Naruto stared at the lump on his bed and sighed. He'd nearly had to carry Sasuke back to the hotel. Okay, no nearly about it, so now his shoulders hurt like a bitch, and then Sasuke threw up a couple more times in the bathroom. He gave him some Tylenol and made sure he drank a glass of water. While washing his sneakers in the shower, Sasuke passed out near him on the floor, which meant having to drag him to the bed.
Twenty minutes later, Naruto found himself sitting in the dark with the TV off and the curtains drawn. He was curled up in the chair, his knees pulled to his chest - just watching out the window. In his reflection, he saw himself frowning and spent most of the time wondering what had upset Sasuke so much. It seemed like it would take more than a bad day at work for someone to drink like that. Naruto found himself thinking up a lot of various scenarios based on what he knew of Sasuke so far.
He didn't like to be in serious relationships. He was, as far as Naruto could deduce, not batting for the same team as him. He didn't like to talk about family and was no longer as close to his brother as he'd been at other times apparently. What did it all add up to? Was it like with Sasuke's roommate? Had he been kicked out by his parents for being gay? Was it a bad break up? Hm. Naruto was very much a fixer and for the same reason he'd started a conversation with Sasuke at that bar, now he was also wondering how to fix 'it'.
Naruto looked over at Sasuke, half-inclined to make sure he was still breathing, but he could clearly see his shoulders rising under the sheet (he'd kicked off the comforter apparently). The bed was big enough for two people, but he felt kind of weird about climbing into it. Not to mention he wasn't very tired. Instead, he went into the bathroom to wash his face and hands and brush his teeth. He changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt, grabbed his headphones and phone off of the desk, and sat back down in the chair. Throwing his legs over one of the chair arms, he opened the Spotify app. Listening to some music calmed him, and he began to wonder more about Sasuke's job and how cool it would be to work with bands and meet them in person. Could he do that with a business degree once he graduated? He doubted it. He didn't have any special talent for music and hadn't ever played any instruments. The best he could hope for was Chopsticks on a keyboard. Did that mean Sasuke could play?
He felt sorry for him, that much he knew. Sure, he'd been an asshole, and they'd nearly gotten into a brawl, but Naruto really didn't think he was a bad person. He just seemed... hurt. But by what, he didn't know. It left him reflecting on when he was younger. He'd been a brat after his mother died, fighting with his dad all of the time and getting into trouble once he started hanging out with a certain friend. Mostly, he'd grown out of it, especially after having met Kiba, and then discovering he shared the bond of having lost a parent with Shion. He thought he'd mellowed considerably. But, maybe Sasuke didn't have anyone like that to even him out?
Naruto figured all he needed was the occasional punch in the face... then again, he had no idea what Sasuke might've gone through. All he knew was... there was something. Something dark in there, and he couldn't leave it alone. Couldn't leave Sasuke alone.
Maybe he should check his phone? Maybe he should let Sasuke's roommate know he wouldn't be home? What was the guy's name... Dei - something?
Naruto decided to get up. He'd hung Sasuke's precious jacket in the closet. So that he didn't come off as a pervert, he'd left him with his dress shirt and pants on but removed his shoes and tie (he had this odd fear that Sasuke would choke in the middle of the night if he didn't). He dug around in one of the pockets and found Sasuke's phone only to realize it was password protected. He ended up setting it on the desk in case Sasuke woke up and wanted to make a call or see what time it was. The hotel's alarm clock appeared to be busted so there wasn't another way to tell the time.
He went back to the closet to get the extra fuzzy blanket from atop one of the shelves since it was so cold sitting by the window. He grabbed his phone and dropped into the chair so that he could check his phone messages, unsure if he should be surprised that he hadn't heard from Shion. That was normal, though. He tried not to think about if she was with anyone. It's not like they couldn't date or whatever when they broke up. He slept with another girl once, when they'd been broken up for about six weeks, but, through other people, he'd also learned that Shion... well, he didn't want to think about it. She could do what she wanted, but he knew she'd come back eventually. Sucks that he hadn't heard from Kiba or Ino either, but he could imagine what they were doing... though he'd rather not. Not even his dad had texted him since the first day he'd arrived in New York. What if he'd been kidnapped or mugged and left in the street after being stabbed?
Sure, he'd dragged Sasuke's sorry ass back here, but he was pretty sure no one would go that far for him.
Naruto tugged the blanket to just under his chin and tried to get comfortable. There really wasn't enough room to sleep on the floor, and he didn't want Sasuke tripping over him if he needed to get up and use the bathroom in the middle of the night. A police siren blared from the street below. The city was so loud. He turned the volume up on his phone and leaned his head down on the chair. His eyelids were starting to get heavy. Naruto fell asleep, making it only half way through Metallica's, "Enter Sandman."
Surprisingly, he didn't wake up once while sleeping in the chair. The blanket was still wrapped around his body, and his phone was in his lap with the headphone wires tangled around two of his fingers. He glanced through the gap in the curtains and noticed it was lightly snowing. Then, he looked to the bed to see if Sasuke was still sleeping - but, the bed was empty.
With a furrowed brow, Naruto pushed the blanket off, stood, and stretched his arms above his head until he heard an elbow crack. After a quick look inside of the bathroom, he found there was no Sasuke there either. Would he be anywhere else? There was no note on the nightstand, and Sasuke's shoes and leather jacket were gone, too.
"Would that jerk have left without sayin' anything?" Naruto muttered to himself.
Needless to say, he was surprised, although maybe he shouldn't be.
"Hm." He went back for his phone and checked the time. It was only a little after 8 a.m.
In the scheme of life, it wasn't something he was going to let wreck his day, and there wasn't much he could do about it anyway. Not like they'd exchanged numbers. Hell, he didn't even know Sasuke's last name or exactly where he lived. The only way he knew how to deal with it was to crawl on to the bed and burrow under the covers. The dreary sky and falling snow made it easy for him to want to hibernate. He could sleep for another couple of hours and then find something new to do today. Like, maybe take a ride on the ferries or whatever. At least it would be free.
In the middle of this awesome dream about Scarlett Johansson flirting with him at a bar in her Black Widow outfit, Naruto awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He cursed as he searched around for it on the bed and held it up to his ear.
"Hello?"
No one answered, and it took him another 10 seconds to realize it wasn't even his phone that was ringing. It was coming from the desk where - oh, fuck. There, next to a large pad of hotel stationary, was Sasuke's cell phone.
When it stopped ringing, he walked to the desk to pick it up, but since it was locked, he couldn't do any more than stare at the password screen. The phone blinked at him unhelpfully, showing only that there was one missed call and now, apparently, a voicemail.
"Well, crap."
Should he... drop it off at the closest police station? Naruto flipped it over to see if it showed what carrier Sasuke used, but there was nothing there except the brand of the phone - Blackberry. That didn't really help. The only thing he could possibly think of was to try the bar where they'd met. The bartender seemed as though he was familiar with him. Or wait, why did he have to spend his day running around looking for a guy who couldn't be bothered to say goodbye, or, you know, thank you?
Sasuke, if he hadn't already, would find out pretty soon that his phone was missing, and there were only a few places he could've left it. But, since he was a nice guy, Naruto would at least stop by the bar since he'd be headed out soon. If that didn't work out, he'd just leave it in the hotel lobby, and Sasuke could pick it up his damn self.
Still, though. What a jerk. Talk about issues.
Naruto set the phone on the nightstand and went back to the bed so that he could lie down again. For a while, he stared at the ceiling. He wanted to be mad, and he evenwas kinda mad. But, on the other hand, Sasuke had taken him around the city last night, so he'd only be returning the favor by getting his phone back to him.
After wallowing in his thoughts for a while, pondering why people did the things they do, Naruto finally decided to get up, have a shower, and put some clothes on. No doubt it would be another cold day. It was still snowing, too. But, standing next to the window - it looked really pretty out there.
On his way out of the room, he made sure to bring the hotel key, his wallet, his own phone, and Sasuke's phone, too. Since he was hungry and figured the bar wouldn't be open until at least noon, he ended up going across the street to get an egg bagel sandwich and a cup of coffee.
Naruto grabbed a stool that looked out onto the street. He played with his phone for a while and was finally able to exchange a few messages with Kiba on Facebook. At least until he bailed on him for a drive to the grocery store with Ino. No messages from Shion yet, but that was cool. He didn't feel like he needed to text her while she was on vacation with friends.
Once he finished his sandwich, he threw away his trash and headed out into the cold again. The bar was only a few blocks away, but the wind was pretty damn cold, so he did his best to cover as much of his face as he could with his scarf. It was about quarter after noon when he opened the door to the bar. There were a handful of occupied tables, but there were also a few people sitting at the bar. The bartender wasn't the same as the one last night, but he decided to ask him about Sasuke anyway. When he took a seat, the man came over to him. He was in his late 20s and most of his head was shaved save for a dyed-blue mohawk.
"What can I get for you?" He asked Naruto in a voice so gruff it made him think he was a heavy smoker.
Naruto smiled politely. "Actually, I was wonderin' if you could help me out. I was with a guy here last night, and he ended up leavin' his cell phone behind. I thought he might be a regular?"
The man scratched his stubbly chin. "Maybe. We have lots of regulars. What's his name?"
"Sasuke? My age, my height. Asian."
The bartender smirked. "Sasuke? Yeah, I know Sasuke. And you say he left his phone behind?"
"Uh, yeah." Naruto gave him a funny look.
"Can I see it first?"
"Um, I guess. What's the big deal?" He pulled it out of his coat pocket and showed it to the bartender, who took it from Naruto and slid it open.
"Let's just say you aren't the first one who's tried to get that guy's information out of one of us."
"Seriously?" Naruto scoffed. "Jeez. You try to do a nice thing. Listen, I'm not gay for him. I just wanna get the jerk his phone back, and I have no idea how to do that."
"Why don't you leave it with me?"
Naruto considered it for a moment, but he didn't feel all that great about leaving Sasuke's possessions with a dude he didn't know. "I'd feel better about giving it to him myself."
The bartender knocked on the bar top. "Alright. Hold on. I know his roommate better than I do him. If you give me about 10 minutes, I can find his number for you. Can I get you anything in the meantime?"
"Sure, uh. I'll have a Blue Moon, I guess. Thanks."
"You got it." He brought the bottle over to Naruto, attended one of the other patrons, and then headed to the back of the bar.
It wasn't more than five minutes that he returned and passed Naruto a scrap of paper with a number on it.
"That's his roommate's cell phone. We've partied together a couple of times, but I couldn't tell you exactly where they live. Maybe near Williamsburg."
Naruto scanned the numbers before nodding. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll give him a call." He pulled out his cell phone and punched in the numbers. The phone rang... once, twice, three times, four... and then he got the voicemail.
"Sorry, but your Princess is another castle! Deidara isn't in right now, but leave a message at the beep, and she'll get back to you when she feels like it. Kisses," and the message was, literally, followed by two kiss noises.
"Um, hi. I was out with Sasuke last night, and he forgot his cell phone. So, if he wants it. I guess he can call me. My number is 815-254-6088." Naruto hung up after that, feeling awkward. He hadn't expected Sasuke to have such a... flamboyant... sounding roommate. Then again, from what he remembered of their conversation last night, he knew Deidara was a crossdresser and that he was, most probably, also gay.
Naruto wasn't homophobic or anything, though he'd never really had any gay friends before. But, Sasuke, had he never mentioned it, was not a guy Naruto would've pegged as being into men. He supposed he had this image in his head of gay men being a little more... effeminate. Sasuke wasn't like that beyond the occasional innuendo. Even then, it was never a whole lot different than how he would kid with Kiba on occasion.
The bartender came by a little later. "Were you able to get a hold of him?"
"I left a message," he said. "Can I go ahead and pay for this?"
"Sure. Four bucks."
Naruto pulled out his wallet and left $6 on the bar. He swallowed the rest of the beer in a single gulp and, figuring he'd done all he could for now, decided to do some bumming around the city until he heard from Sasuke.
Without a guide, Naruto was a bit of a lost soul as he fumbled with figuring out the subway system. Although, he never had a hard time asking people for help if he didn't know where he was going. He ended up at Rockefeller Center after walking a few blocks away from the subway station. Lots of people were skating on the ice rink, so he watched them for a while until he decided to go into the GE Building. He bummed around the gift shop, pondering how much he needed a Mouse Rat t-shirt, but who wanted to pay nearly $30 for that?
There was a spiral staircase near the entrance of the store, so he walked up it, and discovered that he could take a tour of NBC Studio. He wondered if he'd be able to see any celebrities if he went on it? Naruto was just checking out the signs on the walls that showed the prices when his phone began vibrating in his pocket.
Without much thought, he slid his finger over the answer button and asked, "Hello?"
"Oh. You have a fantastic phone voice, has anyone ever told you that? You'd be a natural if you ever decided to take up phone sex as an occupation."
"Um, pardon?"
"I'm calling you because apparently the prima donna that is my roommate left his phone... with you... last night?" There was an almost girlish giggle on the other end of the phone.
"Um," Naruto had to step out of the way of another customer, "Yeah. He... well, whatever. He passed out in my hotel room - "
"Oh, did he now?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at one of the TV screens. "Right, so. You can just tell him I have his phone, and if he wants it, I'll leave it in the lobby tonight - "
"Oh, no. You can't do that," Deidara purred. "You should definitely bring it here so that I can meet you. I'd get him for you, but he's a bit... indisposed at the moment. He looked very tired when he came in this morning. I'm sure he would love to see you - what did you say your name is again?"
"...Naruto."
"Naruto. That rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?"
"Listen, I don't really have time to drop it off - "
"Shush." There was a sudden shriek in his ear. "Ah, my muffins are burning! The address is," Deidara proceeded to ramble off an address before chirping out a goodbye and hanging up on him.
Naruto stood there for a second, unable to help repeating the street address over and over in his head. Did that guy... really expect him to go all the way to Brooklyn to bring Sasuke his phone? Shaking his head, he opened up his Google Maps app and punched in the address to see how long it would take by subway.
Ugh. Almost 35 minutes.
He could easily still leave the phone in the hotel lobby. Surely the roommate would have enough sense to tell Sasuke that he'd called, and that he could pick it up whenever...
"Crap."
Naruto gave one last glance at the tour prices before shoving his phone into his coat pocket and heading back toward the subway station.
As he saw it, he still technically owed Sasuke for his kindness last night, and it would only eat up a couple hours out of his day. The guilt would've nagged at him anyway, and he supposed seeing the look of surprise on Sasuke's face after Naruto showed up on his doorstep would be pretty worth it.
The subway ride wasn't as bad as he thought. In fact, it was pretty relaxing since it was so warm. There weren't even that many people in the subway car, so he got to sit there and listen to music for more than 30 minutes without being bothered.
When he got off at the stop that was supposedly the closest to Sasuke's residence, he got turned around after reaching the top of the stairs. He walked south a block before realizing he should've gone the other direction. Then he had to cross the street, walk for four blocks, take a right, walk four blocks, another left and then he came to a row of brownstones that all looked the same to him. He'd texted himself the street number, so he went by three different buildings before he found the right one. He walked up the stone steps, which must've been recently shoveled as they were clear of snow. There was a door, but it was locked. However, there was a buzzer that listed the three apartments within, and, apparently, Sasuke and Deidara lived in No. 3. Naruto pushed the call button and waited for a minute before the intercom crackled to life.
"Are you Naruto?" It was the same voice from on the phone earlier.
"I am," he answered.
"Lovely, well, I'll buzz you in. Sasuke's in the shower. Come on up."
The intercom cut off, and Naruto found himself sighing. For a second, he considered whether or not this was a smart idea - for him to be going into a stranger's apartment, but it's not like he couldn't defend himself. After kicking off some of the snow from his boots, he went up the stairs to the second floor where, at the end of a short hallway, was a door with the number 3 on it. He approached it and was set to knock on the door only for it to swing open in his face.
He was greeted by a rather slim man with long, blond hair that hung over one eye. In the back, it was pulled into a tiny ponytail. He wore black jeans and a sort of black mesh-looking shirt that cropped to reveal a sliver his flat stomach. He also had on some lip gloss and black eyeliner. If Naruto hadn't already known that he was a guy, he might've thought this was a woman. Deidara's facial features were delicate and even sorta... pretty. For a dude.
"Like what you see?" The blond grinned at him flirtatiously and flipped his hair over his shoulder. "I'm so happy to see another blond, and here I thought Sasuke said he'd never be into blonds, but I think that's just because, obviously he'd only ever be comparing him to me, and there just isn't anyone as fabulous as yours truly." He held out his hand, and Naruto wasn't sure if he was supposed to kiss the back of it or shake it.
"You're Deidara? Sasuke's roommate?" He took the man's hand and shook it. "Your hand's... very soft."
"Oh, it's this lotion I use. You should totally try it! Let me look at you," Deidara, still holding onto Naruto's hand, looked him up and down with a scrutinizing eye. "Yes, yes. Sasuke does like his men very masculine, and you... if you're wearing a plaid shirt under all of that..." He rubbed his thumb briefly against Naruto's hand, "I am going to have to - "
"Uh, I think you have the wrong idea here. Sasuke and I - "
"Don't worry. I know how Sasuke is. I didn't mention to him that you were coming. I wanted it to be a surprise." He let Naruto's hand go and waved him inside. "Come in, come in. I'll go see if he's presentable."
Since he was basically being shoved in anyway, Naruto entered the apartment, and was immediately struck with how nice it was. There was a small kitchen to the right - all stainless steel appliances - and exposed brick that ran through the dining and living area. A staircase broke up the space between the dining and living rooms, and there was this old marble fireplace that looked like it still worked. The wood floors were a very dark, almost chocolate color, and it was all tastefully decorated. Surprisingly... masculine. It looked like the kind of bachelor pad Naruto would want if he lived in a big city.
"You wait here in the kitchen. I just baked some muffins, would you like one?" Deidara opened one of the kitchen cabinets to get him a plate. He picked out a muffin that was hidden underneath a towel-covered basket. "Chocolate chip. Sasuke doesn't really like sweets, but when I feel stressed I start baking things, so please help yourself."
"Sure... thanks." Naruto took the muffin hesitantly and then watched as the blond jogged up the stairs, ponytail bouncing behind him.
He sat at the breakfast bar and started picking at the muffin. After only one bite, Naruto realized it was freaking delicious, so he wolfed down the rest of it in less than 20 seconds. He grabbed another one out of the basket and, this time, ate more slowly. While he was sitting there, he could hear some shouting coming from upstairs and couldn't help but smirk as he licked the chocolate from his fingertips.
"What the hell are you nagging me for?" He heard Sasuke say. "You're making my headache worse, you know that?"
"Well, sweetheart. I just thought you'd want to see this special surprise waiting for you in the kitchen."
"I don't want one of your stupid muffins," Sasuke growled while coming down the steps. He got all of half way before he stopped.
Naruto glanced up at him, mouth full of muffin. "Yo."
"What..." Sasuke gripped the railing and looked accusingly at his roommate, "Why ishe here?"
"Rude," Deidara said. "I'm doing you a favor. He's obviously a lot nicer than the men you usually screw. He went to all this trouble to - "
"Shut up." Then he glared at Naruto. "Why are you here?"
Naruto slid off of the stool, mostly because he was tired of listening to Sasuke bitch at Deidara.
"Me?" Naruto walked to the base of the steps. Sasuke was dressed only in a pair of sweatpants, his hair still wet from the shower. "You asshole. You're the one who puked on my sneakers, and I'm the one who dragged your ass back to the hotel, held your hair while you vomited some more, and gave you the goddam bed after you passed out."
"Wait, what?" Deidara pushed Sasuke out of the way and came down the rest of the stairs until he was face to face with Naruto. "You two didn't - "
"No," Naruto said quickly. "I'm not gay. Why does everyone think that?"
"Oh, really? I thought for sure - " Deidara still didn't look like he believed him.
"Listen, Naruto. I don't know why you're stalking me, but - " Sasuke came down another step.
"Me? Stalk you?" He laughed. "Hardly. I'm just bringin' your stupid phone back since you left it in my hotel room."
"You came all this way to bring my cell phone?"
"Yeah, asshole." Naruto pulled it out of his jacket pocket and shoved it at him.
Sasuke looked down at it and then at Naruto.
"Well, now that I've wasted a substantial chunk of my day, I'll be leavin'." Naruto turned to Deidara. "It was very nice meetin' you," he said pointedly. "And thank you for the muffins. They were delicious."
He turned around and started to walk away. He was almost to the door when there was a thud behind him, and before he could make it out of the doorway, someone grabbed him by the wrist.
"Naruto."
Naruto looked over his shoulder at Sasuke. "What."
"I'm..." Sasuke's gaze wavered slightly. "...Sorry. I was wrong."
He raised an eyebrow at the other man. "You say it in a way that makes me think you don't say 'sorry' very often."
"Are you going to accept my apology or not?" Sasuke asked.
"I will. If you mean it. If you say it sincerely." He smirked.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"What?" Naruto asked. "You're the one who said he was wrong."
"I'm sorry."
"Cool. Then all is forgiven. After all, you took care of me last night." He ended up smiling.
"You're like a child. Your moods change very quickly."
He shrugged, not particularly offended. "Maybe."
Sasuke sighed and, realizing he was still holding onto Naruto, let him go. He ran a hand through his hair and glanced over his shoulder at Deidara, who was watching them with curiosity.
"Do you mind?" Sasuke asked his roommate.
"Sure... I'll just... go to my room and pretend not to listen at the door."
"You do that," Sasuke grunted and returned his attention to Naruto. "You didn't have to come all this way, you know. I would've figured out where I left it eventually."
"I tried that," he said, while watching Deidara go up the stairs, "But your roommate was pretty insistent I bring it here, I guess. Said somethin' about surprisin' you."
"I'm sure." Sasuke sneered. "He does have the tendency to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. Do you mind sitting back down? I'm going to put a shirt on."
"Why?" Naruto smirked again. "Nothin' I haven't seen before."
"Hn. It's too early in the day for you to be flirting with me, Naruto."
"What?" He chuckled. "And besides, it's almost 2!"
"So you admit you were flirting with me," Sasuke continued to tease him.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hardly. I hope you've brushed your teeth since last night."
"Several times, don't worry." Sasuke grimaced. "Give me a minute? Sit." He pointed at the stool. "Eat a muffin. Don't go anywhere."
"Tch. Bossy."
Naruto, as Sasuke started up the stairs, went back to the stool to sit and because he was a nervous eater, grabbed another muffin.
"I'm gonna be fat by the time I fly back to Chicago, I swear."
When Sasuke returned, he was looking more preened than earlier. He sported a black t-shirt that had the words "Electric Tea Garden" written in white block letters.
"Nice shirt," Naruto said. "Would be a good band name."
Sasuke snorted as he read through and replied to some messages on his phone. "If we ever start a band, remind me not to let you name it."
"Like I'd start a band with you. Do you even play anything?" Naruto was suddenly reminded of thoughts he'd had last night about Sasuke's fingers.
Sasuke only shrugged. "Not really."
Naruto had this odd impression that he was most definitely lying. "Liar."
Sasuke looked up at him. "Excuse me?"
"I just think... I have this weird feelin'... I mean. If you work in the music industry, you gotta know somethin' about music, right?"
"Are you back to writing my biography?" Sasuke asked and pushed the phone to the side.
"Yeah, I bet you'd like that, you narcissistic bastard. Now are you gonna tell me why you ditched me this mornin'?"
Sasuke scoffed. "I didn't ditch you. We didn't have any plans. We hardly know each other."
"So barfing on my shoes isn't what you'd call a 'shared moment'?"
"Did you just quote Chasing Amy to me?"
"Uh. Yes?"
"Hn." This time Sasuke actually smiled. "I told you you'd make a great partner for Trivial Pursuit."
Naruto swiped his thumb across the counter and grumbled, "Yeah, well. Despite what people think, I am not your partner."
"By the way. How did you get a hold of Deidara?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Did you go through my phone?"
"How the hell would I go through your phone if it was locked?" He gestured with his hands as he continued, "God, you are so paranoid, Sasuke. What do you think I did? I went to that bar where the bartender had totally been flirtin' with you and asked if they knew you. And, no surprise, that guy seemed to know you pretty well."
"Are you implying something?"
"Don't give me that. You're the one who said last night - " He suddenly blinked at the other man. "Wait. This feels weird." A strange sense of deja vu hit him pretty hard, but he didn't know why.
"What does?"
"You... me." He gazed at Sasuke as if he expected him to know the answer.
"You were saying that last night, too." Sasuke pointed at him. "We need to work on expanding your vocabulary."
"We don't need to work on anything 'cause I just came here to bring your phone." He, very briefly, picked up Sasuke's phone and set it down again before placing his hand into his lap.
"Uh huh." Sasuke covered the phone with his hand, absently running his thumb over its side. "And what were you doing before you came here?"
"I was at Rockefeller or whatever. I was gonna take a tour. Maybe see Tina Fey."
"That tour is lame. There are much better places to see in Brooklyn."
"Well, I don't know Brooklyn," Naruto argued. "I got lost just comin' out of the subway station." He scowled and reached for what was left of his muffin. "This is good. Must be nice havin' someone who bakes shit for you."
"I'd get fat if I ate everything he made."
"Yeah, then what would all the guys do if you got chubby? Guess that means your gay stock would plummet, eh?"
Sasuke watched him observantly as he continued picking at the muffin. "It's a crude way of putting it, but there's nothing wrong with staying in shape. I suppose your girlfriend wouldn't mind it if you put on an extra 20 pounds?"
"She's technically not my girlfriend at the moment, so I suppose I don't give a crap what she'd think about that."
"Oh that's right," Sasuke drolly replied. "You told me... you're on a break?"
He dusted the crumbs from his hands. "Yep. I'm free as a bird."
"Hm."
"What? What is it?" He tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. "You're starin'."
"I'm thinking," Sasuke said impatiently.
"Thought maybe you were constipated." He pulled a self-congratulatory face for throwing out a quip like that.
Sasuke settled his chin on top of his hand. "You think you're pretty funny, don't you?"
"Sometimes." Naruto smiled.
"Naruto," Sasuke said after a pause. "About last night."
"Yeah?"
"I..." Sasuke looked as though he was struggling with what to say next, leaving Naruto to feel kind of awkward, like he was somehow forcing Sasuke to explain himself.
"Listen." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I know you said you had a shit day, and I dunno you that well. You probably have lots of things goin' on that are none of my business. You were good to me last night, so let's just call it even."
"You don't have to make excuses for me," Sasuke replied, sounding kind of angry.
"Why are you gettin' mad? I'm sayin' that I don't hold it against you."
The other man frowned, the creases in his brow furrowing severely. "I don't need your pity."
"Who said I feel pity for you? In fact, I'm startin' to feel the opposite."
"Oh? I thought you said we were sharing a moment."
"Tch. That was last night. When that iceberg up your ass started to thaw out. But, maybe that was just the alcohol."
Sasuke's lips parted in surprise. "Do you always say exactly what you think?"
"Mostly, yeah. Why?"
"Most people aren't like that, you know. They think one thing and say something entirely different."
"Maybe the people you hang around with," he mumbled.
"Maybe." Sasuke appeared thoughtful. "Why I left this morning... I... felt embarrassed."
"I don't care that you puked, dude. I can't tell you how many bushes I've puked in goin' out with friends."
"Yes, well I'm not like you. I'm usually in control, and..."
"So you had an off day." Naruto started to reach for another muffin but caught himself. "Happens to the best of us. Stupid addicting muffins. Did he put crack in there?" He gestured up the stairs.
"It's very probable he put something in there."
"Oh. Oh. Heh. Convenient for when they give me the munchies."
Sasuke chuckled softly.
"Ah, you laughed! You did that last night, too!"
"Did I?" Sasuke tilted his head, which caused a few pieces of hair to fall over one of his eyes. "I guess you saw all kinds of sides to me last night."
"Sure did. Fifty Shades of Sasuke. Maybe we need a safeword for when we hang out together, huh?"
"Do you and your fraternity friends have a book club?"
"Ha ha. I'm not in a frat, just so you know."
"So you just look the part then."
"How do I look any different than you?" He gave Sasuke a genuinely puzzled look.
"Are you kidding me right now? You mean, besides me being Asian and you being blond, tan, and blue-eyed?"
"That's not what I meant." Naruto glanced self-consciously at the back of his hands. "And I'm not that tan," he mumbled. "It's winter, after all."
"So."
He glanced up again, catching what he thought to be an especially intense look being thrown his way. "So?"
"I may have room in my schedule today... if you still require a tour guide."
"Yeah, right. I fell for that once before, but you get a little body fluid on me, and you bolt. I wonder, is this how the girls I dated in high school felt?"
Sasuke covered his eyes. "Thanks for that image."
"You're welcome," Naruto said proudly and laughed. "I suppose that I didn't really have anything in mind. I gotta pack at some point, I guess."
"You're leaving tomorrow?" Sasuke asked.
"Not until really late, but yeah. Planes can fly in the snow, right?"
"They can."
Naruto shivered. "I don't like flyin' very much. I'm surprised I flew out here to be honest, but I really wanted to just - "
"Get away?" Sasuke finished for him.
He nodded. "Yeah."
"I can empathize."
"Mm. Should we ask Deidara if he wants to tag along?"
"Absolutely not," Sasuke answered immediately.
"He doesn't seem that bad to me."
"Try living with him."
"I think you're too hard on him," Naruto pushed.
Sasuke grabbed his phone when it vibrated. "Right. Say that after I leave you with him when I go upstairs to get ready."
"God, are you one of those gay guys that takes, like, 8 hours to get ready?"
"Just because you can roll out of bed with your hair looking like that." Glancing up from his phone, Sasuke smirked at him.
Naruto felt his hair. "Wait. What's wrong with my hair? You keep pickin' on me! You're gonna give a guy a complex."
"You're an idiot. Come upstairs with me. I don't trust you not to steal the silverware." Sasuke got off of the stool and gave a stretch.
"Wow, you really are paranoid." Naruto stood up next to him and shoved his hands in his jean pockets.
"You can take your jacket off if you want," Sasuke told him. "Throw it over the chair there." He pointed at the dining table.
Naruto hurried out of his jacket and scarf, placing them carefully on the back of the wooden chair. He followed Sasuke up the stairs where, at the top, he was met by an orange tabby cat. The cat tried to brush up against Sasuke's leg, but Sasuke shook him off.
"Aw. Do you want some lovin'?" Naruto cooed at the animal and leaned down to pet it for a while.
Sasuke stopped in the hallway. "Don't encourage him. He's going to start expecting attention from me now, too. I suppose that means the two of you have something in common."
"You're hilarious." Naruto gave up on the cat and continued following.
They passed an unexpectedly large full-bath and then Deidara's bedroom, which behind the closed door, could be heard a belting Cyndi Lauper singing about girls who just wanted to have fun.
"I may have hurt his feelings," Sasuke said. "Judging by the music."
"You should say sorry later. He was just tryin' to set us up. I think."
"Obviously. Apparently he thought you'd be my type? Hn. Hardly."
"Hey!" Naruto ran up to him and gave him a light push. "I'm everybody's type."
"Sure," Sasuke replied, turning to look at him over his shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that, Naruto."
Naruto was told to sit only on the chair in Sasuke's bedroom and to touch nothing. Meanwhile, the other man went back and forth between his room and the bathroom while getting ready. Of course, Naruto could only sit still for so long, so he ended up getting up and nosing about the room.
There wasn't much in the way of personal decoration, really. The walls were painted a grayish-white. There was a double bed, a desk, chair, one taller dresser and one smaller. There was a pinboard with a bunch of concert tickets. Most were within the tri-state area, some from Seattle. There were a few photos, too. But, literally, only three. One of Sasuke with another guy that had sort of silverish hair. They were both talking to some guy who was holding a guitar on an empty stage. The second was of Sasuke, Deidara, and a third man who resembled Sasuke but was a few inches taller and had longer hair.
Naruto stared at that one much longer than the first, wondering if they were related. He was a very attractive older man. Could it be his brother? The third was a photo of Sasuke appearing several years younger, and he was in mid-conversation with an auburn-haired guy who had several striking tattoos. This one made him curious and, without thinking, he unpinned it. There was something about the look in Sasuke's eyes - intense, passionate, warm even. The two men were standing what Naruto considered to be intimately close. The ginger was smirking. Honestly, he would've assumed this was an old boyfriend maybe? Just by the way they were looking at each other.
"Didn't I tell you not to touch anything?"
Naruto nearly dropped the photo, but then he held it out to Sasuke. "Who's this?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the picture before grabbing it from his hand. "That's not any of your business."
"What's the big deal? It's not like I yanked it out of one of your drawers or anything. Is this an old boyfriend?"
"No." Sasuke pinned it back on the board. "He's a friend of my brother's."
"Sure." Naruto could totally tell he was lying. "Okay."
Sasuke glared. "Would you like me to go through your stuff?"
"You can if you want." He shrugged because he thought of himself as an open book. "I have a photo or two in my wallet and plenty on my phone."
"No thanks. I don't want to end up seeing any naked pictures of your girlfriend."
"Fair enough. I'm just curious, though. I know you're gay and all - " Sasuke gave him a funny look. "What, you are, aren't you?"
Sasuke sighed. "What is it you're curious about? I already told you he wasn't a boyfriend."
"Fine. You two look good together, though. S'all I'm sayin'. You look like you're into him, and I guess I'd be a bit curious about your type."
"What if you're my type?" He asked, almost sounding serious.
"Yeah, right. You've already told me plenty of times that I'm not your type. You said I'm too blond and too dumb and too honest and too tan."
"You're such a drama queen. I didn't say any of those things."
"Did someone say drama queen?" Deidara appeared in the doorway as if he'd apparated like the kids in Harry Potter. He had the cat in his arms, although it wore a very disgruntled expression as its whiskers twitched. "Oh, look at you, Sasuke. Your hair looks especially sexy and so... Asian. More J-rock than K-pop I'd say."
Naruto'd been too caught up in his curiosity about the photos to notice Sasuke's wardrobe change or that he was all primped and preened. His hair was spiky and stuck up in the back, and he wore a pair of nice dark blue jeans, brown boots, and a dark navy sweater with a higher collar and zipper. Preppy but... just cool. There was always an air of cool about him, though. It almost annoyed Naruto since he often wanted to think of himself as cool, too, but... nah, he was still a goof at heart.
He got distracted, however, as Deidara set the squirming tabby onto the floor and slid up next to Sasuke so that he could put an arm around him. The blond man sniffed at Sasuke's neck.
"You smell good, too. So pretty." Deidara let out a long sigh. "You know, Naruto. I've known him since he was little. When he was much scrawnier, and, if you can believe it, even more of a little bitch."
Sasuke glared at him but didn't try to move away. "Do you have to get so close?"
"Yes, yes I do." Deidara squeezed him. "Because I know how much you love it. Touching. Affection. Hugs. These are a few of your favorite things." He sing-songed the last part.
Naruto grinned. "You two seem close. I was goin' through Sasuke's photos there." He pointed. "In that one, he looks like he might be in high school?"
"That one?" Deidara, discarding Sasuke like a used tissue, immediately went to unpin it. "Yes, that's our other friend Yahiko. I always thought Sasuke had a thing for him, but who wouldn't? He's a beautiful man. We hardly hear from him now as he has a blue-haired girlfriend that he's always traveling with."
"I'm sure Naruto doesn't care to hear all of this," Sasuke said gruffly and gave Naruto an especially threatening stare, misguidedly assuming it would cause him to give in and drop the subject.
"No, I care." He laughed the instant Sasuke's expression darkened. "What about the other one, with you in it? Is that... his brother?"
"Yes, yes. That's my bestie, Itachi. He's so fabulous, Naruto. Smart. Funny. Successful. Sexy. Everything I want in a man." Deidara let out a huge sigh and started to fan himself. "Sadly. He doesn't swing that way. No matter what I've tried, he's never succumbed to my advances."
"Even if he was gay," Sasuke said snidely. "He'd be way out of your league, Deidara."
"I don't disagree. Though it pains me to admit as much." Deidara pushed his hair out of his face. "He's... you know, how do I put it? Like one of those Greek sculptures... you get to look at it and appreciate its beauty from afar... but you never get to... to touch it... to, you know. Make out a little with it when you're both drunk and out with friends and his jeans are particularly tight that night, and..."
Sasuke and Naruto both cleared their throats at the same time.
Deidara snapped out of it, though there was a blush to his cheeks. "Sorry, boys. I excited myself just thinking about it. Do you have any siblings, Naruto?"
"Nope," he answered, and realized his jaw was starting to hurt from smiling so much. "I'm an only child."
"How unfortunate. I was hoping you'd say you had an older brother." Deidara slid up against him and wound an arm about his waist. "So which one of your parents has the lovely blond hair?"
"My dad," Naruto answered Deidara and spared a glance at Sasuke, who seemed to be eyeing the groping hand settled at his hip. "So, you're... close to your brother?"
"Oh, they're very close," Deidara answered in Sasuke's place. "Itachi's very protective. It took a lot of convincing to let him give Sasuke up. I wanted Sasuke to move out here, and - "
"Deidara." Sasuke cut him off.
Naruto, at Sasuke's urgent tone, glanced between both men curiously. He wanted to know more, but Sasuke was entitled to his privacy.
"Alright, well. I'll leave you two kids alone. Naruto," Deidara, apparently offended at being silenced, turned and kissed him on the cheek. "I hope maybe I'll see you later? We usually go out on Saturday nights. Maybe you'll consider going with us?"
"Uh... Um. Sure?"
Deidara wiped at the non-existent lipstick smudge he'd left on Naruto's cheek. "Good. I'm sure Sasuke has something in his closet that you can borrow." Then he flounced right out of the bedroom while calling for the cat.
Naruto held a hand to his assaulted cheek. "What just happened?"
"I think you got invited to the local gay bar." Sasuke slid his hands into his jean pockets. "Lucky you."
"I dunno about that. He's certainly an interesting guy, isn't he?"
"And that's about all you can say for him. He certainly has a habit of oversharing, especially where it doesn't concern him."
Naruto chewed at his lip, not really feeling it was his place to argue otherwise. "So. Are we... goin' somewhere?"
Sasuke took a step closer. "What are you in the mood to do? Did you have lunch already?"
"I had a bagel sandwich about... three hours ago? I'm not starvin', though. Probably because all of those muffins."
"Hm. How about coffee then? To start. I don't know if I've fully woken up yet."
"You did have a rough night." Naruto reached out slowly and lightly punched Sasuke in the shoulder.
Sasuke's eyes brightened for a moment. "What was that for?"
"I wanna hear more stories about you. But you stopped him."
"Is this you... pouting?" Sasuke smirked as he leaned slightly forward, into Naruto's space. "Because. It's adorable."
"Shut up. Stop flirtin' with me." Naruto closed an eye and squinted at him with the other.
"You're the one making out with my roommate," Sasuke said in a lower voice. "You could do much better."
"We weren't makin' out," Naruto argued. "You're the one who let him kiss me!"
Sasuke shrugged. "Should I have defended your honor?"
"Yeah!"
"Alright. It's been noted that, as your tour guide, I am to maintain your chastity throughout the duration of your visit." Sasuke stepped over to his closet and pulled out a very expensive looking, longer black coat, which he draped over one arm. "My treat today. Since I...inconvenienced you so much last night... and this morning."
The other man was standing especially close to him, so Naruto gave him a sniff. "You do smell good."
Sasuke's eyebrow instantly went up. "You sure you're not gay?"
"Pretty sure." He wiggled his hand. "I'd say 90-10 after seein' your brother."
"I'll be sure to tell him you said so the next time we speak."
"Ah, don't be jealous that I'd do your brother and not you."
"Harsh." Though Sasuke was smiling. "You know, you better be careful, Naruto. Where we're going, there may be some men in this neighborhood who'll eat you alive."
"I think I can handle myself just fine. After all, I've done okay hangin' around you, haven't I?"
Sasuke smirked. "That's because I've been a perfect gentleman."
"Minus that one time," Naruto reminded him.
"Yes, minus that one time when I lost my cool and my dinner."
Naruto chuckled. "I think I like you more this way. Knowin' that you're not so perfect. You're just a guy... who can't hold his liquor."
"Oh, shut up." Sasuke cuffed him on the back of his head and shoved him toward the door, making Naruto laugh even harder in the process. "Get moving, idiot."
"Bastard," Naruto cried as he nearly tripped into the doorframe. "Be more gentle. Not everyone likes it rough."
"Told you," said Sasuke. "We need to work on our safewords. Mine can be... Idiot and Moron. Yours can be..."
"Bastard and Asshat?"
"Asshat?" Sasuke mused as they continued down the hallway. "I like it. You realize, if anyone else called me either of those things, they'd end up in the hospital."
"Yeesh." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "You're so violent. Pretty sure I remember you were about to beat me up last night, just for worryin' about you gettin' home."
Sasuke stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to him. "I did?"
"You don't remember?" Naruto frowned. "How convenient."
"Hm."
"No worries." He waved it away. "Like I've said. I got into fights all the time as a kid. I coulda held my own."
"Yeah," said Sasuke. "You seem like you'd put up a fight."
Naruto smiled coyly. "Is that how you like it?"
"Tch." Sasuke ignored him and started down the stairs. "Hurry up, moron. Or I'm going to leave you with Deidara."
"I heard that!" Deidara wailed from the sofa in the living area. "He should only be so lucky! I'm always the life of the party!"
When they were downstairs, Naruto put on his coat, scarf, and hat. Sasuke was waiting by the door.
"Do you always tie your scarf that way?" Sasuke asked, inspecting it with a furrowed brow.
Naruto pulled at it. "What's wrong with the way I tied it?"
"It looks... here, just let me." Swiftly, Sasuke untied it and began to re-tie it using this complicated knot that Naruto couldn't even follow. He watched Sasuke's fingers as he did it.
"You definitely play something," he murmured.
"Hm?" Sasuke momentarily raised his eyes from what he was doing.
Deidara made a clucking noise from behind them. "You realize I am going to call Itachi about this and tell him you're... tying other men's scarves."
Sasuke finished and glared at his roommate. "Make sure you tell him what you tried to do to me last weekend while you're at it."
"What? I didn't - " Deidara scoffed, stammered, and made several strangled choking noises. "I was... I'd been... I was really drunk that night, Sasuke. Don't you tell your brother about that. He'll kill me!"
"Maybe if you're on your best behavior," Sasuke replied. "I'll forgive you."
Naruto didn't know what they were talking about, but he was amused by Sasuke's playful, threatening side. He sure acted like he was annoyed by Deidara, but it was pretty clear that he really did care about him. At least, it was pretty obvious to Naruto anyway.
"Ready?" He asked Naruto as he shooed him toward the door.
"Uh... sure. Yeah. I'm ready. Let's go. It's gonna be cold."
"Hence why I'm taking you for coffee."
Naruto opened the door and stepped into the hallway outside of Sasuke's apartment. "And you'll tell me some stories? You know, to make up for last night?"
"Within reason," Sasuke agreed as he closed the door behind him and started them walking toward the stairs. "So long as... I get to hear a bit more about you, too."
For some reason, Naruto felt his face grow hot. "Sure," he said slowly. "It's only fair. Plus, I have tons of awesome stories to tell."
"I can see that about you," Sasuke replied as they reached the first floor of the building and were about to head out into the cold, snowy weather once more. He held the door open for Naruto.
"Thanks," he said and waited for him on the stoop.
Naruto pulled out his gloves and put them on. It was snowing more heavily than earlier, but it was still that very pretty, soft snow.
"Too bad the snow's so soft," he mumbled, reaching down to swipe some of the powder with his gloved hand. "We could have a snowball fight."
The both of them shared a lingering look while Sasuke also put on his black leather gloves.
"Thug," Sasuke called him and smiled crookedly. "You school-skipping high school thug."
"Stop sayin' that." He stuck out his bottom lip. "I'm a senior in college, you know. Old enough to drink, gamble, and all kinds of crap."
"Of course you are," Sasuke said mockingly and put a hand to Naruto's back, urging him to go down the steps. "And you can tell me all about it after I buy you a cup of coffee."