Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…or anything, pretty much.
A/N: #squints suspiciously# Did you guys google the answer? Too many people got that right…lol. Cookies and milk for Moola Deena, Wicked Kit, Ivvy-sama, Stavi.
Kali09…wordplay, it's all in the word play. You got distracted by the FBI agents.
Akuma…I have to ask…what the hell plan!? Was the plane trip a conspiracy?! Lol. Nadramon, glad I introduced you to the cute-ness of chinchillas.
Because I Love –To Torture- My Brother
Chapter Five
He was walking up and down the aisles of the supermarket, pushing a cart full of meats and fruit. Anyone looking in would think he was on some crazy kind of diet. Salmon cutlets, shrimp, hamburger beef, steak, some sort of white meat fish. And then, kiwi, watermelon, peaches, apples.
That damned fox was so not worth the trouble. Really, it was only because it was the innocent in this situation and happened to belong to Itachi that he would do all this. It had nothing to do with the fact this was the one pet Itachi had left at his house that was entertaining, made him break out of his sorry old routine…that made him laugh. Even at himself. A small smile curled his lips as he walked in thought. Or at Sakura. She was so ridiculous sometimes.
Sasuke was heading to the pet-care section to get a lint brush, he had caught some red hairs in his bed, when someone's cart hit into his coming out of another lane.
"Oh I'm sorry." A soft voice said, as if on automatic. It sent a shiver down his spine. Sasuke knew that voice anywhere. He looked up. "I wasn't paying…" Then the person looked up too.
Neji Hyuuga. Of all the places to run into…
"Sasuke." Jesus. Only Neji said his name like that. All husky. In a way that made his name sound like if he'd just said 'sex' with a tone of expectancy.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Sasuke replied quickly. "Forgive me, my head was elsewhere…"
There was a pause as Neji lowered his head and pulled his cart back, before those unique blue eyes looked up again. "You…You're looking well."
"Yeah?" A light flush climbed up Sasuke neck, making him feel overly warm. "Nothing's changed about me." Shit, was that the wrong thing to say? "You're looking very good." Now that was the wrong thing to say.
Neji blushed then and turned his head to the side. "Ah…" Geez Sasuke. Open mouth, insert foot!? "H-how is…Sakura?"
Sasuke stiffened, and looked down into his cart, unseeing. "She's fine." He didn't see Neji wince at how cold his voice had gone. "Still…nothing on that front. And Father hasn't called recently."
"Okay." Jesus this was awkward. Talking to the ex –you still loved- about the woman you had married –who you could give a flying fig about- not being pregnant yet.
Neji shuffled. "You know, I should get going. I don't want to hold you up…you looked like you're having a barbecue party or something." The brunette male laughed lightly, pointing to Sasuke's cart.
"Neji!" Sasuke strode around the cart quickly and grabbed Neji's arm, pulling him close. "Wait." He lowered his voice and took a deep breath, for courage, and inhaled Neji's scent. "Jesus…" Arousal was curling in his gut already. "I've missed you."
"Sasuke…" Neji made a light attempt at pulling his arm away before Sasuke grabbed him more firmly.
"I-I…know, you said we couldn't…continue, if I married Sakura but…Christ Neji. I love you! I don't love her…Hell I don't even like her." Sasuke lowered his head until he was nuzzling Neji's ear. "Having to try to conceive with her disgusts me…making love should be like…sinking into something you've known what feels like forever…and hot and slow and…"
"Sasuke!" Neji pulled away harshly, face red. "I am not…and I refuse to be, anybody's bit on the side."
"But I love you!" God, had he just declared that in a store between cleaning products and air freshener?
"I don't really care!" Neji retorted, then paled and backtracked. "I…I care about you too but I refuse to put myself in that situation." He turned his back, leaving Sasuke to look at his long ponytail. "That you leave me every evening to go home to fuck her."
"Twice a month." That was not going to help. Unless it was to wipe away all traces of his earlier arousal.
"Bullshit! I don't care if it's once in your lifetime!" Neji turned back around eyes flaring. "If you're with me, it's me and no one else!" Grabbing his cart he gave Sasuke one more hard look. "You cared about your family name and pleasing your father more than you cared about me. Or else you would have told him where to shove it when he told you to marry some girl and have kids with her. Enjoy your choice Sasuke!"
It took all his willpower to not run after him but Sasuke didn't want to further embarrass himself in such a public place. And he was blocked on Neji's phone, no longer welcome to his house and it would be a cold day in Hell before Neji visited his.
Sasuke sighed and pinched his nose, heading for the cashier.
Sakura, or Pink-Alarm, which Naruto thought was a much more suitable name, had been watching him watch TV since Sasuke had left this morning. Every time he rose from his pillow, just to stretch or change positions, she stiffened and immediately had her feet up on the sofa.
Naruto wanted to laugh at the idiocy of it all. He was considering taunting her in some way when the front door opened and slammed shut again. He got up and trotted into the kitchen, Sakura following hesitantly.
Sasuke's face was averted as he walked in. "Someone put these away." Soft, wet breathing and a loud sniff. "I'm going to bed. I think I caught a chill at the store." Sakura was rustling through the shopping bags, not paying attention to Sasuke as he walked away.
"No wonder. You probably spent too much time next to the freezers. All of this frozen meat…is it all for that fox!? Sasuke?"
Naruto ignored the Pink-Alarm's calls too and trotted up the stairs quickly after Sasuke. He rushed past him into the bedroom just before the door was slammed behind the long legs.
"Fuck!" And then what was left of Sasuke broke down, tears coming a little easier behind the shield of his hands. "Neji…"
Naruto's ears lifted at that. That was the guy. Itachi had mentioned that name. Had Sasuke…met him today? Red eyes followed Sasuke's path as he stumbled to the bed, rubbing his face harshly. He sat down at the bottom and pushed his fingers against his eyes.
"Stop fucking crying. Stop fucking crying!" Sasuke tugged two fistfuls of his own hair, eyes shut tightly. "I made my choice. I stand by it. It's over. It's done. We're through…" Sasuke took a deep breath, lowered his hands, nodded to himself and then opened his eyes.
Naruto was waiting there. Just sitting, scarlet eyes sympathetic.
"How…" Sasuke let out a broken laugh. "You know, I don't even care Houdini." The name could be worse, Naruto thought as he eased forward. He nudged one of the limp hands on the bed and was rewarded with a hesitant pat. "You are…"
He licked Sasuke's hand with a soft sound. Salty. But worth it. Sasuke sighed and scratched behind his ears.
They stayed like that for a while until Sasuke stood, face calm again. "I'm going to go paint."
And Naruto didn't follow this time.
A/N: Yes, you all shall absolutely die of missing your shorter chapters...#speaks over loud cheering# but from the next one on it's 2000+ words a chappie.
So drink your bubbly quietly so as to not disturb me. Lol.
Updates on me as I lagged there for a month or so...I've submerged myself in like 3 new shows, 2 new fandoms. But...my newest pairing to follow...from the Heroes fandom...I introduce, Sylinder! #there's not e-damn-nough to keep me happy!# Sylar/Mohinder just...overwhelmed me. It's had me in a daze for a fair week and before that Deathnote had me distracted too so yeah. That's the reason for my lag in updating.
Longer chappies mean longer between updates. Not like between the last and this but not like, every other day like I was doing at first. A week or two between say, since doubling up the chappies I've already written only gives me like 5? In storage? And Warning...feel for Sasuke wholeheartedly now, you may not like him much later on #grins#