Damn Roses
Author's Note: Thank you guys for all your feedback. In particular, there was one Guest Reviewer 1 who left a rather detailed review. I'm glad that you like the break in, Sasuke/Gaara's brotherly relationship, and the Seme/Uke references were intended to be for comedy purposes. No offense was intended to gay or straight couples. So since that might be poorly received, I'll axe those references or at least tone them down significantly.
Nowaki-koneko, Ankwhat, Guest 2, and Lo: Thank you for your kind words. To answer Guest 2's implied question, I'm probably going to have them switch it up. Readers can feel free to weigh in on which way it should go, if they want. J
Without further ado, here is Chapter Three. I hope you all enjoy.
Chapter Three
Naruto finished talking with Kakashi. He looked at the clock. It was 1 A.M. That was late, but Sasuke had always been a night owl. The blonde remembered his wildcat, being quite the Grumpy Cat in the mornings during their school days. He decides to give it a shot.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You up," Naruto asks into the phone.
"… What is it with you and these Princess references," Sasuke answers.
"Oh good, you are up," Naruto grins widely.
"Obviously," Sasuke says dryly.
"Well I just got done talking to Kakashi," Naruto says, as he sits on his bed.
"Who is Kakashi," Sasuke asks suspiciously.
"He's the cop that I talked to about the robbery. No need to be jealous, wildcat. But if it makes you feel better you can come over and mark your territory," Naruto says slyly.
"I'm not jealous. How'd that go? Do they know who did it? Was anything taken," Sasuke asks.
"Sure you aren't," Naruto snickers.
"Naruto," Sasuke says warningly.
Naruto loved pushing Sasuke's buttons. He made a mental note that Sasuke was the possessive type. Which was fine with Naruto. It showed he cared and Naruto didn't have eyes for anyone else.
"It went okay, mostly. The only thing they took was my graduation picture. And I kinda sorta, might have told Kakashi, that Orochimaru was creeping on you." Naruto answers.
"That's an odd thing for a robber to take. WAIT YOU DID WHAT," Sasuke twitches.
Sasuke mentally goes through the various ways that was going to bite him in the ass. That meant the police might talk to Orochimaru. Orochimaru was not well liked in the legal community, but he was damn well respected. That could make things very difficult for him, if the Sanin wanted to play hardball.
"Well he asked if anyone might hold a grudge against me. I didn't want to give your name. But that freak decides to press charges or is the robber, the potential motive is important," Naruto replies.
"It's fine. I doubt Orochimaru is stupid enough to press charges. The people at that wedding would back us up. He's many things; stupid isn't one of them," Sasuke states.
This was true. Anyone at Itachi and Gaara's wedding would take Sasuke's side by default. Afterall, he was the brother of one of the grooms. Orochimaru preferred to take his revenge in more subtle ways. He was too dirty, to involve the cops unless it really came down to it. Sasuke was aware of at least three "gray" areas that Orochimaru operated, that the police might find very interesting.
"Still let me make it up to you. I could come there, you could come here, or we could go out," Naruto says cheerfully.
"Naruto, it's 1:30 in the fucking morning. The only thing that happens at this hour is booty calls," Sasuke answers.
"Well if you are willing," Naruto starts.
"You are not that lucky loser. I don't sleep with people on the first date," Sasuke scoffs.
"It was worth a shot. I don't either usually. But it's not the same for us. We've known each other FOREVER. It's not like I just picked you up at a club for a little dirty dancing," Naruto says.
"… You seriously just made a dirty dancing pun," Sasuke says in disbelief.
"You know it was funny. Alright, you said not on the first date. Still very nice to know you are willing to sleep with me, eventually," Naruto says smugly.
"There is a greater than zero chance of it happening, if you don't fuck it up. That is a big if," Sasuke counters.
"It's okay, Sasuke. I don't mind your claws. I know that deep down you are a cuddly kitten. You just have to be petted the right way," Naruto answers.
"…," Sasuke didn't even know how to respond to that, except silence and twitching.
"See? I'm right. You can't argue with me," Naruto smiles.
"You were just robbed. Not sure if petting should be the first thing on your mind. Are you still at your place," Sasuke asks.
"Nah, I'm staying at a friend's for now," Naruto answers.
"That's good. If this robber is some sort of crazy stalker, he'll probably be back. Stay safe loser. I mean it," Sasuke says.
"Sasuke only you could possibly express concern for someone's safety and call them a loser the same breath," Naruto states.
"What can I say? I'm talented," Sasuke volleys back.
"Yeah, I know you are talented with your mouth. Why, you asking where I am? Were you going to come over and protect me? That's sweet of you," Naruto beams.
"Naruto, this isn't a game. You need to take this seriously. We don't know what they want. You could get hurt," Sasuke says.
"They have a police car watching my house. I'm at Shikamaru's. Don't worry. So you wanna meet up for dinner tomorrow," Naruto asks.
' "Can't. I have a case," Sasuke says.
"Do you actually have a case or are you just saying that, to play hard to get," Naruto asks.
"I have a case," Sasuke answers.
"Liar! You were always a horrible liar. Your voice rasps when you lie. Normally, it's velvety," Naruto states with absolute confidence.
It wasn't a complete lie. Sasuke did have a case. He just didn't have to argue it tomorrow at dinner. Obito had recommended playing hard to get though. So he should follow through with that.
"I don't know whether to find that flattering that you pay that much attention to me or kinda scary," Sasuke says.
"Well as long as you learn that you can't sneak anything passed me, either works. So I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight. We can eat at my place," Naruto says.
"Eight is fine. But not at your place. How about Rosewood," Naruto asks.
Rosewood was to put it mildly, a rather exclusive restaurant. It could take months to get in. While Sasuke always wanted to go there, he never knew what his schedule was going to be like in a few months. So he didn't.
"That sounds great, but it takes MONTHS to get in there Naruto. Besides, I can't imagine you going anywhere THAT formal," Sasuke answers.
"Bastard, I'm insulted. I went to Gaara and Itachi's wedding. That was formal," Naruto answers.
"Yeah well it was a wedding. I was relieved to see you didn't wear an orange tux," Sasuke says.
"You know that Gaara would have murdered me if I did that," Naruto replies.
"Yes, yes he would have. Ayame's place isn't bad. She started her own diner after her father passed," Sasuke says.
"I can get us into Rosewood. My friend Choji, owns the place," Naruto says cheerfully.
"A man with connections, nice," Sasuke says.
"Yeah! So take that. Besides, I figured you're prissy ass, would probably want somewhere fancy," Naruto responds, rather pleased with himself.
"I am not prissy," Sasuke scoffs.
"Hey, it is VERY nice prissy ass. Just saying, you are high maintenance. You're totally worth it though," Naruto answers as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I'm not high maintenance," Sasuke asserts.
"You have a classic Type A Personality. You are a major perfectionist. So it's normal to assume that'd apply in a relationship," Naruto explains his reasoning.
"…I'll admit that I'm a perfectionist. But I honestly don't really care where we eat," Sasuke says.
"So you don't want to go to Rosewood," Naruto asks smugly.
"I do. But I'd be happy with going to McDonald's, as long as it was with you," he answers.
"Awe bastard. That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me. I know how much you hate fast food," Naruto says.
It was true. Sasuke hated fast food. But he loved Naruto and even fast food places, probably had a salad somewhere on the menu. (Likely the only SAFEish item on it. Sasuke preferred a nice, fat, juicy steak and his tomatoes, but he'd make due.)
Of course Sasuke couldn't tell Naruto that. Hmm, he needed to come up with a suitable response fast. Preferably before Naruto thought he hung up on him.
"I'll see you at eight," Sasuke says.
"I'll be there. Wild horses couldn't keep me away," Naruto says.
"…. There aren't likely to be many wild horses in Vegas," Sasuke answers.
"It's an expression," Naruto exclaims.
Sasuke knew that. As much as he loved Naruto or maybe because of it, he couldn't resist riling the blonde up. It had always been that way.
"Whatever. I'll see you then. Try to get some sleep," Sasuke says.
"You too. You are going to need it," Naruto hangs up and Sasuke blinks, oh he did not just imply what Sasuke thought he did.
Shikamaru heard voices. Considering his friend had been robbed today, he was understandably jumpy. He goes to check on Naruto.
"Naruto, you okay. I thought I heard someone else here," he says.
"Oh I was on the phone," Naruto answered.
"On the phone? Who could you possibly be calling at this hour," Shikamaru wonders.
"Sasuke. We kinda had a high school reunion at Itachi and Gaara's wedding," Naruto chirps.
"Oh that's right. Gaara married Itachi. Sasuke is Itachi's brother. Should have figured he'd be there. But still calling him at this hour," Shikamaru didn't get it.
"Well I told him, I"d call after I got done with Kakashi. Besides, I've never heard of Sasuke going to bed before 3 A.M. It's just how he's wired," Naruto muses.
"Right. So what happened that merited this phone call? And since when does Sasuke give out his number to well anyone," he wonders.
"Well you see it's all because of some roses," Naruto says and begins the tale.
"So you both caught the bouquet, tried to sneak out of the party, ended up making out in the hallway, Orochimaru sexually harassed Sasuke, you broke his nose, and later that day someone broke in your house," Shikamaru sums up.
"Yup," Naruto answers.
"All that because of some damn roses," Shikamaru asks.
"Hey, those roses helped me big time," Naruto responds somewhat defensively.
"They also might be the indirect reason why you seem to have a stalker. Just be careful Naruto. Orochimaru has never been right in the head. He's a brilliant legal mind though. He probably knows a dozen ways to get you arrested just for breathing," Shikamaru warns.
"Pft I ain't scared of him," Naruto waves him off.
Meanwhile a mysterious figure was sitting in a wheelchair in a night club. He loathed these types of establishments. But the "exotic" dancers, definitely made his business associates more agreeable with just about everything he had to say.
"Don't you think you went a bit too far? Having someone break into the brat's house," one of his business associates said.
They could speak freely here, in the VIP section. The mysterious figure shook his head. It was a gamble, but one that had to be taken.
"You have to nip these things in the bud. I'd rather not lose him, like his brother. Itachi could have had such a promising career in law." he sighs and takes a drink of his sake.
"Does it really matter if he's gay though," another wonders.
"It's not his sexual orientation that is the problem," the man in the wheelchair bellows.
Honestly, it was so hard to find good help these days. This was 2016. Publicly preferring male lovers, would have ended ANYONE'S career when he was Sasuke's age, now it was different. Oh to be sure, there would always still be those that had a… shall we say less than favorable view of two men being together. But it was gaining more widespread acceptance. The fact that Governor Sabaku (or should he say Governor Uchiha?) had married Itachi was proof of that.
As far as he was concerned, Sasuke could take whoever he wanted to his bed. No, that wasn't the issue. The issue was that the younger Uchiha actually cared about this one.
If this relationship really took off, that meant that Sasuke would likely stop working those 60+ hour weeks. He'd want to take time off to be with the dumb blonde. Hell he might even want to start a family. Families meant even more time off. No, no it was much better to nip this in the bud before it became a bigger problem down the road.
Of course, try explaining that to his associates. Oh well, just because they couldn't see the bigger picture, didn't matter. As long as they did what they were told, that was all that he required.
"We'll wait a few days. Perhaps the break in will be enough to spook him," he says.
"Yes, sir," they all say.
Meanwhile, in Venice, Italy…Gaara and Itachi were on their honeymoon. Both men were blissfully unaware of the plotting that was taking place in the United States. Gaara was a firm believer that you learned something new everyday. Today was no exception in that regard. Waterbeds, were FUN.
"Itachi, I was wondering something," Gaara stretches out in the bed.
"Mhm," Itachi asks, his red head.
"Did you throw the bouquet at Sasuke on purpose, just to fuck with him," he questions.
"Of course, I did," Itachi smirks.
"You are evil," Gaara replies.
"Yes, I am. It's part of my charm. Besides, my foolish little brother needs to get laid. Trust me, he'll be much happier after he does," Itachi pulls Gaara back into his arms.
"Well who am I to argue with that logic," Gaara asks sarcastically and for this receives a lovebite to the neck.
"Indeed," Itachi nods sagely and orders them some room service.
"I don't see how throwing flowers at him, is going to get him laid though," Gaara shakes his head in amusement.
"I knew that Naruto would catch the other bouquet. It's just the type of luck he has. Naturally, Sasuke would want to get out of the room, before I could tease him. It was likely that he'd drag Naruto along. Those two have years of unresolved sexual tension. They just needed a push to get them alone," Itachi nods.
"… That's brilliant," Gaara marvels.
"Yes, yes. There is a reason I am called a genius," he says and flicks Gaara's forehead.
"Sasuke is right. That poking thing is really annoying," the red head says as he pins Itachi under him.
"Perhaps. But it is highly effectively," Itachi says as he kisses him.
Gaara couldn't argue with that. He had definitely married an evil mastermind. Thank God, he'd chosen to use his powers just to meddle with Saskue's nonexistent love life and not for something serious.
Later that night, Naruto goes to pick Sasuke up. Yeah, he would have preferred to take Sasuke back to his place, but well this was his bastard. The man had to make everything difficult.
Naruto knew it wasn't fair. But he was kinda pissed at Sakura. Damn she had walked in at the wrong time. Then again, if it wasn't her, it probably would have been someone else.
Now Naruto, was fine with P.D.A. He wasn't so sure about Sasuke. Though rolling around on the floor like that, was a little too exhibitionist, even for his taste. No matter how great it had felt, that wasn't one of his kinks. (Besides, Naruto might not admit this, but he was a pretty possessive guy. He'd flip if someone was ogling a naked Sasuke and was in his line of vision.)
Sasuke smiles when he sees Naruto. The loser was actually five minutes early. Naruto had a habit of showing up exactly on the dot. Hell, he'd even dressed up. The dark haired man, walks over, and gets in the car.
He looks out the window, as they drive to the restaurant. The Uchiha was amazed at Naruto's ability to always make him lose control. Whether that was at the Academy, where he'd get into fistfights with the blonde or making out in a hotel hallway. Uchihas prided themselves on their self control, in public anyway.
Naruto was driving. But he noticed Sasuke looking out of the window. It was a childish impulse. But in Naruto's mind, he preferred Sasuke's eyes to always be on him. It was why he provoked him so much in school. Even Sasuke's punches and kicks were preferable to Sasuke ignoring him. So he uses a free hand, to grab Sasuke's hand.
It was a stunning contrast of bronze and ivory. Naruto had always had a natural tan. Being in Vegas the last couple weeks had only brought it out more. His hands were also rougher. Sasuke's were strong, but had a softer feel to them. Probably because Sasuke was a "paper pusher" and Naruto owned his own business. (He was a personal fitness instructor to some rather wealthy clients.)
That seemed to do the trick. Sasuke looked away from the window. He shoots Naruto a small smile. Sasuke was not a natural smiler. He smirked a lot sure, but real smiles were rare. It took Naruto's breath away for a minute. He almost crashed into another car.
"FUCK! Loser keep your eyes on the road," Sasuke yells.
"Sorry. I got distracted," Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly.
"Next time, I drive," Sasuke says.
"Yeah.. Sure." he unfastens his seatbelt and gets out of the car, Sasuke soon following him.
They are soon seated. Both of them look at the menu. Naruto orders champagne and chicken. Sasuke decides on wine and steak.
He raises an eyebrow, "Didn't figure you for a champagne type. They are usually more… well less hyper."
"Jerk! Besides, I like the bubbles," Naruto says.
"Of course you do," Sasuke smirks.
"What's that supposed to mean," Naruto demands.
"You act like an overgrown kid. Kids love bubbles," Sasuke answers smugly.
"Bastard, if we had gone to my place or yours, I could show you just how much I am NOT a kid," Naruto says.
"Like I said, not going to happen on the first date," Sasuke idly looks over the menu some more.
"But it will happen," Naruto says.
Sasuke was very happy to have the menu by him now. It was easy to hide the slight blush that adorned his face. Naruto would never let him live that one down, if he had seen.
"It could possibly happen. That is if your bad driving doesn't get us killed first," Sasuke answers in a cocky fashion.
"Hey! That was an accident. You smiled. You almost never smile. Who could blame me," Naruto demands.
"Yes, that's a good excuse. I smiled and you were distracted," he shakes his head.
"Anyway, what have you been doing with yourself since the Academy. I mean other than dodging Orochimaru," Naruto asks.
"Went to school, got a law degree, and got a job at a law firm. I might be able to make partner by thirty, if things go well," Sasuke says.
"That'd be awesome," Naruto says.
"Do you even know what being made partner means," Sasuke asks.
"Of course I do! I watched Legally Blonde," Naruto volleys back.
"…Uh huh," Sasuke says.
"Besides, it's important to you. That's what really matters," Naruto smiles.
Naruto had a way of being an adorable idiot. Only he could say something like that and not come off as complete sap. Though that might have had something to do with the impressive biceps the blonde was sporting.
"What about you," Sasuke asks.
"Oh I'm a personal trainer. I started my own business. I'm not really good with the whole following orders thing. So I like being my own boss," Naruto says.
"I could see that," Sasuke says.
Naruto had always been in great shape. He could never sit still. So the job of personal trainer was a natural fit for him.
"How many of your clients have hit on you," Sasuke asks.
"It's so cute when you get all jealous. A few. But I don't sleep with customers," Naruto says.
"I'm not jealous. But it's good to know you have some professional standards," he smiles as the food is brought to them.
"You are so jealous. But it's cute," He says digging into his dinner.
"You are so delusional," Sasuke takes a drink from his wine glass.
"So how did Gaara and Itachi happen anyway," Naruto asks.
"Gaara's always been a big advocate for medical research. I think it's because of what happened to his mother. Anyway, he attended a fundraiser at one of the hospitals Itachi works at. Long story short, Itachi apparently has a thing for red heads. He claims it was love at first sight. I think it was lust at first sight, but whatever. Gaara was a little harder to convince. He was still, he hadn't told anyone that he was gay. He told his dad once. It didn't end well. Took them years, to patch up their relationship. So I think he was afraid of rejection," Sasuke starts.
"Yeah, Gaara mentioned the thing with his dad to me once. It was brutal on him. Still I wonder why he didn't tell me how he and Itachi got together. Go on," Naruto says.
"Itachi started out subtly. He attended a few campaign rallies and political fundraising events. He makes good money. He's donated before. So it didn't look too out of the ordinary. He played the Secret Admirer game, leaving Gaara little gifts and notes with clues for weeks. Everything from chocolate strawberries, romantic poems, to… well more risky items. Eventually, Gaara guessed. They wound up playing Doctor," Sasuke shrugs.
"Wow who knew that Itachi was that sneaky," Naruto asks.
"I did. But he's Itachi. When he wants something or someone, he goes for it. They've been inseparable ever since," Sasuke finishes.
"I'm glad that Itachi is so… relentless. Otherwise we wouldn't be here," Naruto said.
"Me too," Sasuke says.
Little did they know they were being watched. Sai couldn't help but marvel at the contrasts. From a purely artistically perspective, it was a stunning one. He didn't think it was possible for two people to be such opposites, but complement each other so well. It reminded him of Yin and Yang. Still the boss wouldn't be happy about this. It looked like the break in hadn't scared off Naruto.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw someone with dark hair flitting off way too quickly. Was Orochimaru stalking him now? No, the hair had been too short. Couldn't have been him. But Orochimaru did have a lot of goons that worked for him.
"Naruto, I think you should head back to Shikamaru's. But take lots of detours. I think we were followed," Sasuke says.
"You've got to be kidding me. He's really pissing me off," Naruto says.
Sasuke had to concur. It took a lot of work, but eventually he got the blonde to agree to leave. One thing was for damn sure, Sasuke was not going to put up with Orochimaru's meddling.
He heads to the park and pulls out his cell phone. He wanted to be in a public place, in case the snake tried something stupid. Sasuke dials his number and invites Orochimaru there.
"If you don't quit stalking me and Naruto, I will go to the cops. I'm not going to put up with this bullshit," Sasuke says.
"Stalking you? Why Sasuke, I just happened to be in the hotel. I highly doubt one chance meeting, equals stalking," Orochimaru said.
"Don't give me that. You broke into Naruto's house, stole a graduation picture, and followed us to Rosewood," Sasuke growls.
"Rosewood? I did not realize that your little barbarian had such expensive tastes. But no, Sasuke I did not follow you or break into his home. That is hardly the way to get you to accept my offer of employment. Besides, I'm a lawyer. Do you really think that I would risk breaking and entering into someone's home to steal a picture," he counters.
Orochimaru was many things, including a liar. But for some reason, Sasuke thought him sincere on this night. He did bring up a valid point. Orochimaru never risked his own ass for anything.
"If you didn't do it, who did," Sasuke twitches.
"I wish I could tell you. Perhaps you should stay with me for the time being. You would be much safer," he offers.
"In your dreams," Sasuke scoffs.
"Of course, every night. Good night my little raven," Orochimaru turns to head off.
"Why does everyone keep giving me these stupid fucking pet names," Sasuke smacks his forehead.
Sai reports back to his boss. To say he was displeased, would have been an understatement. Fortunately, for our favorite artist, he chose to take out his frustration on a coffee table, instead of Sai. Which was a very good thing for the quiet man, that coffee table was now broken beyond repair.
"I suppose we shall have to step up our efforts. This is worse than I thought. I have such high hopes that someday, he'll take over for me. Even I can't live forever," the man says.