got more security than we do. If you worked under us, information would surely leak."
Naruto turned as the oak door opened again, and Sasuke emerged, his lips turned downward in thought. He looked as if he had grown bored waiting, and his features were somewhat tired. Naruto turned to him hastily, his eyes narrowed. He was now fully aware that Neji and Sasuke were suspicious of him and his knowledge, and was wondering just what type of compromise they would all come to. Sasuke, who had obviously heard the last segment of the conversation, spoke first.
"You think we're babysitting you," he said softly, and Naruto puckered his lips.
"I'm not a kid, I'm an adult. I know what I'm talking about and I don't have any motives that would affect the research of either of your companies."
"But you do have motives." Sasuke said.
"My only goal is to perfect cryopreservation." Naruto stated. His voice was beginning to rise.
"Just out of curiosity, what made a boy like you so interested in cryogenics?" Neji asked.
Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets, his tone growing irritated. "I've always liked science."
"But cryogenics is a tough subject."
"It's a challenge."
"But you're just a kid, and information on it is hard to find."
Naruto laughed irritably. "I'm not sure where this is going, but if both of you only intend on interrogating me, I'm tempted to leave."
Neji stood up and shook his hands defensively. "I'll be straight then," But Sasuke interrupted.
"Look, do you work for Fang?" His tone was cold and dark. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Blue eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "No."
Sasuke shifted. "Are you sure? It would be best if you answered truthfully."
Naruto glared. "No, I do not work for Fang."
He locked eyes with the Uchiha, angry and intimidated. His frustration for the boy was overwhelming him, and the fact both of them believed that he was a spy wasn't helping the situation. He felt himself pale, and he fingers had stopped moving. He blinked fluidly, his eyes narrowed and focused, allowing Sasuke to take all of his emotions in. The raven haired boy looked away.
"Will you work under me?" Though Sasuke was looking at Neji, the question was directed to Naruto. The blonde stood for a moment, debating on whether or not to take the position. He could feel a growing tension between the two other boys and what disappointed to realize that he was the cause. He felt annoyed and slightly put off. The thought of telling them the truth even crossed his mind, but he stifled the words from leaving his lips. He groaned.
"Give me your resources and I'll give you my time. I'll tell you all of my theories, but only after you've hired me."
Sasuke glanced at him with interest, and Neji ran a hand through his hair. There was a swift breeze of relief that flooded the room, and Naruto still felt angry. Now, aside from doing research and concocting a way to return to the past, he was faced with a much more morbid criteria—avoid being suspect. His knowledge was sure to be more than what the two boys had, and he was sure it would make heads turn. He would have to be clever, and he would have to depend on Shikamaru and Chouji to help him. He put his hands in his pockets.
"Are we done?" he asked.
Neji looked towards Sasuke and the raven nodded, signaling the birth of a new enterprise. Hinata carefully exited from the room, a frown painted on her face.
"I know that I am a woman, but you could at least involve me in important stipulations." Neji put a hand on her shoulder and nodded to Sasuke and Naruto.
"We've got to organize our development. Get the right people in the right places. We'll be in touch."
They began to walk towards the elevator, and Neji was explaining the situation to Hinata. Naruto turned to follow, but a strong hand on his shoulder halted his action. He turned slowly, his eyes narrowed at the older man. Naruto absently noted how much taller Sasuke was, and felt his eyes narrow defensively as Sasuke began to speak.
"I told Neji that the only way I would merge is if he gave me you," there was no flirtation in his voice, though his eyes were somewhat strained. Naruto cleared his throat and Sasuke moved closer to him, forcing him back onto the loveseat he had been sitting previous. The Uchiha lowered his figure over the blonde's, repeating the dominating action Naruto had pulled earlier. Naruto didn't flinch, he only glared as the gentle features of Sasuke's face came closer to his.
"I am not gay, Sasuke." The words were blunt and direct, and Sasuke's eyes seemed to perk. Naruto continued to search the raven's eyes, amazed at how dark they were. Like black holes, sucking in whoever dared to look deep enough into them.
Sasuke lightly kissed Naruto, but Naruto didn't react. He stared solemnly and felt his eyebrows indent, a mark of anger on his tan face. Sasuke pulled back, searching for a reaction, and also willing to respond to Naruto's comment.
"It's not your body I want, it's your brain." The comment was placid, and Naruto debated on acting offended. He kept level eye contact with Sasuke before retorting.
"Then why do you keep kissing me?" His voice was like liquid against the Uchiha's chin.
Sasuke almost smiled and stood up, excusing himself from the staring contest they were competing with. He ran a hand through his slick black hair and straightened his tie.
"You want what you can't have, I suppose." He said.
Naruto stood up and began to walk towards the elevator, carefully dodging the man as he did so. As the elevator door opened for him, he heard Sasuke speak again.
"That's a saying from your time, right?" Naruto turned quickly to meet the Uchiha's eyes, but the raven had already disappeared into the long hallways of Uchiha corporate.
"Don' worry, it's covered."
Naruto eyed the taxi driver lucidly, knowing full well that Sasuke had tipped the driver before his departure. He only nodded at the thin man before turning towards the familiar structure that was a parking garage. He didn't quite have the energy to return to his studio, and his mind was still numb with the Uchiha's solemn comment.
The meeting had taken up a good majority of the day, and the sun was low on the horizon, making Naruto squint as he walked in its direction to enter the elevator hallway. He traveled to the ninth floor and exited with placid haste, anxious to see Shikamaru but nervous all in the same. He needed a friend, and he needed advice. He hoped that he could find it with Shikamaru, simply because he had no where else to turn.
He found the door and rapped slowly, an action that would signify that it was him and no one else. Apparently knocking was a lost tradition, and Chouji often poked fun at him for doing it. There was a rustling, and the door slid upward, Shikamaru motioning for him to enter from across the room. The Asian boy was perched attentively on his couch, watching a sport that Naruto was unfamiliar with. Naruto entered and pressed a button that made the door close.
"Nice to see you, too." Naruto said soundly, before taking a seat next to Shikamaru. The boy motioned for him to be quiet, and stared intently at the screen. Naruto followed his vision, glancing at the awkward mix of football and hockey, his eyes bored. He had never been a sports fan and he knew that this wouldn't be his ice breaker. Something significant happened, though, because Shikamaru clapped and cheered as a ball spun into a net. The game seemed to be over, and Naruto waited patiently for his friend to acknowledge his presence. When the game faded to a news program, the pony tailed boy turned it off, turning to Naruto slowly.
"Sorry about that. How'd it go today?" He looked enthused, and it made Naruto feel on edge. He had never seen the boy so…so perky.
"Good. Both companies have decided to merge." His voice wasn't stimulated which caused Neji to raise an eyebrow. "Under what pretenses?"
Naruto sighed. "I'll be working directly under Uchiha. Who kissed me. Twice, by the way."
A sly grin spread over Shikamaru's face and he chuckled. "A lot of people wouldn't be upset over that."
"I think he may have guessed that I'm not from this time period, too."
"What!?" Shikamaru knelt forward on the couch, shoving pillows forward in the process. "What do you mean?"
Naruto bit his lip in thought. "I don't know. He just says…things. He likes to mess with me, I think."
Shikamaru sat back on the couch, a thoughtful expression creasing his brow.
"It's not wrong for you to be attracted to him, you know."
Naruto puffed his lips. "It is when you're straight and have a fiancée."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, one that's completely M.I.A."
Naruto growled. "She probably is unable to do anything, waiting for someone to help!"
The Asian chose not to respond but his features indicated that he thought Naruto to be naïve. He took a sip of a bottled drink in his hand, and shook his head.
"That's not what I meant. Look, sexuality is a social phenomenon. If a guy kissed you in your time, you would feel comfortable punching him, right? That's only because it's not 'normal'…not even that, it's just not common. But here it is common, so you feel guilty—out of place even. Attraction has nothing to do with gender, Naruto."
Naruto blinked and looked incredulous.
"Don't look at me like that. It's been proven. Yates—the psychologist of the 29th century." He looked confident.
Naruto sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "What should I do about him knowing about me?"
Shikamaru looked thoughtful. "What do you want to do about it?"
Naruto glared. "You're going to tell me to act on my intuition?"
The Asian boy finished his drink and set it on a nearby table. "You know more about what you need to do than me. And, if he already knows, it may be best that you two come clean. I would make sure he knows first, though. For sure."
Naruto chuckled nervously and Shikamaru patted his shoulder.
"Remember when I said the two companies would probably end up defending you? You're already in, so calm down. Take a week to settle in and see where things go. Figure out if Sasuke knows, and we'll go from there."
Naruto nodded and ran his hands through his hair.
It was going to be a long week.
A/N-- After re-reading, I've noticed that Shikamaru has a lot of..."What!?" moments. It made me laugh--I never noticed before.
I write things subconsciously, I think.
