Naruto had sailed through the day on a cocktail of heady anticipation and awkward nerves. Half of his wardrobe was scattered over his floor; he felt he had finally settled on something acceptable, a cobalt-blue button down shirt and dark grey dress slacks.

He had barely slept the night before. He hadn't left his apartment on Saturday morning planning to see Sasuke, much less go out for hours with him, less still to ask him out on a date.

You always have been impulsive, little wild child.

Naruto had never planned much in his life. He felt his most balanced when he was operating on impulse and instinct. When the wonderful day with Sasuke was winding down, he found he could not get out of that black Lexus without making plans to see him again. His instincts told him to ask Sasuke out. He had no idea where he was going to take him.

He had sat up at 6 am after a few intermittent hours of sleep, mind churning and nerves on high alert. To clear his mind, he dashed to the apartment gym and worked out for a couple of hours, then he had showered and done a few laps around the pool. He'd come back to his apartment and unpacked all but two small boxes of keepsakes, then he had cleaned out his car and taken it for a wash.

After a long, hot shower, he felt he had a pretty good plan for the evening, but his nerves were still in overdrive. His pulse thrummed with the anticipation of seeing Sasuke again. There was so much more he wanted to know about him, so many more questions he wanted to ask.

Naruto, though, had never done single life the way most people his age had. He and Hinata had not gone on many dates prior to their wedding, and those they did go on were arranged by her family. He had never dreamt of crossing the boundaries of propriety. It would have seemed disrespectful to the timid Hinata, and other than mild curiosity, he himself had no drive towards it.

With Sasuke, though… he wanted to cross all kinds of boundaries. But he had no idea what rules about dating might exist, much less how dating a man might be different, etiquette-wise, from dating a woman. Google had provided him with nothing but confusion, as answers about the appropriate time to kiss or hold hands varied wildly. Besides that, there seemed to be some sort of method for calculating which date to do certain things on. He didn't know whether Saturday's spontaneous outing counted as a date or not.

What concerned Naruto the most was that Sasuke was a man with a painful history, a history he'd only just touched upon in their conversations. He carried himself with a reserve and a distance that Naruto recognized in friends whose lives had been mangled by trauma. The last thing Naruto wanted to do was cause Sasuke discomfort or unease. He certainly didn't want to make him feel disrespected.

He looked himself over in the bathroom mirror. His hair was growing out, getting a little wild again, but it was too late to remedy that. He ran his hands through the stubborn blond strands with an irritated growl.

Someone's getting mighty vain.

"First impressions," Naruto muttered.

You blew first impressions when you called the man a bat then cried on his shoulder.

"First dates," Naruto answered himself back. "How the hell does somebody do first dates?"

Try not to marry him three dates later and then decide you were wrong about your orientation 12 years on.

Naruto wrenched his face up at his reflection. "This is about as good as it's going to get," he mumbled. He brushed his hands down the front of his pants, just in case he'd missed any lint or stray hairs. One more stop to make before he saw Sasuke.

He didn't much care for the upscale grocery store he stopped at (who the hell calls themselves a "green grocer" in the USA, he'd always wondered), but he didn't know where else to get what he needed. He wrinkled his nose as he walked through the floral department. The odor made him think of funerals.

The selection seemed scant. He despised carnations, of which there was a plethora. They had that horrible, funereal odor, and they always seemed sad and inferior. There was a scattering of roses. Red seemed wrong. He'd heard that it meant "passion," and while he didn't want to discount the possibility, it seemed weird to insinuate it at the beginning of a date. White, however, symbolized purity, and that was not the idea Naruto wanted to put into Sasuke's mind, either. Pink seemed… well, it seemed wrong for a man who wore dark colors and seemed to have a frisson of danger about him.

Naruto finally settled on a nosegay of six small, salmon-colored spray roses. Surely this couldn't be misinterpreted, he thought. It was bright, it wasn't sepulchral, and it didn't seem to presume either sex or chastity.

You gonna throw your jacket over mud puddles for him, too?

He shook his head at the thought. Sasuke deserved a perfect date, as perfect as he could possibly make it, and if that meant trying to figure out the damnably esoteric language of supermarket flowers, then so be it. Maybe he was being stupid. Maybe Sasuke would hate getting flowers. He probably would. Still, though, he'd know that Naruto was making an effort—and effort had always been the most important part of Naruto's success in any endeavor. And some pretty little flowers, that signified neither passion nor purity nor, certainly, death, Naruto thought, would tell Sasuke that he valued him as a friend and as an object of attraction.

The cashier beamed at him when he checked out. "Oooh, somebody's a lucky lady," she cooed. Naruto felt his face go red. "Is it someone's anniversary or birthday?" she kept on.

Naruto ran his hands through his hair and smiled. "No lady. I mean, no reason. Just… ah… I liked them," he mumbled.

The cashier looked at him oddly.

You're a smooth talker, Casanova.

"Heh." Naruto laughed nervously, only too happy to get his flowers and receipt so he could exit. He was reasonably certain he'd never come back here again.

He arrived at Tomoe right at 5 pm. As he walked into the door, he could see Sasuke talking to an elderly lady at one of the displays. Naruto's heart sped up. This meant that the countdown to their first planned date was on hold; that meant more time for his hands to perspire and his mouth to go dry. More time for second-guesses, more time for his infernal internal dialogue, more time for Sasuke to get cold feet.

Sasuke glanced up from his customer as he walked in. He acknowledged Naruto with a sharp nod and a brief upturn of his lips before responding to the customer's questions. Naruto couldn't hear what they were saying; his heart was beating far too loudly. He could hear the rich, deep tones of Sasuke's voice, though, and a shiver ran through his body.

Naruto busied himself by thumbing absently some books on Japanese gardening. Sasuke's customer seemed to have a lot of questions. He couldn't decide whether he was relieved, having more time to collect himself, or irritated, because he had been dying to talk to Sasuke since they'd parted the night before.

Before he knew it, he became lost in thought, his attention flitting from the importance of isosceles triangles in garden design to the instructions for constructing a shishi-odoshi. A frail, high-pitched voice roused him from his thoughts.

"What a handsome young man!"

He turned to see Sasuke's customer grinning up at him, her bundle of books clutched in her gnarled hands. "Somebody's a lucky lady," she giggled. "Got a handsome fella coming home with pretty flowers. You could kill a girl, you know. Those blue eyes could hypnotize anybody." She smiled as she stretched a hand up to pinch Naruto's cheek. He smiled, even as he blushed.

"A beautiful compliment from a beautiful lady," he said, bowing slightly.

She toddled out the door, laughing and mumbling about blue eyes and handsome men and pretty, pretty flowers. Naruto grinned to himself as he watched her go. He turned to find Sasuke looking at him amusedly, his black eyes gleaming.

"Maybe I should have you stand in the doorway to draw all the lucky ladies," he jabbed.

Naruto laughed and looked Sasuke over. Today, he was wearing sharply creased black trousers, a matching vest, and a burgundy shirt with a black tie. Naruto wondered if he had worn the tie for their date; he hadn't seen him wear one before.

"I don't think you have any problems drawing in the ladies," Naruto said appreciatively. "Or the gentlemen, for that matter." He felt stupid as soon as he'd said it. Sasuke colored and looked away.

After a moment full of tension and expectation, Sasuke cleared his throat. "So, which lucky lady are the flowers for?" he asked.

Naruto smiled and looked down. "You, actually." He looked up and held the bouquet out to Sasuke, who raised one eyebrow in response.

"Well, it's not like you're a lady. But. They're for you."

Sasuke took the bouquet and looked at the roses with an inscrutable expression in his black eyes.

"Orange. Of course," he said wryly, smirking slightly. "Thank you."

"Jerk. They're not orange, they're pinky-orange-salmon or something," Naruto protested.

"If you insist," Sasuke said, crossing his arms over his chest and offering Naruto a brief smile. "I'm going to close up shop. It shouldn't take me long."

Naruto nodded and looked around. He liked Tomoe, especially knowing that Sasuke's secret training room was just beyond the sales floor. The fact that someone like Sasuke, so full of mystery and secrecy, could somehow be a bookseller in a sunlit store added a layer of intrigue to the man in Naruto's mind. He wished he could read Sasuke the way he might read the books on the shelves, but he had the feeling that even if he could, he would remain essentially beyond his comprehension.

The few moments Sasuke took to close the shop felt like a small eternity to Naruto, but at last, Sasuke was holding the front door open, the late afternoon sunlight shining around him. There was a moment of vertigo, realizing that he was about to take the extraordinary man in front of him out on a date. He smiled brightly as he stepped out of the darkened shop.

He opened Sasuke's car door for him, happy that he'd cleaned out his car and had it washed. Sasuke was disinterestedly examining the roses when Naruto slipped behind the wheel. He wasn't sure yet what Sasuke thought of the flowers. He hoped it hadn't been a misstep.

"Where are we going tonight?" Sasuke inquired.

Naruto grinned at Sasuke and responded with a question. "Do you trust me?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "I am not entirely sure."

"Then," said Naruto, "maybe you'd better tell me if you have any allergies or any serious aversions. I also hope you brought a crash helmet and a pen to sign the waiver."

"Heh." Sasuke glanced at Naruto in amusement. "Nothing that's still alive or wriggling."

Hearing his words echoed back to him from Sasuke's lips brought a rush of pleasure over Naruto. It made him believe that their time the day before had been as meaningful to Sasuke as it had to him.

"No worries. Everything I intend to feed you will be fully dead and stationary. I was going to take you to Chuck-E-Cheeze, since they have picture menus, but I hope you'll like my second choice just as much," he jabbed back at Sasuke. He was rewarded with one of the funny little phantom smiles that he found so compelling.

"Here we are," he said, bringing the car to a stop. "I really do hope you like it here. This is one of my favorite restaurants."

Sasuke said nothing, and Naruto couldn't read his face. The jitters he'd suppressed on the ride over were now undeniable. He toyed with the idea of opening Sasuke's car door for him, then thought better of it. It did not seem to be a gesture that he would appreciate. When they reached the door of the restaurant, Naruto held it open, allowing Sasuke to walk in front of him. He inhaled deeply. The aroma comforted and emboldened him. He briefly placed his hand on the small of Sasuke's back,

They were greeted by a sari-clad elderly woman with a beaming smile. "Welcome to the Banana Leaf! How many are in your…"

She trailed off upon seeing Naruto. "Naruto, behta! How are you doing? It has been so long since we've seen you!" She flew to Naruto and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"It's good to see you, Amma," he murmured. "I hope you're doing well."

"Any time we see you, we are happy," she replied. "Papa, anna, look! Naruto's here!"

"Naruto! It's been too long!"

"Naruto-bhai!"

Naruto grinned at the elderly man and his son as they came forward to greet him with hugs. He hadn't been here in several months, and it always felt a little like coming home to be greeted so warmly by the family. He hoped Sasuke did not feel embarrassed or left out.

"Did you bring your family tonight?" the younger man asked him.

Naruto winced. They had all ignored Sasuke as soon as they saw Naruto. "No. Amma, Papa, Ranvir, this is Sasuke. I wanted him to experience the Banana Leaf."

The family turned towards the taciturn man at Naruto's side.

Amma hugged Sasuke gently. "Welcome, welcome," she told him. "We are so happy to have you. We love Naruto," she said.

Sasuke politely returned her greeting and smiled, but it seemed to Naruto that he was surprised and uncomfortable with the hugs—not that it would deter Amma or any other member of the family, he knew.

"Come, come. Let me make sure you have a good seat," Amma said, taking the two men by their hands. Sasuke looked over at him, one eyebrow raised, his expression a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Naruto smothered his laughter.

Amma led them to a table in the rear of the restaurant, somewhat separate from the other diners. "Someone will be here to serve you soon, boys," she said fondly. "I hope you enjoy your meal."

When she had shuffled off, Naruto looked up at Sasuke. Once again, he was caught by his beauty. There was nothing about Sasuke that suggested frailty, but his features and build were somehow deceptively delicate. His black hair and almost equally black eyes contrasted sharply with his ivory skin.

"You're popular here," Sasuke said, breaking his reverie.

"I love these people," Naruto replied. "Although I wasn't counting on that level of welcome. I hope you like Indian food.

"Don't be an idiot. I remember telling you that my parameters excluded nothing but food that was still alive." Sasuke took a glass of water from the waiter who appeared. "I am not completely familiar with Indian food. What I've had has been good."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "So, I'll ask again. Do you trust me?"

Sasuke arched one perfect eyebrow at him. "Depends. Are you going to be doing the cooking?"

"You are such a bastard," Naruto responded with a laugh. "I'll have you know I can cook without killing anybody. Although you could drive a person to food-based murder, I'm pretty damn sure. Now, gimme your menu."

Sasuke cast him a sidelong look before handing his menu over with mock hesitation. Naruto wrinkled his nose and grinned.

A waiter walked over quietly just then.

"We'd like one masala dosa, a mango lassi, and a salt lassi, please," Naruto ordered. "I'll give you the rest of our order when the dosa arrives." He smiled at Sasuke. "Pace yourself," he warned.

"Noted."

"How much do you like spicy food?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"Moderately. I like for the heat to add to the flavor, not overwhelm it."

Naruto nodded. "I'll make sure to order things you'll enjoy. At least, I hope you will." He grinned crookedly at Sasuke. "Unless you want to have a contest and see who can eat the hottest food. One of my friends and I did that here, once."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What would we be competing for in this contest?"

Naruto laughed. "I dunno. Bragging rights? Loser has to buy the drinks?"

"Why do I have the idea that this would end in mutual drunkenness?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"Probably because it would." Naruto cocked his head and looked at Sasuke mischievously. "I still haven't seen you drunk. You kinda owe me one."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose, which, in Naruto's opinion, made him look irresistibly bratty. "I'll pass on that, thanks. I might not be as charming as you are when inebriated."

Naruto felt warmth spread from his chest up to his neck and his face. Sasuke smiled lightly and looked down.

"Here are your lassis, sir," the waiter interjected.

"Mango for me, salt for the other gentleman," Naruto directed. Sasuke looked at the frothy drink curiously.

"Here is your dosa, too." The waiter set the dish between Sasuke and Naruto, then placed two smaller plates in front of each man.

"Thanks! We would like to order the tandoori mixed platter, please, medium spicy," Naruto told him.

"Yes, sir. It will be made to order, so it might take a little time."

"That's ok," Naruto responded. "We'll start on this. Just bring it whenever it's ready." The waiter jotted down the order and walked off.

"Have you ever had dosa before?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"I don't think so. Is it a pancake?"

"It's savory and crispy. Here." Naruto broke a piece off for Sasuke, dipping it into a small bowl. "This bowl has sambhar in it. You can dip the dosa in there or into the coconut chutney in the other bowl."

Without a thought, he held the morsel to Sasuke's lips. Sasuke raised his eyebrows in surprise and leaned back slightly. Naruto flushed in embarrassment and was about to lower the dosa to Sasuke's plate when Sasuke opened his lips and took the bite from his fingers. Naruto shivered as he felt Sasuke's lips lightly graze his digits. His eyes were transfixed by Sasuke's eyes and lips.

"That… is really good," said Sasuke.

Think he's talking about the food, or the little taste he got of you?

Naruto dismissed the innuendos in his mind, happy that Sasuke had liked the first dish he had ordered for them. "You're really gonna love what I ordered next," he told Sasuke confidently.

"Mm. I prefer the sambhar to the chutney," Sasuke said, breaking off another piece. "What is that made of, coconut?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered, distractedly. Watching Sasuke enjoy his meal made him feel accomplished, as if he'd managed some amazing feat by coaxing a reaction out of him.

"Try the lassi," Naruto advised. "I got mango for me, but you said you didn't like sweet things, and this is really sweet."

Sasuke complied with Naruto's command. "This is refreshing," he said, looking somewhat astonished. Naruto felt his nerves calm themselves as he realized that Sasuke actually enjoyed the meal he'd planned so far.

"Glad you like it. Don't feel obligated to eat anything you don't like," he told him.

Sasuke looked at him as if he were annoyed. "I realize we haven't known each other long, Naruto, but you should know that I don't do anything out of obligation."

Naruto's face heated. Sasuke's words managed to sound to him like a challenge and a confession all at once. "I'm glad," he said honestly.

They had barely finished the dosa when the waiter brought out a sizzling platter of meats and fish. Naruto could not conceal his eager appetite.

"Mmm, Sasuke, smell that!" he said with a blissful sigh. He squeezed lemon juice over the food, then, using the tongs, lifted a cube of fish and two prawns onto Sasuke's plate. "Every part of this plate is amazing, but you have to try the fish and the prawns," he said authoritatively.

He watched expectantly as Sasuke lifted the fish to his lips. Naruot felt as if he'd won a prize as his expression morphed from one of vague apprehension to visible pleasure.

"It's really good, huh?" he asked, giving Sasuke no time to finish chewing his food. Sasuke nodded in agreement. Naruto did not miss the fact that he wasted no time on niceties before devouring the prawns.

He mused that getting a reaction—especially a contented one—from Sasuke could easily become habit-forming. There was an impulse deep within him to make Sasuke smile, to spoil and to indulge him.

I bet you'd like to indulge him.

He couldn't really argue with his inner voice. He opted instead to sate his hunger and watch in satisfaction as Sasuke sampled each part of delectable platter.

Sasuke pronounced favorably upon all the items that Naruto ordered after that, although he turned down the "dessert" because he was too full. This disappointed Naruto, because he had wanted to see Sasuke's reaction to a dessert that wasn't actually sweet. He didn't push Sasuke, though; he just requested a to-go box for the spiced fruit and asked for the bill.

It was Amma, and not the waiter, who came to the table with their to-go box and a small bowl.

"It has been so long, Naruto," she said, hugging him again. "How are Hinata and the children?"

Naruto tensed up. He knew that the family had very traditional ideas about marriage and divorce, and the subject was still sore for him.

"Hinata and I are divorced, Amma," he answered quietly, looking down.

"I am so sorry, Naruto," she said sincerely. "Do not worry. You are a good person and you will be happy again."

He felt tears prickle his eyelids at her kind words. "Thanks, Amma. I've missed you all."

"We've missed you, too. Ranvir isn't here very much anymore. He's a doctor, now, you know? But he speaks of you often. And that one young man who ate such spicy curry."

"Oh, yeah," Naruto laughed. "Lee. He loves it here!"

Amma laughed along with him. "He's a good boy, too." She turned to Sasuke. "You are a friend of Naruto's?" she asked.

"Yes," Sasuke said, without hesitation. Naruto felt as if he'd won a prize. To be Sasuke's friend… he couldn't imagine many people boasted of such a privilege.

"We welcome you here anytime. We love Naruto. You take very good care of him. Don't let him be sad. He is made to smile, not cry," she admonished. Sasuke glanced briefly at Naruto at this, then smiled, himself.

"I will do my very best," he told the woman.

"I believe you. You are a good boy, too, I can tell. And a handsome boy, too! Naruto, be sure to tell him we can find him a good wife!" She said with a wink. Sasuke's cheeks reddened slightly, but Naruto grinned.

"You boys have a wonderful evening. Don't worry about the bill, Naruto. We are just so happy to see you again."

"No, no, Amma, let me pay," he insisted. "We ate a lot."

"No, no, no," she scolded. "We haven't seen you in far too long. Come eat with us more. Then we'll make you pay." She turned to Sasuke again. "Naruto here is like my son. He saved my Ranvir's life. He is precious to us. Here. Dessert. Chef says to tell you he's sorry he can't come out and say hello. He has a party to cater."

Naruto felt like hiding from the effusive praise. "Thanks, Amma," he said softly. "Please give my love to the rest of the family. And tell Chef I said thank you."

His face felt hot when Amma finally bustled off again. Sasuke regarded him solemnly.

"You've made quite an impression, here, Naruto," he said.

"I really love these people," Naruto answered. "Uh. I know you don't like dessert, but could you at least try the sweet? That way Amma and Chef won't feel insulted."

Sasuke shifted his eyes to the little bowl Amma had brought out. He raised a brow and made a face at Naruto.

"I know, I know. It looks like testicles. Just take a tiny bite. I'll eat the rest."

Sasuke smiled. Naruto hid his face in his hands, but laughed. "That sounded really..."

"Suggestive?" Sasuke offered.

"Yeah, something like that," Naruto said with an embarrassed grin. "Phrasing is a thing I am bad at."

He noticed that Sasuke did not remove his eyes from his face as he speared one of the gulab jamun and shoved it into his mouth whole. He felt embarrassed again as Sasuke smirked and took a tiny bite of the confection.

"Please never ask me to eat that again," Sasuke muttered to Naruto, leaning across the table. "That has to be the most sickly, syrupy thing I have ever tasted."

Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke, but laughed all the same. "It is really sweet. That's what makes it good. You just don't have any taste."

"Says the man who would have preferred Chuck-E-Cheeze."

"Chuck-E-Cheeze is fun! What do you have against skee ball?"

"Everything."

Joking about inconsequential things with Sasuke felt intimate and familiar, as if they'd been bickering their entire lives. It restored Naruto's equilibrium after having talked about the divorce and listening to Amma effuse about him in front of Sasuke.

He stood, offering Sasuke his hand as he did so. Sasuke took his hand and stood alongside him, and Naruto's heart pounded. He hoped his palm was not too sweaty.

"I have another place to take you," he told Sasuke as they walked out the door. "Do you have time?"

Sasuke did not smile. He peered into Naruto's eyes solemnly. "My time is yours," he said.

To Naruto, it felt as if the simple phrase was infused with more meaning than a thousand flowery words of endearment. At that moment, he considered himself the most fortunate man in the world.