Chapter 8: Lie
"Today was fun," Sasuke smiled. They had just gotten done with their first real date and were sitting in the parking lot in Naruto's car. It was just a standard dinner and a movie, but it had been nice. Naruto was only dressed only slightly nicer than his usual, wearing his jeans with only a few rips and a plain blue t-shirt that people told him made his blue eyes pop. Sasuke couldn't help but put a little more effort into his appearance, wanting to look nice for his soulmate. He also wore jeans, but his didn't have any rips and his dark red shirt was dressier and more like what one would think of for a first date. Sasuke didn't mind how casual Naruto appeared, just appreciating that he took the time to tame his wild blond hair rather than leaving it his 'rockstar' mess.
"Do you want to go back to my place?" Naruto suggested, knowing that his roommates were out for the night, either working the night shift at the local bar or spending the night at their own significant other's place. "We can have a drink and maybe a little fun," his tone making it obvious as to what he meant by fun.
Sasuke blushed, "You know I have to work in the morning." The dark haired man had the usual nine to five job, yet they went out on a Thursday night, Naruto claiming that he couldn't miss performing on Friday or Saturday. Those were the main nights people went out, including the scouters that could launch his career.
"Call in," the blond grabbed his hand, pouting a little to try to convince the man. "Or come in and have a little fun and I'll take you back to your place after," he suggested, only one thing really on his mind.
Sasuke fidgeted, debating over what to do. After saying no so much in his previous life, he found it hard to refuse the man in this life and it seemed like Naruto was well aware even though they'd only known each other a short time. The dark haired man bit his lip, "You know I've never gone that far before, I might not be very good." He was clearly nervous about disappointing the other man.
"Don't you worry about that," Naruto smirked. "I'll make sure to take good care of you," he promised, happy about the fact that his soulmate hadn't been with anyone else, unlike him who had numerous past partners. "Don't you want to know what it's like with your soulmate?" he asked softly, knowing that would probably convince him better than any look.
Sasuke nodded, unable to actually say the words. He felt better about his decision when he saw the smile spread across the blonde's face as he turned on the car to make his way towards his apartment.
Naruto could tell that the other man was nervous, but didn't really care. He hadn't hooked up with anyone since they met and he was getting sexually frustrated after having to wait for a date. He had thought he'd might get lucky when they got drunk the first night they met but it seemed like Sasuke's friend was good at cock blocking him. "Did I tell you that you look good tonight?" he asked, one hand moving to the other man's thigh. "These pants have been taunting me all night," his voice was lustful and they both knew that they were probably going to skip the drink that the man had offered.
"Thank you," Sasuke responded nervously. "You don't look too bad yourself," he tried to come off much more confident than he felt.
"I bet you'll look even better with them off," the blond ran his hand further up Sasuke's thigh.
Naruto's alarm blared, waking him up. He let out a groan as he shut off his alarm but was kind of happy that the dream had been interrupted before they got back to that Naruto's apartment. He'd had the dream before, though the other times he'd gotten further into the dream. It was probably one of his least favorites because it felt like that version of Naruto had manipulated that Sasuke into having sex with him before the dark haired man was truly ready. That Naruto was selfish and he vowed to never be like that. If he ever got the pleasure of being with his Sasuke, he'd do it on the other man's terms, knowing that the dark haired man was far more apprehensive about their relationship.
The only reason that he'd had sex once was because he was curious as to what the big deal was, why everyone claimed it was so great. Due to his bond with Sasuke, his experience was far from great. It was painful and he never wanted to do it again with anyone but his soulmate no matter how long he had to wait, if it ever happened.
There was residual feelings from his dream when that version of Naruto and Sasuke had sex, but he knew by the reactions of the people in his dreams that it was nothing compared to what it'd actually feel like in real life. His hand was good enough to relieve the tension and he had come to terms with the fact that he may never actually have sex with Sasuke.
It was the day of their first date, he assumed that's why he had that particular dream that night. He wished he'd had the sweet, almost innocent version of the dream where he dreamed about the actual date, not what happened after. Maybe it was the universe's way of reminding him not to be a dick like that Naruto at the end of the night.
The blond stretched as he sat up, knowing he needed to get ready for the day. He'd be in the studio today, recording some demos for his next album. After he complained last time about the producer he was working with, Sasuke decided he'd come to the session to see what the problem was with the man. Sasuke said that Orochimaru was a new producer at the label and he wasn't sure what made them think he'd be a good fit, but he'd come check it out to see if they indeed needed someone else or if Naruto was being "dramatic." Naruto had just scoffed at Sasuke's words, saying he was never dramatic, which only earned him a shake of the head and a knowing look.
He dressed comfortably for the day, knowing he planned to go back home to get ready for their date after recording. He also knew that Sasuke would be there so he didn't plan to wear his usual sweat pants and a t-shirt that he wore when Sasuke wasn't present, opting instead for jeans and a comfortable grey shirt with a black hoody, knowing it sometimes got cold in the studio. It was casual but not too casual as to seem like a slob in front of the other man. He wasn't hiding who he was, but they were still getting to know each other and he wanted to make sure he left at least a decent impression.
"You're not wearing that on your date tonight, right?" Sakura asked when he walked into he kitchen. The woman was still in her pajamas, hair a mess while she waited for the coffee to brew. It was still early and she was never awake until after she had some coffee in her system.
"No, I plan to come home after recording and get ready. If I'm going to have a long day of recording I want to be comfortable," he told her as he grabbed his keys from where they hung on the wall. He wouldn't admit it, but it had been a good idea when Sakura had bought the hanger, making it so he lost he keys far less often. "I gotta head out, I'll see you tonight," he made his way to the door, a smile on his face as he thought about what that night would bring.
"I want to hear all about your date when you get back," she called out. Sakura was well aware that Naruto had no plans of sleeping with Sasuke that night. The man was often times an open book and so she knew about the demons that haunted the relationship from his past life.
When Naruto got to the studio he found Orochimaru already waiting for him. The man seemed decent enough, but he gave off a kind of creepy vibe that made Naruto a little uncomfortable at times. His long black hair went down his back and he usually wore golden colored contacts, which the blond couldn't help but find strange. It probably wouldn't be if it weren't for the man's attitude. It felt like he was trying to sabotage him at every turn. The older man was new to the company, but was fairly well known in other companies for producing for rock bands, which was why Naruto was confused as to why he was producing his album. "Hey," he greeted.
"Ready to record some vocals?" the older man asked, his eyes boring into Naruto. It was never really anything he said that made the blond uncomfortable, it was the looks he gave him.
"Shouldn't we wait for Sasuke?" he asked, wondering where the usually punctual man was. Just then the door opened, revealing said man. "That was good timing," Naruto chuckled.
"Sorry," Sasuke mumbled. "Let's get this started, I have things to do today," he made eye contact with the blond, who just smiled as he nodded. "Before we start with the vocals, I want to see what you have recorded so far," he told him. Both of the other men knew better than to argue. Instead, Orochimaru found one of the tracks that was almost finished. There was still some post-production finishes, but he thought it was complete for the most part. Sasuke made himself comfortable and signaled for the man to play it.
Naruto saw Sasuke's brow furrow as he listened to the song. He could that the dark haired man wasn't happy about something. When he paused it not even a minute into the song, both men looked at him with confused stares. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked nervously.
"Is this really the sound you want?" Sasuke asked, knowing it was much harder and more rock than anything Naruto had shown him. It didn't even seem like the same person wrote it. When Naruto shook his head, Sasuke turned to Orochimaru, "Did you ask your artist before you took the liberty to change what he wanted?"
Orochimaru clenched his jaw, clearly not used to the kind of tone Sasuke was using. "No, but you have to admit it sounds better. This is the direction he should be going," the older man argued.
Sasuke let out a chuckle that was an odd mix of amusement and disbelief, "That's where you're mistaken. I don't have to admit anything that I don't believe. You may think you're the shit, but what the artist wants is what matters, not what you think sounds good."
"Part of my job is to mix and make it sound good," Orochimaru scoffed.
"It is not your place to decide the direction the artist wants to go in," Sasuke argued. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're no longer on this project," the Uchiha told him, making the olde man's jaw drop. He had clearly never been thrown off a project before. "In fact, you've made it so we'll probably have to push back the album release, which is not going to make anyone happy," he crossed his arms, it was a side of the man that Naruto had never seen and he had to admit it was rather sexy. "Get out," he glared at Orochimaru.
"You'll regret this," Orochimaru hissed as he got up. "Fugaku personally chose me for this," he told the men as if it would change their minds.
"Congratulations, but now I'm taking you off," Sasuke told him. "Don't worry, I can handle my father," he told both of the men. "He looks tests, I'm not sure who the test was for this time, but using him isn't the kind of leverage you think it is," anyone that knew him knew that he was the defiant child. He wasn't particularly worried about going against the head of the Uchiha family. His father had already put him in a position that he didn't want to be in, there wasn't much more he could do so he was pretty sure whatever he was up to was a test as to whether Orochimaru could do something other than rock and if Sasuke had it in him to fire someone that didn't have his artist's best interest at heart. "You can go now." Orochimaru didn't say anything else as he stormed out of the studio, likely on his way to Sasuke's father to complain.
"Thank you," Naruto smiled, happy that Sasuke actually listened to him and what he wanted. It was one of the things he had heard made the company a good place to be.
They spent the rest of the day going through the recorded tracks, trying to figure out what was salvageable and what needed to be completely rerecorded. "Fuck, we're going to have to push back your album please," Sasuke sighed, knowing the label wasn't going to be happy about it, even if the date hadn't been released yet. "And find you a new producer."
"It could be self produced," Naruto suggested. He had always wanted to have a chance at producing his own music. He already wrote it, he might as well have a hand in producing it as well.
"No offense, but I don't think your first time producing should be by yourself," Sasuke shook his head. "Co-produce it all you want, but it would be a good idea to have an established producer help you with all the hype that's surrounding this album. Maybe next time," he told him, knowing that the other man needed to establish himself as an artist more before he could potentially make a mediocre album by trying to do everything by himself. Once he was fully established, then he could experiment.
The blond pouted a little, slumping in his chair and crossing his arms, "Whatever."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Don't act like that, you know I'm right." He stood up and stretched, "Let's call it a day, I'll see who I can find to help you produce your album." He made sure to emphasize the word 'help' to make it clear that he understood that Naruto wanted input on it.
Naruto nodded. "Are we still on for tonight?" he asked nervously, hoping that Sasuke hadn't changed his mind.
"Yeah, I'll see you tonight," Sasuke confirmed with a small smile. "Don't be late," he told him before leaving, knowing he had to figure something out so they could get back on track with the other man's album.
Sasuke walked into his office to find his brother sitting in his chair with his feet on the desk. "Took you long enough," he said with a bored tone as he scrolled through his phone. "I expected you to be here much sooner once Orochimaru stormed into father's office complaining about you firing him. There was a smirk on his face that said he knew something Sasuke didn't.
"Get your feet off my desk and out of my chair," Sasuke huffed as he shoved his brother's feet of his desk. "What do you want?" he asked, already annoyed by the other man's presence.
"Just to congratulate you," he shrugged as he got up. "I didn't think you'd actually do it, but you passed the first test," he told him.
"Test?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know exactly what his father was planning. "I knew it was a test for one of us," he rolled his eyes as he took his seat.
"For both," Itachi told him. "Orochimaru failed, he really should have let your little soulmate have some artistic freedom, but then we wouldn't be having this conversation," he smugly leaned on the younger's desk, knowing the amount of disrespect was getting on Sasuke's nerves.
"What was my test?" he huffed, his curiosity taking over.
"To make sure you could take charge," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "That's important when you have a high position," he told him, confusing Sasuke. The older Uchiha saw the look of confusion and laughed, "You didn't think father would actually leave an Uchiha in a position as low as yours, did you?"
"Isn't that my punishment?" Sasuke scoffed, wondering where this conversation was heading.
"Do you really think he doesn't know Naruto is your soulmate?" he asked as he stood up straight, casually fixing his grey suit that probably cost more than any piece of furniture in Sasuke's office. "You may try to hide your mark under all of those tattoos," he said with a hint of disgust in his voice. "But it's been on your skin your entire life, he's seen it enough times to know it matched your mark the minute he saw blondie."
Sasuke had a feeling he didn't like where the conversation was heading, "So?" He tried to remain calm and collected, but he felt an odd sense of protectiveness over Naruto.
"You see, soon enough you're going to have to choose," he smirked. "Do you want to stay in this low position and be with your soulmate, or do you want to be an actual Uchiha and be in a position of power? We both know how being apart ruined your relationship last time," he shook his head, not understanding how people could be so weak for their soulmates.
Sasuke regretted ever confiding in Itachi when he was younger and first started having the dreams. He hated that he ever told him his fears about his soulmate, not knowing that the older brother he had once looked up to would end up using it against him. He probably told his father about it and created this mess. "We aren't even dating," the youngest crossed his arms. "And I don't want to date him," he didn't want to show weakness to his brother.
"Aren't you going on a date tonight?" Itachi pointed out, though Sasuke wasn't sure how he had even heard about the date. "You should know that I know everything by now," he told the younger.
"I'm only going so he'll leave me alone," he lied. "You know I'll never be able to separate the two," he told him, which he was sure was true at some point of his life. He never thought he'd be able to separate the man in his dreams with his soulmate in this life, but after meeting Naruto he could see all of the differences. He was learning that they were different people and he should probably at least give the other man a chance to prove himself.
"Then maybe it's best we don't go," a voice interrupted. Sasuke turned to see Naruto standing at his office door. "You forgot this," he threw Sasuke's bag down on the nearest chair. "Text me when you find a new producer," he held back tears as he quickly left the office.
Sasuke's jaw dropped as he watched the blond leave. He looked between the door and his brother, trying to decide if he should run after the blond. He wanted to say something, maybe run after him, but he silently remained in place.
"Good decision," his brother approved. "I'll let father know and we can find him a new producer and manager," he told him nonchalantly. "He'll get over it, you'll be in pain soon enough and then you'll know you were right all along," he insinuated that Naruto was just like his past life and would find someone to sleep with to fill the void, but Sasuke wasn't sure that he was right. "It was bound to happen eventually."
Sasuke wanted to protest but he couldn't get the words to come out. He felt something in him break and he wanted to run after the blond and tell him it was all a misunderstanding. That his brother knew all the right buttons to push to make him say things that he didn't really mean. But then he wondered if he did mean it. He wondered if he really couldn't get over the man in his dreams. If that man would always haunt him and so told himself that maybe it was for the best. Maybe his brother was right and it was bound to happen eventually. They were bound to fall apart, it seemed to happen in every life like an endless cycle. "Okay," he said weakly, not really sure what he was agreeing to at that point.