AN: Hi all. I can't believe that I finally get to publish this chapter :) please do re-read ch7, you will better understand this one, if you do. At least the bar scene and Naruto passing out. Warning: long-awaited smut, but nothing vulgar

Chapter summary: Sasuke meets a perfect angel who turns out to be an idiot and keeps meeting him over and over again. And what's this thing with elevators? SasuNaru finale! Modern AU. SasuNaru, KibaNeji, other pairings

Footnotes: I know these are supposed to be at the bottom, but this is a long-ass chapter and I decided to share them at the beginning, plus, by the end you wouldn't care less what it means, lol.

[1] Karoshi – means death caused by overwork. Yep, just learned that it's a thing...and pretty scary one at that. Seems to be a big issue in Japan, China, and South Korea. But no one died in this story! Let's just think more about our work-study-life balance...

[2] Sentry is a highly automated impact prediction system. It continuously monitors the most current asteroid catalog for possibilities of future impact with Earth and sorts them out by risk. Google it, if you want to know more.


DAMN ELEVATOR


Top floor. The Penthouse

It was bloody three in the morning, on a Sunday, and he was still in the office. Even for a workaholic like him it was absolutely ridiculous, Sasuke acknowledged and sighed heavily, pinching at the bridge of his nose. As the light on his laptop faded indicating the shutdown of the device, he rolled away from the desk and stood up, feeling the much needed stretch in his legs. Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and discarding the tie to the couch where his blazer laid long forgotten, he turned to the large glass window. The storm passed but not until it covered all the mess on the streets with a white blanket and flushed away the crowds from downtown. For a district that was famous for never sleeping, it looked eerily quiet. With another sigh the brunet turned around and walked over to a little cabinet that contained the one thing he desperately needed after the kind of day he had. Whiskey.

Having poured two fingers in a tulip shaped glass and decided to skip the rocks this time, he breathed in the strong aroma and took a small sip. The liquid coated the insides of the young businessman's mouth and washed over the tongue with bittersweet warmth, then heated the path down the throat just to bloom sweetly in his chest. Damn, that hit the spot. Dropping on the couch, he closed his eyes and just sat there enjoying the sensation – it has been over twenty hours of madness and he sure as hell deserved a break.

It began with the damn explosion in Russia. Over six million square miles of land and it just had to happen above his bloody plant. Gas extraction plant. First few hours of his day were spent trying to find someone, anyone, who could explain what the hell happened there. Then, a few more went on setting straight the freaked out management team on site, so that they in turn could calm the employees. It would have been so much easier to just fly out there and do everything in person but the storm overtook the city and even his charter wasn't allowed to take off. So he had to, no kidding, skype. For half a day he had to videoconference instructions through, so that the imbeciles stopped running around in circles like headless chickens and finally started assessing the damages. Which, thankfully, turned out to be minimal and easily fixable.

But then, in the city near the plant, there were injured. Thousands of people with minor and some with critical conditions, but not from the explosion itself. The blast did some damage to residential buildings, caused breaking of windows, consequently harming people and spreading panic. Hospitals were overwhelmed and Sasuke instructed to open up their medical wing to assist in treating the injured. They were the biggest employer in the area and it was the least they could do to help their workers' families.

When that was taken care of, the local authorities started calling in. They had the nerve to allege his company of testing ballistic missiles in Russian aerospace. Like, what the hell? Sure, Uchiha Group had a diverse portfolio of companies under its belt—from sake brewing to space rocket manufacturing—but missiles? Really? No, it was not one of them. His local research team worked tirelessly trying to understand the cause of explosion to prove their innocence and it turned out to be—

Sasuke smiled at that, taking another sip of his drink

—it turned out to be a meteorite. Now, that was the highlight of his day. It explained a lot, actually: why the explosion was in the atmosphere and not on land, why it was so unexpected and big, but more importantly, why there were minimal damages to his extraction site. A couple of years back, when the plant was in the final stages of development, Sasuke came across a white paper published by the UofT. It spoke about several potentially hazardous asteroids that were on their way to Earth but not listed in the Sentry Risk Table [2] or any of the asteroid catalogues. They were missed. The coordinates of possible meteorite landings included that of his plant in Russia, as well as gold mines in Kazakhstan and Alaska. Uchiha's luck, he guessed...

Sasuke spent a lot of time on advanced calculations—which turned into his own thesis—and found that, should the paper turn out to be correct, the company would suffer billions of dollars in damages, repairs, lost revenue, and lives, quite likely. Instead of crossing fingers and hoping for it to be wrong, he saw a business case there and approved a few hundred million dollar spend on improvements of the sites to withstand enough damage to minimize the losses. Today it all paid off.

He also decided then to invest in the scientist's research, who later wrote a dissertation on the subject for his PhD in Astronomy. Though, unfortunately, it wasn't accepted by the peers and the poor guy's application was denied. Sasuke still continued investing in all his research projects, but under the radar, as a personal investment and not through company. Not because he didn't believe in it, but to not draw too much attention to it. There was no way he would allow competitors notice such a gold mine, was there? That was how he first learned the name Naruto Uzumaki.

Thinking that getting to know the man would be a good idea, Sasuke went to the Christmas party hosted by the Konoha Observatory—or was it called soirée? whatever. It was a disastrous night, which left him unsatisfied on multiple accounts. Not only was he not able to speak to the scientist, who he was certain at the time to be a middle aged man for sure, but there was no whiskey at the bar, just bloody sparkly wine. In addition to that, there were vultures lurking around trying to sweet talk him and his brother into shady investments, or sex, or shady investments and sex. Unexpectedly, he was saved by a blond haired angel, then, with eyes of the deepest oceans, but whose name he didn't get.

Sasuke chuckled at the memory of the young man sleepily asking for a dance, perhaps confusing him with someone, then softly snoring on his chest through most of the night, occasionally mumbling deathly curses at whoever decided to throw a party mid- his precious 'nap time'. It was a win-win, really: a surface to sleep peacefully for one (though vertical, but not as if the blond complained), for another – a perfect shield from vultures and constant attempts at useless socializing. And honestly, one ruined Armani was a fair price for that.

Unfortunately, the angel was whisked away by a masked man just when he himself was about to find a more suitable place for the two of them. If only he knew then, that the young man was the same scientist he was looking for, he wouldn't have given him up so easily. Instead—

The brunet released another heavy and frustrated sigh at that

—he allowed himself to get absorbed in work and forget the meeting even happened. Until yesterday's morning, that is—or was it the day before? They all seemed to blend into one lately... Anyways, it was Friday morning when the blond again appeared in his life, out of the blue. Startled by the encounter and also the complete lack of recognition in blue eyes, he reacted in a way that wasn't best. Far-far away from best. But then the blond introduced himself by the one name Sasuke came to respect so deeply, and in the same sentence as some mediocre architecture firm? That had to be a mistake. He was hundred per cent certain it was, until to his request to find every single one Naruto Uzumaki in the whole of Japan, his secretary came with the list full of a whole one record.

His disappointment didn't end there, at lunch he met the so called scientist slash architect at Iruka's. As a waiter. An annoying, clumsy, waiter that dared to try ignoring him. Too bad for the blond, to loose that round. But seriously, was the lack of progress in the research the result of the man's inability to concentrate on one thing only? Could he have abandoned it completely? Just what exactly was his investment being spent upon? The emotions were ugly, Sasuke knew perfectly well, but it didn't stop him from feeling them. Though, when Itachi shared the young man's story (without doubt previously heard from the cafe owner), a very different sort of emotion washed over him — the desire to protect and care for. Similar to that time at the party, but so much stronger. He wasn't giving that one up easily this time.

Which brought him to the last but not the least reason for why Sasuke was still at the office. Fate was insistent on these chance encounters, it seemed, but while certainly entertaining, they all ended in a disappointing disaster. Not wanting to bump into the scientist slash interior designer slash waiter unprepared again, he needed to get the blond out of his mind first, then regroup and come up with a plan on how to gradually make him his.

It proved to be more difficult than Sasuke initially thought as even with the whole madness that today turned into, Naruto was firmly on his mind and refused to get out. Every bloody little thing reminded him of the blond: the napkin from Rasengan Cafe that he still somehow had in his desk, the damn elevators that weren't even that slow today, and who in the hell added fish cakes to his salad? Every cool smooth surface was pure torture as it felt almost like the tan skin he got to touch by the pool. You would think that with blond hair, bright eyes, and vibrant personality, the guy would be warm like sunshine. But no—

His skin, despite the endearingly flushed cheeks, was cool to the touch just like fresh breeze, which made Sasuke want to dive in without reservations. The two oceans of blue looked at him with such power, and uncertainty at the same time, too, but he just couldn't control the sudden desire. Though frustrating, it was good that some kids interrupted the moment. He was caught off guard. It was too soon. It wasn't time.

Interrupting his thoughts, Sasuke's phone vibrated suddenly bringing up 'Devil' as a caller id and he frowned. What possibly could be his brother up to?

"You know it's after three in the morning, right?" he answered, finishing up the last of his whiskey. Hearing beats of music on the background and incoherent voices, he raised a curious brow and asked "are you in a bar, Itachi?"

"Just visiting my alma mater, little brother" He heard the silky voice on the other line. "Oh, and don't pretend that you're aren't at work"

"Hn"

"Good. I am calling, little brother, to tell you to go home."

"What are you up to?"

"My-my, wouldn't want to spoil the fun now, would we?" Sasuke could hear the annoyingly tiny smile in Itachi's voice "But really, is it that hard to believe that I simply worry?"

"Yes" Obviously, he added in his mind.

"You hurt me, dear brother. Go home. It is quarter after three, and with the apartment being about half hour away, you should make it just in time"

"In time for what, exactly?"

"For your power nap of course! We can't have you going twenty four hours without sleep, now, can we? Surely, you can continue your path to karoshi[1] in the morning"

Sasuke hang up at that and released a frustrated groan. Itachi was up to something and knowing him, it wasn't anything good. We are talking about the guy here that decided to go into politics for his own amusement. Which generally involved verbal (or not so verbal) torture of government officials, seducing wives and husbands of other politicians (not that they needed much seducing, though, a wink was generally enough), winning votes by blowing kisses at the crowds of voters, threatening crime syndicates. The one thing he didn't do was take bribes. No, not because of goodness of his heart, but simply because no one on this planet could possibly afford the number. He didn't give any too, as all it took for him was to enter the room and everyone would agree to whatever nonsense he was proposing. He did do some good though, for the city: whoever was not up to his very/extremely/unreal standards would flee at his sight. Itachi simply made it life threatening to operate not in the interest of the public (or his own). Scary person.

But he did have a point. It was time to get some sleep and this couch wasn't as comfortable as it looked. Besides, sleeping in the office had other complications, too. Sasuke made the mistake of falling asleep here once before and had to send a few employees to an emergency for blood loss in the morning. Workplace accident paperwork was a pain.


"Hn"

So that's what Itachi was up to, the brunet realized seeing a familiar blond softly snoring by the door to his apartment.

But how?

And why?

No, never mind. One issue at a time, he decided and nudged the body a little. Not getting a response, Uchiha bent down and shook Uzumaki by the shoulders. That got him a frown, a huff, and then silence again. "Hey, wake up" he shook harder. Another frown followed by a grunt and snore. A progress, but not enough. It seemed the guy refused to wake up. Well, too bad.

Sasuke straightened, unlocked the door and pushed it open watching with amusement how the man slowly slid to the floor, halfway to his suite, and then turned on one side bringing both arms up to form a pillow. What an idiot, he thought fighting a smile.

He walked in, took off the shoes and coat, then grabbed the body by the shoulders and dragged him inside. Having picked up both of their bags from the hallway and locked the door, he stood there watching the blond spread out on the floor thinking of what to do next. Leave the blond just there was one of the options – he did look as if enjoying the carpeted floors... Drop him on the couch, but that would require more effort... Splashing the guy with cold water and kick him out also came to mind, but that would get the carpet wet, and having to explain this whole predicament now would be a hassle. He was too tired for that.

Interrupting his thoughts, the guy on the floor turned to the side again with a contented smile, and right there Sasuke's chest filled with warm fondness that urged him to the fourth option, which was his bed.

He rid the guest off the outdoor clothing and boots, grabbed him by both arms into a sitting position, then over his shoulder and went further inside the apartment. Hearing the huffs and snores behind his back was deeply amusing.

The apartment was nothing special – just a small studio with bare minimum of stuff: a couch, coffee table, couple of floor lamps, and a bed by the window. There was a nice kitchen though, with two stools by the breakfast bar.

This studio was only temporary, so he never bothered to decorate it. The apartment he actually owned was the building's penthouse. But according to Itachi, it needed some fixing and some serious interior design changes, which is why he was banished from there for the time being.

Having walked to the bed and carefully laid the guy on the soft surface, Sasuke sat beside and for a moment simply looked at him. Such relaxed face framed by short blond hair that formed a halo on the pillow. Dark eyelashes rested on slightly flushed skin, from alcohol for sure, the strong smell being the obvious indicator. Lips parted, letting out now barely audible little snores. They looked slightly chapped and Sasuke wetted his own on instinct.

Was everything alright? Did he need covers? Was he more comfortable this way, on his back, or —

The blond turned to the side again and the brunet chucked, not even bothering to hold it in. His guest was a side sleeper, then. No doubts.

Damn, Sasuke came to realize that the feeling he got around the blond was more than simple attraction. It had to be, as never in his life it was this strong. The pull was like gravity, and he got caught in a free fall. Even now, just sitting beside the dead asleep guy made him want to, more than anything in the world, just lie beside and cuddle. He never cuddled. But this feeling made him want to start right that instant. The brunet wiped both hands of his face and wondered just when exactly the hope got lost on him.

"kishh" he heard a mumble and Sasuke's eyes turned to saucers and he turned his head so quickly his neck creaked.

Was he hearing things?

It couldn't be—

Should he?

No, it wasn't right—

But maybe?

No-no. Taking advantage of a drunk sleeping person was against his nature. "Kissh me Kiba" he heard then and his brows curved in a frown. Who the fuck was Kiba? And why in the hell would he be kissing his blond? With a growl, Sasuke dove in to claim Naruto's lips, to show just whose bed he currently occupied but—

the blond's face suddenly relaxed in a slow smile and a quiet mumble "damn teme" stopped Sasuke an inch away.

Teme.

Naruto used it before, in the elevator, the note, and the pool. The dobe was dreaming about him. Whoever the fuck Kiba was didn't matter. He would let the guy rest and talk in the morning.


Wrong. Everything felt wrong. Naruto didn't need to open his eyes to know how bright the room was, which meant there were no drapes on the windows or they were mercilessly left open by some unknown torturer. Air was too cold – so different from his always heated apartment and he snuggled further under the covers. The bed was comfortable but the catastrophic lack of pillows was unbearable. Why would people do that to themselves? Didn't they know how awesome it was to be surrounded by the huggable pieces of fluffiness?

Young scientist was sure he wasn't home. Where was he, then? Last night, Kiba left him with Gaara, who then drove him to the apartment building...that's right...but this wasn't his place. Whose was it?

The sounds... There were foreign sounds around... Muffled steps, gentle clutter and sizzle. Of their own accord, his nostrils flared registering the crispiness of bacon in the air and sweetness of—was it eggs? His stomach approvingly growled at the mental image of breakfast.. But still, there was one other smell that made everything feel so alarmingly wrong... It was... It was—

Naruto's eyes snapped open and body froze in alert,

—bergamot. The room reeked of bergamot. Of course, this had to be the bastard's lair. He remembered now passing out in the hallway after that damn elevator took him to the wrong floor. Uchiha must have found him there— no, he must have known that tired and drunk Naruto would end up there. Or, probably, even followed him from the bar all the way to the building, waited to see which floor he would get off, that damn stalker, then got him right at his weakest...Naruto was so gonna get the bastard's ass arrested! Also, that creepy ponytail guy—the brother—must have tipped him off. They were all in this together..

Oh no, he was in danger wasn't he? Who knows what these rich bastards were into? They probably kept people like pets in small apartments, or forced them to fight for life or death at their parties just for the fun of it , or...or...he would be shipped to China and sold for organs... Dammit...his organs were perfectly good for sale. They must cost a fortune. He needed to get out of here or call the police. No. Get out of here and call the police.

Carefully, not moving his body at all so to not alert the bastard of his awakened state, Naruto looked around and began to formulate an escape plan. The room's layout resembled his own apartment but contrary to it all walls were white, not even a single picture frame marred them. The furniture, the bare minimum of it, was so simple it could have belonged to a hospital, if not for its black colour. Everything looked disgustingly clean, almost sterile. Uchiha couldn't possibly be living here, it was too creepy. Unless, this was indeed meant for human pets to live in, in captivity, for ever...

Okay, there was no time for these kinds of depressing thoughts... Firstly, he needed to find a way out of here. As the layout was similar to his own place, the exit was most likely to the right, down the corridor – not too far away, which was good. The bad thing – it was past the kitchen, currently occupied by the evil kidnapper. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the familiar mop of raven-black hair and tried to ignore the incredible aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Another growl escaped his tummy and he mentally swore. When was the last time he actually properly ate? They left the lab before lunch and food at the bar didn't really count, Uchiha must have known that somehow. This was all part of his plan to entrap Naruto in here forever.

Feeling the panic raise inside, the scientist continued planning out the escape. Under covers, he still wore all of his clothes, he checked: shirt was on, jeans, belt... Everything but socks.

Weird.

Ah, what wasn't weird about this whole thing?! He was imprisoned by an evil billionaire, for darn's sake!

More importantly, the phone was still in his backside pocket, which was good but a bit suspicious. Wouldn't the captor want to rid of the phone at least? Must have been an oversight. Under the covers Naruto carefully wiggled the device out of his jeans then slowly, very slowly, moved it alongside his body all the way up and prepared to call 911.

Oversight, my ass, he mentally swore again, seeing the out of power icon appear on the screen.

The scientist took a deep breath. Having no means to call for help sucked, but it wasn't the end of the world.

The next step would be...getting to the door.

He needed to be smart about it as slipping out unnoticed was not an option – the apartment was open concept and too small. So he needed to find an excuse to go to the washroom, which had to be in the same direction as the door. Uchiha would most likely insist on following him there, but Naruto was ready to just hit him in the nuts and make a run for it. All good, everything thought of, there goes nothing...

Fully prepared for battle, Naruto pushed up from the bed, propping himself up on one elbow, and froze as sharp pain pierced through his head "Fuck" he groaned and found himself falling back on the pillow, an arm flying up to his forehead. The hangover was something he didn't account for...

"Good, you're awake" through the pounding in his head Naruto heard Sasuke's voice from the kitchen. "There are painkillers and water on the bedside table"

Thoughtful prick knew this would happen, he thought but propped up on one elbow again, this time very carefully, and took the pills, then laid back and waited for the headache to go away. The escape plan was delayed, but only temporarily, he thought closing his eyes and praying once again for this all to be just a dream.

"Here, drink this as well" came the voice of his captor much closer this time, startling the blond. He pried one eye open and warily looked at the glass that he just emptied being replaced by another one. Bright light sent another wave of headache through his brain and Naruto groaned, but the other man somehow grasped the unasked question "It's orange juice – fluids and sugar will help the headache go away faster."

For a second there Naruto contemplated on whether or not to believe the bastard, that perhaps the juice was spiked with something else to further worsen his suffering, but then, he already took some unknown pills without a second thought, so whatever was in this particular glass didn't matter anymore. And, really, if there was even the slightest chance for it to help rid of headache, he should take it. Damn Kiba for letting him drink so much... No, wait. It wasn't Kiba's fault... it was teme's.

Groaning again, the blond took the glass and then a nice long sip from it, welcoming the sweet cool liquid. Another piercing pain through his head sent Naruto back to the pillow.

"That looks painful" he heard Sasuke taking the empty glass away "Why drink so much, just to suffer like that?"

To stop thinking about you, prick. Naruto thought but voiced out only "It's your fault"

"Oh, how so?"

"Because you're a bastard", wasn't it obvious?

"I think you being an idiot provides a better explanation"

"Hey!" Naruto jumped on the bed to point a finger at the arrogant son of a bitch, but instead caused another fit of headache and fell back down miserably.

"See?"

Hateful asshole.

"Why did you abduct me?", tired from the pounding in his head, the scientist wanted to find a reason for this whole waking up in a strange apartment situation, but couldn't. So, he decided to bluntly ask his captor.

"What?" was a surprised response that didn't fool him in the slightest, and Naruto asked further. Not shouting or anything, because it would only worsen the headache, but just wanting to get a straight answer for once:

"Look, prick, I know that you've been funding my research, and must have known who I was from the start. So why pretending? Why stalking and bringing me here?"

After a slight delay, he heard the other man speak "I am not even going to justify it with an answer. You're free to leave whenever you want." There was another pause and the blond looked at the other man, finding him standing just few steps away from the bed blankly looking at the empty glass still in his hands. "I saw you passed out outside my apartment and took you in. Your things are by the door and...Hn" the brunet cleared his throat and continued, still not looking at him "You can leave, but there is also breakfast, if you want"

That unsure tone didn't quite fit the image that Naruto had in his head of the mighty and arrogant Sasuke Uchiha, but really, how well did he know the guy? It's been, what, 48 hours since their first real encounter. Maybe Iruka was indeed right and he should first get to know the guy before forming any opinions about him. But he would be damned if he didn't take a way out when it was right in front of him... just to be on the safe side.

Feeling the headache ease slightly and ready to pick up his stuff and leave, Naruto sat up on the bed and prepared to tell Uchiha that it's been nice and they should do it some other time. Instead, just when his mouth was about to voice out the first words of that sentence, a loud grumble escaped his stomach, echoing through the small apartment. Blood rushed to his cheeks as the embarrassing noise repeated and he instinctively covered his abdomen.

"Don't laugh!" he shouted at the snicker from the other man.

"Breakfast it is, then"


Food tasted so good that Uzumaki could barely stop himself from shoving it all in his mouth at once. Just like the aroma suggested before, eggs were sweet and fluffy with just the right amount of crispy bacon, and coffee—damn incredible. Though his stomach made the decision for him, he didn't regret staying. So far, Uchiha's been nothing but a good host: made breakfast, gave a change of clothes, a toothbrush, and a charger for his phone. He sent him to shower, because there was no way a smelly idiot was going anywhere near his perfect kitchen. Well, he was still a bastard, just in a more civil way, kind of.

They were eating in comfortable silence, not wanting to interrupt the temporary peace, with only sounds in the room coming from gentle clutter of their plates and some street noise from outside. From the corner of his eye, Naruto peaked at Sasuke from time to time noticing how careful and precise the other man's movements were, from holding the chopsticks so perfectly to placing his mug on the same spot every time. He also couldn't help but notice how down to earth the guy looked in casual clothes, how nicely a simple navy shirt contrasted with pale skin, how its short sleeves seemed kind of tight around those biceps, how—

"You're staring again" Sasuke pointed out hiding a smirk behind a small cherry tomato.

Naruto cursed, but didn't comment further, instead just grabbed another bite of eggs and looking away. What was the point? The bastard knew damn well how good he looked.

"I notice it too, you know" the brunet said after a slight pause, "How my shirt on you looks—different, how tanned your skin is, how your nape is still flushed from shower, how—"

"Gah! Stop with embarrassing stuff!" the blond dropped his chopsticks and covered the back of his neck immediately, drawing a laugh out from the other man, to which he responded with a shove. But it was still somewhat comfortable to learn that he wasn't alone in this—whatever that was.

"Why do you think that is?" Naruto asked, hoping that maybe Sasuke had the answer.

"What is?"

"That I—that you—we...urgh, you know, bastard!"

"I honestly don't know why" Sasuke admitted "But I also felt it last year, when I first saw you at that Christmas party"

"Oh right," he remembered how Kiba was laughing at that last night, "I was told that we saw each other then! Sorry, I don't remember anything because I slept through the whole thing, but is it true that I ruined your suit?"

"Yep" Sasuke smiled at the memory, then looked at the blond and added earnestly "Was worth it" to which, Naruto mumbled, face buried in his mug:

"I said stop with embarrassing stuff. Better tell me this—" hating the way the tips of his ears burned, he made a decision to change the subject and asked about the weirdest thing that still bothered him the most "—what's up with this apartment?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's empty and creepy"

"It's just a place to sleep"

"You mean, it's yours?!" Naruto couldn't help but gape at Sasuke, who just rolled eyes.

"Yes, moron. It is temporary, but it's still mine. My brother insisted I renovate the penthouse, which wasn't that bad to begin with, but when something gets into his head, there is no way around it. He then found me this one for the time being."

"This makes more sense" the blond smiled with relief. He then noticed that food was already gone, and coffee mugs were emptied. It was probably a good time to leave and let the man be – he already inconvenienced him long enough. But something pulled at him to ask "Will you show it to me?"


The elevator wasn't at all slow today, young scientist noted on the way up to the penthouse. It was clean, too – mirrors sparking and all. Perhaps the cleaners were more thorough than usual today. And was it a new carpet? Or has it always been that colour? Oh, and these bar handles were super shiny, perhaps polished—

"You're ok?" the question snapped Naruto out of the pathetic attempt to keep himself distracted from the fact that he was inside an elevator with Sasuke again.

"Yeah. Sure" He answered rather too quickly, scratching at the back of his neck. It's not like it was an issue or anything, just reminded him of what happened and what didn't happen the last time they were here. More importantly, was it a good idea to go into a stranger's penthouse? Though, it wasn't really like that. It was just out of professional responsibility, right? As an interior designer, it was his duty to society to give some pointers to someone who's renovating their place of residence. He did that all the time! And it's not like they were total strangers... he did sleep at the guy's place tonight—

/Bing!/

The blond breathed out in relief at the sound and promptly left the metal box, turning right at the exit. Coming face-to-face with a wall, he almost leaped to the ceiling as a hand wrapped around his abdomen to guide him in the opposite direction.

"It's this way" Sasuke pointed at the only door on the floor and he just blushed in response. It was obvious to both how nervous he was for no reason, but once the door was opened, all thoughts were gone.

Inside, Naruto was greeted by such a beautiful view that he forgot to breathe. Without an invitation, he discarded boots by the door, walked through a short hallway towards grand floor-to-ceiling windows that were so tall they almost blended with the sky. It began snowing again with large snow flurries passing by so slowly, so close that he almost felt like a part of a cloud that floated over the city below. He could stay there forever, but it wasn't his home and he was there for a reason, as such, the designer in him withdrew from the window, turned around and assessed the space.

"Holy shit"

And what a space that was...

To the side of the entrance was a high-end kitchen decked out in midnight blue glossy cabinetry with a long absolute black granite island, above which was a rainfall of crystal drops and lights hanging from the ceiling. A modestly sized but cozy dining area was set up by the windows with a free-standing gas fireplace near it. The dining table only had seating room for four. Perhaps, it wasn't meant for entertaining large crowds but instead for small family gatherings. Behind the fireplace was some sort of structure from blown glass and metal that separated what looked like a home office from the rest of the room. Apartment didn't end there, it seemed to curve around to the other side of the building where surely the bedroom or several were located.

Where he stood was a spacious great room with armchairs and fancy couches arranged in a semicircle facing the windows. Another intricate chandelier hanged above him, and to the side was a carefully arranged space for reading with two armchairs, a table in between, floor lamps, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a fully stacked whiskey bar.

Everything was so well done that Uzumaki immediately felt inspired and somewhat proud of the work done by a fellow interior designer. At the same time, somewhere deep inside his chest he noted a surprising pang of disappointment, not sure though what it was related to.

Near him, Uchiha was talking on the phone with someone.

"You didn't tell me that they finished, why?" He didn't sound too pleased. Was he not happy with the result? That couldn't possibly be it. "I slept on the couch, Itachi. The couch!" Ah, that explained it. Naruto couldn't help but laugh, remembering the tiny couch from the other apartment. Though it was rather curious why Uchiha let him have the bed, instead of just throwing him on that same couch.

"Sorry, didn't expect them to finish so quickly," the brunet turned his phone off and walked closer to his guest "just on Friday this place was a mess. So, what do you think?"

"What do I think?!"

"Yes, I am curious to know your professional opinion"

"It's awesome, you rich prick" Naruto admitted, looking around the place again.

"How elaborate, dobe"

"Teme!" He laughed and jokingly shoved Sasuke away but with a bit more force than intended and, seeing the guy loose balance, grabbed onto his arm. It was too late though and the man was much heavier than expected, so they both ended up falling on one of the armchairs with Naruto landing on top.

"How bold of you" low baritone vibrated in his ear. Palms and face pressed into the broad chest, he didn't need to look up to know the guy was smirking again. Bastard.

"Oh, shut up!" That came out quite muffled drawing a laugh out of Sasuke. Naruto pushed up a bit and found himself nose to nose with him. Just like that time in the elevator, the fragrance of salted bergamot almost caused his head to spin. And just like the other time by the pool, he began to loose himself in the dark eyes. It felt right, again, to be there, to be that close, to not care about other things, to know that everything would work out. But it was just an illusion, it had to be. The world was more complicated than that, and their worlds were too different. Having realized that, the blond pushed himself further away, then shifted his weight enough to gain balance back and stood up. "I should probably go"

"Why" How could he ask that? Didn't he understand it himself?

"I invited myself here to give you some professional advice," the blond explained, nervously scratching the back of his neck, damn habit "which is obviously not needed anymore. And I took enough of your time already, I'm sure you're a busy guy. Anyways, thank you for not leaving me in the hallway. Oh, and sorry about the couch, by the way. Really, you should've just thrown me there instead. So—"

"Running away again" Sasuke breathed out slowly, stood up and faced Naruto, who was pinned to his spot by the sudden intensity in the dark eyes "Did you sleep well?"

Thrown aback by a surprising question, the blond just nodded.

"Was breakfast to your liking?"

Another nod.

"Headache?"

"No"

"Otherwise feel well?"

"Yes. Where are you going with this?"

"Good. Now that you're awake, in sound judgement, there are no elevators, no interruptions—" as if on cue his cellphone, still laying on the armchair, rang and both men looked at the direction of the sound. Cursing, the brunet picked it up, hissed 'not now, aniki', hanged up, and switched the device off. "Now that there are no interruptions," he continued "You will let me kiss you."

"What?!" Was he out of his mind?

"Admit that you want it, too"

"Like hell I do!" Hell yeah he did, but it wasn't the point.

Sasuke held an arm to the crinkle between his eyebrows and let out another long breath. "I'm not going to force you, I just want you to admit that there is something between us. Something too important to just brush off and forget"

Of course Naruto felt it too, it was why the brunet never left his head ever since their first meeting, or the second, whatever. But—

"We don't know each other! You don't make sense!"

"I know I don't!" Uchiha snapped, but then put a hand over his face and took a few steps away. After a pause, he looked back at Uzumaki with such fondness in his eyes, that the scientist's heart seized "It's scary to feel this—attraction. To a stranger. But I am not running away."

Naruto stood there, looking at that perfect stranger that he only met so long ago leaving himself bare right in front of him and felt his stomach drop at the sight – a familiar feeling by now. Even wearing casual joggers and a simple navy t-shirt, Sasuke looked just as gorgeous as the first time: dark hair framing the face had the same blue highlights as before that made them look like a raven's wings; elegant jawline and perfectly even nose; and, of course, the eyes – deep like the midnight sky. But there was more to the man than his looks: passion and kindness, strong character and damn good cooking skills, and many other traits to be discovered yet. Perhaps it was okay to stop running, but not until the important questions were out of the way.

"Are you married?" The blond inquired, folding hands at his chest and throwing the chin up in challenge.

"Are you an idiot?"

"Just answer the damn question, teme"

"I'm not"

"Kids?"

"No"

"Ever cheated?"

"Never"

"Killed anyone?"

"Not yet, but soon, if you don't stop with stupid questions" Sasuke growled under his breath but then just blinked at what was said next.

"Ok, then" the whirlwind of emotions in his stomach threatened to escape, but Naruto still continued "I will let you kiss me"

In a heartbeat the brunet was in front of him and Naruto's eyes fluttered shut as his nerves turned into a bundle. This kind of powerful attraction to another person was something alien, like from another Universe. Without any contact yet he could feel the comfortable heat radiating from Sasuke—similar to rays of the Sun—surrounding him, moving through him, not leaving anything untouched. What would it feel like when they actually unite? When nothing followed, he looked up just to see the man finally eliminate the distance and softly press closed mouth to his. It caught him by surprise, how else would you explain the skipping breath and sudden tightness in his chest? But through all that it felt—

So warm, he thought relaxing into the simple kiss.

The touch was soft like gentle gust of wind, and just as fleeting. He opened eyes again, surprised, was it the end of it? But then he saw a smile on Sasuke's face and everything inside him stilled. Right there, right that second everything made sense: two celestial bodies, having met just once forever change their orbits and in the future, their meeting frequency would be increased with every iteration until they either both collide or form a strong and stable dual system. It was the case with them as well.

Drawn towards Sasuke's honest smile, Naruto rose on his toes to meet the man half way into another kiss. A bit more urgency was there, desire to confirm that all of this is real. Out of their own accord his hands slid around the firm body for support and a bit more of that addictive warmth – the move received approving gentle bite to his bottom lip that had his toes curl against will. He gasped surprised as Sasuke's palms cupped both his cheeks and just before the mind flew out of the window, he welcomed the strong muscle inside. Intense taste of coffee, something salty, mixed with aroma of that same bergamot, drove him out of this world and he responded with an equal force. He was so lost, and yet, at home. How could it feel so good? It was—

"Insane" he said, trying to catch a breath

"What is?" Sasuke rested his forehead on Naruto's, breathing just as heavily

"How good it feels" both laughed at that before diving into another searing kiss.

Warm fingers found a way into blond hair, massaging spots Naruto never knew he had, which sent a wave of pleasure down his spine. Unable to suppress a moan he blushed from head to toe, it seemed. Starving for air, he tore away to take a breath just to have it stolen by a hot mouth on his neck. Heavens. Uchiha's hands slid down his back to firmly hold him just as his own moved up into the silky raven locks. Another moan, a sigh, not clear whose, and other sounds filled space inside the great room, but Naruto was not in state to hear, through all the ringing in the ears. He felt moist lips and heated breath trail up his neck then cheekbone, that's never been so sensitive before, and turned his head to eagerly meet them again. This softness, taste, this warmth were all immensely addictive and Uzumaki pressed closer until nothing could come between them, until—

Sasuke, releasing a frustrated groan, suddenly broke the kiss and buried his face in the tanned neck again. "You need to leave" he said through teeth.

"Say what?" Naruto pulled back and firmly looked into black eyes, did he just hear that right? To which, brunet dove in to press the swollen mouth to his again then took him in the full embrace, hips pressing into his and—

Oh

—the joggers didn't do a thing to hide the obvious arousal in between them. Well, technically, two. The scientist realized, letting another throaty groan escape.

Sasuke released his grip on him and took few steps away "We need to stop" seeing the look of disagreement, continued "I never even asked you on a proper date"

"Oh, please" the blond responded to the nonsense "Stopping after just begging me to kiss you?"

"I didn't beg" that didn't sound convincing "I won't hold back" now this definitely did.

"What makes you think I would?" The scientist grinned and in another heartbeat those perfect lips were over his again.

To know that both wanted the same was freeing. Without reservations, the scientist explored the muscles of strong arms then drowned in softness of dark locks again. He arched the back on instinct when hot palms found their way under his t-shirt to guide him closer to the other man's hips. The heat and friction sent a lightning bolt through all his senses and Naruto fisted his hands in pleasure. It felt divine.

Once more, Uchiha took a step away, this time holding the tanned hand in his. Another step had Uzumaki following the suit. They walked past dining table, the fireplace, and then home office – the bedroom was located just where he thought it would. A second glass and metal structure caught his attention, and then the view from yet another set of floor-to-ceiling windows. The snow was falling heavier outside and everything looked dark despite being the middle of the day—

Blue eyes widened as he was drawn into another burning kiss and pushed to a wall out of the blue, pale hands roaming all over. Black eyes bore into his and he forgot to breathe. Sightseeing later, they seemed to say and he couldn't agree more.

Without any thought the scientist tugged at the navy t-shirt, brushing the fingertips along the abdomen he was hungry for since laying eyes on it by the pool. In just a moment the material was gone and lost somewhere on the floor and he, enchanted, planted a couple little kisses on the pearl-white skin. He wanted to move lower, but was interrupted by his own t-shirt being taken off and thrown away. Chill air sent waves of goosebumps but only for a fleeting moment before Naruto was lost in boiling hot embrace and deep invasion.

"You look like a cold bastard" he said through ragged breaths working on getting joggers off "but you're hot as hell", then rolled his eyes at the contented Hn "Not what I meant! Like furnace!"

The businessman, now wearing only a piece of underwear, continued assault on tanned neck, then whispered "Admit it" sending ripples of shivers all the way down to his stomach.

The blond mentally cursed and said "My hands are on your ass, aren't they?" that got a laugh out of the other man.

Last pieces of their clothing totally discarded, Naruto found himself among the countless pillows on the bed. If there was any hesitation ever in the past about things maybe not working out between them, it dissipated. A man with love for pillows matching his was totally a keeper.

Sasuke hovered over him like that time by the pool, with both thumbs brushing over at the corners of blue eyes and said "I was surprised as well. Your tan, blond hair scream warmth and sunshine, but your skin is smooth and cold. Like morning breeze. Your eyes—" Naruto swallowed hard at that "are deep and wild like open oceans. I want to drown in them"

"I'm not running away" he whispered and gave himself completely to the kiss that followed. Strong muscle sliding in and his responding back—he was so lost in this unearthly feeling.

Some pillows were sent flying to the floor when Sasuke grabbed a tube of lube and condoms from the bottom drawer. It was enthralling to see the man so effortlessly put one on him and under the spell, the blond returned the gesture. Next second Naruto was flipped over and felt a digit glide through his tight ring of muscles. The movements after left him breathless and he could only lay there and wait until one digit turned to two, then three and then withdrew completely. Until—

He turned around and met the man half way already hungry for those perfect lips, shifting the weight to lay onto his back again. He clutched at broad shoulders and beneath tan fingertips the muscles flexed as strong arms lifted his hips and brought them closer to the burning heat. The blond was melting.

Breaking the kiss Sasuke looked down at him and Naruto was lost forever in the black gaze, so powerful, so dark, with galaxies of stars inside. Another breath and the awaited hot arousal slid in, letting his moan escape into the heated mouth that landed back on his.

The room was filled with muffled noises, groans, and breathless gasps. Tanned legs as if of mind their own wrapped around pale hips, increasing friction in between two men, whose hearts were beating in a perfect unison. They were exactly where they were meant to be.


"I think my brother hacked the elevators." Sasuke voiced out his suspicion, finally, placing a glass of water on a nightstand, and then corrected "Well, had someone else hack them for him."

"You're kidding" Naruto couldn't help but be amused. Then grabbed the water and gobbled it down "To set us up?"

The brunet nodded.

That was ridiculous. "No way."

"Well, if you think about that—your elevator theory—it does check out."

"That's true, but not exactly. My colleague, Kiba, has exactly the same issue. And even got stuck at one on Friday. That couldn't, possibly be your brother's fault too, could it?"

So, was it all damn elevators' fault or was it certain someone's?

THE END


AN: So...since the very beginning, I wrote Sasuke in a way that would make him that sexy enigmatic persona that Naruto just couldn't help to fall in lust with, and fast. Like falling down in that elevator (dream in ch5..) and not caring. To achieve that, I had to limit his time on screen, but by doing so I made him more of a bastard than initially intended...urgh..not at all worthy of my hardworking cutie-pie Naruto. I tried to use this chapter to show his good sides! That he is just as hardworking and cares for the same things, though in a different way. Do you think it worked?

Also the story is done, but I might write a short drabble to tie some still remaining loose ends :) Though, not sure when exactly, so I'll mark it all Complete.