Life Of A Secret Agent

Chapter Five

Naruto Uzumaki was an enigma. If there hadn't always been hints and glimpses ignored…a full business meeting with the man confirmed it.

And dare Sasuke admit he was interested and wanted to uncover more.

'Not literally…uncover…' He reported back to Itachi the bare details of the meeting saying he would be continuing to liaison with the representative from WGB but left early without much ado for his afternoon exercise.

As soon as he got home he was in shorts and a wife-beater and running laps around the neighborhood. While his feet moved automatically, his mind was in turmoil.

Uzumaki had been flirting with him. That realization came first and foremost, closely followed by the surprise of his vast education, 'It would be stupid of Uzumaki to lie as that could be easily checked', rounded up by the lure of a hidden personality under that loud exterior.

But mostly the flirting. Then again…there was their history.

The pounding of his feet accompanied the pants of controlled breathing as he rounded his twelve block perimeter back towards home. He couldn't help replaying in his mind… his behavior had been abominable, of course. But on seeing the blonde head of hair that could only belong to one person, Sasuke had lost it – the proverbial straw on the camel's back.

What he hadn't expected was that the eyes that had shuttered before his outburst, would go ice cold and Naruto's sun-bright smile disappear behind a demeanor that cried 'danger' during his revelation. And certainly not the man-handling. He remembered the previous incident still too clearly…

Sasuke slowed to a halt and rested against a tree, panting harshly and feeling overheated. 'Damn Naruto Uzumaki! Wasn't it enough he wrecked the quiet neighborhood?!' He had added Sasuke's equilibrium to his path of destruction.

Sasuke wasn't a fool. He had long accepted that he was gay. He could admit the attraction even… but how he wished he was attracted to anyone but Naruto Uzumaki. Even his main stalker Sakura Lee wouldn't be as bad as this – in theory.

The rest of the way home was a slow jog trying not to remember his past history with the blonde and teasing imaginings of getting himself drunk and wandering next door. Was Naruto noble? Or would he take advantage of Sasuke's vulnerable state and show more of the dark side of his nature… and Sasuke knew it was there. It was there in the husky rawness of his voice as he had told Sasuke not to grab him…

"What has you so deep in thought you're walking right by your house?" An amused voice chimed and Sasuke looked up, startled to find the closest person he could call to a best friend there. He hadn't seen the brunette in a while and it almost brought a smile to his face.

"Neji." He looked around as if waking and his eyes paused over Naruto's empty driveway. He had walked all this way in thought…?

Shaking his head Sasuke looked at his friend. Looking smart as always, Neji was lounging on the side of his sparkling silver Audi coupe in one of his numerous business suits. As a corporate lawyer, not to mention an heir to the Hyuuga line, he could afford it all.

"Were we on for something? I'm sorry I haven't even checked my schedule for tonight…" Sasuke walked toward his front door and Neji followed him inside with a light chuckle.

"I don't know what is sadder, you actually have a schedule for your evenings or how out of it you seem. Bad day compliments of your brother?" Neji removed his shoes and socks at the door and padded over the hardwood to the kitchen area where Sasuke was chugging water.

"Yes." That was easier than explaining. Neji was used to his private feelings about his and his brother's relationship. Not to mention how it influenced work. "He stopped by to micro-manage some more."

Neji's sharp eyes watched him recap his drink and set it down before he spoke again, smirking. "Hmm, there's more. This isn't Itachi-sulking this is… distracted sulking." He wasn't above glaring childishly and Sasuke did as Neji continued, setting himself down to the counter barstool.

"I'd offer to take you out for drinks but…" As his best friend obviously Neji knew. The embarrassment had been in how they had first met – Sasuke drunk and flirting with the pale lavender-eyed brunette. To his shame, getting clocked by Neji's then girlfriend – now wife, Ten-Ten, a hot-tempered Chinese.

His 'up yours' was returned with a 'no, no, up yours' to which he scowled darkly. Perhaps that was the problem.

"Oh?" Neji was, dear God, grinning. Had he said that out loud?! "Still insisting you hate that neighbor of yours?"

"God, kill me now." Sasuke sat and let his forehead hit soundly against the marble top.

"No, no…let's talk about this…" Neji adopted his poker-face. "Speak."

Sasuke looked at his friend and threw dignity to the wind. "I have once again humiliated myself in front of him. I had a business meeting today after my chat with my brother…" Sasuke scowled, brows drawn. "It turns out that he," Throwing a hand dramatically toward his front door, to gesture implicitly to his neighbor. "Works for WGB as more than just a sports caster – and was my business partner! So I snapped."

Neji blinked, stunned into silence. "So…?"

"I behaved like an ass, refused the meeting…tried to embarrass him…" Sasuke looked away and paused to drink more water, thoughtfully. "It backfired. He behaved like the professional and I left feeling like an ass."

Neji couldn't help a smirk as Sasuke stood to stalk to his fridge, putting his water away and grabbing ingredients for a sandwich. "So the dumb blonde is actually capable…?" At Sasuke's silence Neji continued. "I'm assuming you salvaged the deal and that's why you're choking on that crow you're swallowing."

The sharp cutting glance only made his friend chuckle, swiveling to keep him in sight.

Sasuke did not like being wrong-footed, especially by someone he thought he understood. But even more so than being left off-balance, he hated the twisting confusion that accompanied any thought of his annoyingly overbearing neighbor.

Neji was still watching him silently as he prepped what would likely be the closest thing to dinner tonight and Sasuke wondered how much easier his life would be if Neji had just been gay. They understood each other - this, was easy. He knew Neji, Neji knew him, there weren't mixed signals and misunderstandings and assumptions…

He hated how aware he was of Naruto as well! Really, did he have to be so…overwehelmingly, ugh.

"There's just something about him - I don't know how to explain it Neji but it's like he's hiding..." Sasuke's brows furrowed in a deep frown as he made his sandwich and pondered aloud. "I mean, from what I learned today he is actually intelligent! And he acts like an ass to...to, stop people from seeing that is has a brain!"

"Kind of like you act like a glacier so people don't realize you're a human being?" Despite the dark scowl he shot at his friend, the comparison fit. It was better to be untouchable...aloof. He had been...foolish in the past.

"Don't you have a wife to be getting home to?" Sasuke pouted, half acidic, half jealous as he slapped together ingredients and shifted the plate of cold ham and veggies in bread to sit next to Neji. His friend simply smiled at his behaviour and undid his tie, relaxing bonelessly into a slouch against his counter. In his mind he once again lamented the sexual preference Fate lottery.

"She's been busy for weeks making sure the design firm is all sorted so when she leaves next month for her cousin's wedding in China they will keep the ship afloat without her. It means many late nights working the next two weeks. She won't be home until closer to ten. So - you get me."

"Joy." Sasuke deadpanned but rolled his eyes.

"So do you want to tell me in more detail...?" Neji inquired and Sasuke, with a sigh recounted his afternoon fully. From his impolite outburst to the reveal of MBA et al to even the uncomfortable resolution - telling that part had made Sasuke highly uncomfortable - to the arrangement they had settled upon.

Neji was staring by the time he went silent. "So...he gave you his card...and all his numbers?"

"Yup." Sasuke was fully unwound now and deep into reflection. "I have to restructure our proposal to WGB...probably in its entirety now I know what I'm dealing with..." Neji couldn't help a smile at the hidden admission that the Uchiha had no problem hoodwinking idiots.

"So when are you going to call him then?"

Shrugging Sasuke slid off the stool and sniffed delicately at himself with a frown. "Weekend maybe. I think I need a couple of days to look it over ful-"

"No I asked when you're going to call him." At Sasuke's incomprehension Neji tried a coaxingly leading tone. "He gave you his cell number AND his home number - on a card that already has his work number..." Sasuke blinked vacantly and Neji almost sighed audibly. "He's given you all the cues to contact him outside of work Sasuke..."

"Oh..." Sasuke seemed to have frozen in the middle of his own foyer, apparently having deleted the fact he was going to take a shower from his brain. "Do you think...? I mean maybe he was just giving me those so we could talk about the proposal after business hours. I mean he did say we live, right across the street from each other so we could do this much faster through those channels. I didn't think - I don't think he meant...to use them 'outside of business'." And yet his friend was still standing wide eyed, practically talking to himself...

Oh, he had it bad.

"Well," He passed Sasuke and slapped his shoulder as hard as he could, stunning his friend into movement. "You won't know until you ask. Why not have him go over it properly with you to indicate what he has issue with? I mean once you fix it up enough to not be insulting to someone with actual intelligence now you know he has a brain." Sasuke spluttered at him as Neji pulled his socks on as gracefully as he could balancing on one foot.

"That is an absolutely juvenile reason to call him over...!" Sasuke's cheeks were pink and he pretended not to notice as he bent for his shoes.

"Is it?" Neji hummed and slipped into his shoes. "I always say if it isn't broke abuse it through rinse and repeat. If it works for pre-teen girls...oh look at the time! My wife will miss me..." Laughing at his friend oscillating between embarrassment and indignation, Neji opened the door and edged out, intending to pull it behind him. "But seriously though, call him. You can't know if you don't try."

Sasuke was still blinking indecisively at his closed front door while Neji was backing out of his drive.

A/N: I have to give a shout-out now to Murky Heron! My true blue dedicated reader who reminded me I owe you guys a post. Sorry I'm a tad late but I promise the next by Sat/Sunday! I'm writing and on track!

Reviews are love! (Still need a beta!)