Second Chances
Itachi looked across the table at the grinning blond and almost rubbed his forehead tiredly. Almost.
“Naruto, we’ve been negotiating this deal for weeks now. How you can even consider turning down our offer? Uchiha is offering an enormous amount of money for Rasengan, more than any of the other potential buyers could possibly put together, as well as shares in the company, future residuals and Senior Vice President positions for the both of you. Why are you hesitating?”
“Itachi, don’t be like that,” Naruto said, smiling and bouncing lightly in his chair. “This isn’t just about money. Rasengan’s my baby, and I won’t sell it to you just because we went to college together! I mean, I really appreciate your offer, but I just need a little time to finish looking at the other ones, too.” He sat back. “This is such a comfy chair!”
Anyone else might have been surprised by his seemingly random remark, but Itachi Uchiha, President of Uchiha, Inc., was familiar enough with the other man to not even blink. The two of them had attended Harvard University together, where they had shared many of the same computer science classes. They’d even lived down the hall from each other senior year. They’d been friends ever since. Not that Itachi had considered many people as friends, too busy with his work to socialize much, but Naruto hadn’t let that stop him. He held back a smirk, remembering some of his excuses for knocking on his door at all hours and interrupting his studying.
“Itachi! I ran out of printer paper, and I have a paper due in ten minutes. You’ve got to help me!” Or “My hotpot broke. Let me borrow yours. What? How can you not have a hotpot? Are you serious? Alright, the two of us are going to buy some right now, and I’ll introduce you to the wonders of late night ramen.” Or “Shika kicked me out of the room ‘cause he’s got a midterm tomorrow. Can I set up my Nintendo on your television?”
He still didn’t know why, looking back, he hadn’t just kicked him out of his room, but he couldn’t deny that the interruptions had made his senior year considerably more enjoyable than previous years.
Itachi had chosen a double major of Computer Science and Economics, knowing that he would take over the family company right after he graduated Harvard Business School – as his parents expected. In order to graduate summa cum laude, he’d had to write a thesis senior year, and the other man’s interruptions had always seemed to coincide with moments when he was most stressed, allowing him to take a breather and go back to his work refreshed.
On the outside, Naruto had seemed like a big slacker. People had forgotten that in order to get accepted to Harvard in the first place, he’d had to have done something right. Or in Naruto’s case, doing something wrong that turned out right.
It turned out that Naruto didn’t have the best grades in high school, having moved around from school to school as he changed foster homes. Luckily, rather than letting himself get lost in the system, he’d chosen to escape it, and using his hacking skills, the one thing he had excelled at, he’d hacked into one of Harvard’s top computer sciences professors’ work and left a message saying he could show him how to improve his security. Rather than having him arrested, the man had been delighted and after speaking with him, had helped Naruto get accepted to the prestigious university. Apparently, the two of them still got together at least once a year.
Most of their classmates, however, didn’t know his story. They saw his beach blond looks, his klutziness, his tendency to always arrive to class late and his loud personality and wrote him off as someone fun to hang out with, but not anyone to take seriously, someone who’d gotten accepted on a fluke.
Of course, seven years after graduating, Naruto was now in the extremely enviable position of becoming a multimillionaire. Itachi doubted any of their old colleagues would think he was a fluke now.
Naruto had never attended business school. He had partnered with his college roommate, Shikamaru, who was a business genius, and had set up shop in Menlo Park a few years after graduating. With the combination of the blond’s computer skills and Shikamaru’s business acumen, their company Leaf Technologies had been one of the fastest growing startups in recent years. And now, with the launch of their flagship product, Rasengan, an operating system that was being heralded as Window’s successor, they were in hot demand.
The only reason the two of them were willing to sell their company was that they were too small to be serious competition for companies the size of Microsoft, so they needed the financial support and business connections of a company like Uchiha to take their product all the way.
“So if we end up accepting your offer, does that mean I’ll get one of these chairs, too?” Naruto leaned forward anxiously.
His eyebrow twitched. “If you accept our offer, I will personally insure that you get a better chair than this. In addition, you’ll get a corner office on one of the top floors of the building, your own assistant, a company car, stock options—”
“Ooh, ooh, do I get to pick the car? And can it be orange, or will it be a boring black one?”
“Naruto,” Shikamaru sighed, shifting in his seat next to the other man.
Itachi’s eyebrow twitched again. He knew that underneath the goofy exterior, Naruto was an extremely intelligent and capable man. At least, when it came to computers. He had horrible business sense, which is why Shikamaru handled that end of things. But he had a habit of acting the part of a clown, cracking jokes, playing pranks, always smiling, hiding behind his jester façade. It had only taken him a few interactions with the man before Itachi had realized the truth, but he was always amused by how easily the mask fooled most people.
“What?” Naruto looked at his partner with clueless eyes. “Can I help it if I don’t want to drive a black BMW that looks exactly like the cars on my left and right when I park in the garage? I like a little oomph, a little pizzazz.” He did jazz hands to emphasize his point.
Shikamaru closed his eyes momentarily.
“Please try and take this seriously, Naruto.”
“Hmph. Spoilsport,” he mumbled, settling back in his chair and crossing his arms peevishly.
“Itachi,” Shikamaru said. “Thank you for your time today. We plan on making a final decision in the next few weeks, and we will get back to you as soon as—”
They were interrupted by a knock at the door and its subsequent opening. A dark-haired young man who bore a striking resemblance to Itachi walked inside.
“Sasuke,” Itachi said, a slight frown marring his features, “You’re late.”
“Hn,” the younger man said, shutting the door behind him. He looked at the two men from Leaf calmly. “I apologize for my tardiness,” he said, “but I was in a meeting with the Chairman that ran longer than expected.” The Chairman was Fugaku Uchiha, father to both Itachi and Sasuke.
Shikamaru nodded and waited for Naruto to say something since of the two of them, the other man was always the more outgoing. He turned his head to look at him when nothing came out and was surprised by what he saw.
Naruto had a slightly stunned expression on his face as he stared at Sasuke, his eyes wide and mouth partly open. For the first time in the eleven years Shikamaru had known him, Naruto was speechless.
“Naruto, I’m sure you remember my younger brother. Shikamaru, this is my brother, Sasuke Uchiha. He’s Vice President of Business Development, and he will be assisting me as we move forward with the deal.”
Shikamaru nodded once, his gaze straying to his oddly quiet companion as Sasuke took his seat. Naruto normally talked a mile a minute, so having any sort of silence while he was in the room was unusual. He sighed and took matters into his own hands – or foot as the case may be.
Naruto jerked and sent a scowl at his partner before smiling sheepishly at the Uchiha brothers across the table.
“Sorry, sorry, I got – distracted for a second there. Um, long day. Of course I remember Sasuke! Yo, Teme! Long time no see.”
Sasuke smirked. “Dobe.”
Since the Uchiha family lived in Boston, Sasuke had visited his brother frequently whenever he wanted to get out of the house and away from their constantly criticizing father. Even though he’d been accepted to Harvard as well, his father had always found fault with his achievements. He’d never been as smart as Itachi, never joined as many clubs, never won as many trophies. He’d needed a break from the stress and had often visited Itachi. On several of those occasions, Naruto had come by.
Naruto forced himself to look away from Sasuke’s challenging gaze and asked, “What were we discussing again?”
Itachi smile pleasantly, his eyes calculating, and folded his hands. “I believe we were discussing the benefits to be had if you signed with us, Naruto. As I mentioned before, you would both be brought on as Senior Vice Presidents in the company and would have offices on the top floor of the building. As you can see, the view is incredible.”
Shikamaru knew the comment wasn’t really directed at him and barely refrained from rolling his eyes when Naruto’s gaze drifted back to Sasuke. Still, he had to admit as he looked out the nearby window, being fifty stories up in the air did make the view of the clouds remarkable.
Naruto shook his head to clear it, once again wrenching his eyes away from the man who had so recently entered the room. Why was he so affected? He had known Sasuke for years, and he’d never been so…enthralled. Admittedly, he hadn’t seen the other man for seven years now, but still. Had time changed him so much?
He forced himself to keep his eyes on the older Uchiha and not turn his head. Where had this sudden attraction come from? Itachi had never had this effect on him.
Had he?
He looked at the older Uchiha. Itachi was a handsome man. There was no denying it. The dark, brooding eyes, the long, black hair, the calm, commanding presence…he was incredibly handsome. But Naruto wasn’t attracted to him.
He looked at Sasuke. He had the same dark, brooding eyes and dark hair, although not as long and much spikier. But where Itachi was calm, he had a hidden tension underneath the bored look. Everything about him bespoke the same cool, collected façade as his older brother, but Naruto knew it was a mask, and for some reason, he wanted to see beneath the veneer to what was underneath.
He looked at Itachi again. Not attracted.
Sasuke. Definitely attracted.
Itachi. Not so much.
Sasuke. Oh yeah, baby. Gimme some of that.
Ita—
“Dobe, what are you doing?”
Naruto snapped out of it with a blink. “What? Don’t call me a dobe, Teme!”
“Stop acting like one, and then I won’t have to, idiot.”
He pointed his finger at Sasuke accusingly. “Stop calling me names you – you – asshole!”
“Great comeback, Usuratonkachi.”
“Why you—” Naruto started to get out of his oh-so-comfortable chair.
“Enough.” It was one word, but both men quieted immediately. They continued to glare at each other, however, with Naruto pouting childishly, his arms crossed over his chest.
Itachi sighed. He was going to have to get his assistant to bring him some Advil after this. “I apologize for my brother. That was highly inappropriate and uncalled for.”
“I don’t need you to speak for me, Itachi.”
His eyes narrowed, and he turned to look at his younger brother.
“Hey, hey, it’s no big deal, Itachi,” Naruto said, sitting up and sending a large grin in their direction. “We’re just joking around. It’s not a problem.”
Itachi finally turned his head back to the two men, but it was obvious by the way he did it that he chose to look away and be the more mature man, and not because he couldn't look Sasuke in the eye, and by the way, Sasuke was being so juvenile for trying to have a staring contest in the middle of an important meeting.
Shikamaru sighed and began to gather his things together. “Excuse me, but we have to get going. We have a company meeting in an hour we need to get back for.”
“Of course,” Itachi said coolly, politely standing up. “Sasuke will walk you downstairs. I will be out of town for the next week, however, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to speak to Sasuke. He will be able to reach me if the need arises.”
Sasuke stood as well, giving his brother fleeting glance. “Let me give you both my card. It has my cell phone number on it. Feel free to call me at any time.” He ushered both men out of the conference room once they’d both shaken Itachi’s hand. “This way, gentlemen.”
As they walked towards the elevators, Naruto sidled up to the younger man. He tried to be as unobtrusive as possible as he looked at him from the corner of his eye.
Sasuke was maybe two inches shorter than his own 6’ frame. He was slender, although still broad in the shoulders, and he moved with a predatory grace that spoke of the muscle underneath. He wore a single-breasted, black suit over a spotless, white, button down shirt with a maroon, silk tie and matching handkerchief. He looked every inch the powerful businessman.
For the first time, Naruto felt self-conscious of his own appearance. Being the President of his own company, he had never enforced any kind of dress code. He frequently went to work dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. When Shika and he had started meeting with other companies, he’d gone out and bought a suit from Men’s Warehouse. Looking at Sasuke, he sincerely doubted the other man had bought a three hundred dollar off-the-rack suit like he had.
“So…” he said, trying to think of something to say as they rode down to the first floor. “You’ve gotten taller…”
Sasuke snorted. “Idiot.”
The hint of amusement in his voice made Naruto’s odd nervousness vanish, and he grinned.
“You look good.” He smiled, looking over him appreciatively in a joking manner. Naruto had never hidden the fact that he was bi, and Sasuke smirked. The once-over didn’t bother him. It was satisfying to have Naruto notice him after all this time, especially considering he’d had a crush on the other man for years.
“I mean seven years ago you looked completely different! You were all skinny and—”
“Get out of the elevator, Dobe.”
Sasuke had been a late bloomer. He’d been tall and thin, and although he excelled at sports, the muscles never seemed to show up on his body. His delicate bone structure had made him seem feminine, and he’d always been self-conscious of his appearance, wearing baggy clothes to make him seem bigger. His hair had been unmanageable, always flipping up in the back, no matter how long or short he cut it, and seven years ago, he’d still been trying to figure out a hairstyle that worked for him. He’d also worn glasses back then. He knew he looked completely different now.
Naruto, on the other hand, hadn’t changed much. He was a little taller, a little more muscular, a little blonder and if possible, a little more handsome. The past seven years had only made him more attractive, and now it looked like Naruto was actually looking at him as someone other than just Itachi’s younger brother, which opened up a realm of possibilities.
They reached the front desk and said their goodbyes. Naruto gave him one last lingering look, covering it up with a bright smile and jaunty wave, and then the two men were gone.
He walked back to Itachi’s office, closing the door behind him. As expected, his brother was waiting for him. “You’ll be out of town next week?”
Itachi waved his hand, dismissing his question. "I want you to spend more time with Naruto."
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. "Why?”
"Father wants to buy Naruto's company, but for some reason he and Shikamaru are still holding out. They're not asking for any more concessions, but they keep insisting on considering other offers. It's obvious that Naruto's interested in you. Convince him to sell to Uchiha."
Sasuke tensed, his eyes starting to burn with a cold fire. "And how do you expect me to convince him, Itachi?" The implication was clear.
"Foolish little brother. I'm not telling you to sleep with him. You're an Uchiha. But you can show him the advantages of working here. That isn't above your abilities, is it?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I don’t think—”
Itachi leaned back in his chair and picked up a pen, tapping it lazily against his desktop. “I’m sure Father would be pleased to know how valuable your contribution was to the closing of the deal.”
Sasuke froze.
His brother gently dropped the pen on the wooden surface and stood up, turning around to look out the huge windows in his office and idly taking in the panoramic view of the city.
“But of course, I would never want you to do anything you were uncomfortable with. With the terms I’m offering, there’s really no way Leaf would refuse. Your assistance is probably unnecessary. Thank you for your time, Sasuke. Don’t let me keep you from your—”
“Fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll convince him.”
He turned and walked out of the office, not wanting to see whatever expression was on his brother’s face. He tried to relax his shoulders as he avoided the elevators and walked down the ten levels of stairs from the top floor to his own office.
A year out of business school, he was Vice President of Business Development. After two years, he’d be a Senior Vice President. After a few years in that position, he and Itachi would split the roles of CEO and President. He already sat in on the company board meetings.
Itachi had been on the same track, but their father had decided earlier that year to step down as President and CEO and had given the position to him instead. He had boasted that there was no need to wait since Itachi was fully capable of taking over for him.
Sasuke’s hands tightened into fists. His father hadn’t even looked at him once that night.
He closed the door behind him and sat down in his own office, taking in the blinking light on his phone indicating new voice mails but choosing to ignore it. He turned on his computer, and as it was booting up, he looked out his own window that had a view of the skyscraper next door.
He’d been too young and shy to admit he had a crush on his brother’s friend when he’d been in high school. Not that it'd mattered. Naruto had obviously only seen him as a young kid. That had been a galling realization since he'd always considered himself more mature than his peers, but he'd accepted it. Still, when he’d found out that Uchiha was making an offer on Leaf, which was coincidentally owned by Itachi’s old dorm mate, a shiver of anticipation had run down his spine at the chance to see Naruto again.
He had never forgotten just how accepting the other man had been, always joking around with him, asking him how school was going, telling him it was a shame Naruto was graduating that year, or he would’ve taken him around the campus. He knew that Itachi still emailed Naruto and that they would get together occasionally whenever Itachi was in California or Naruto was in Boston. When Leaf had relocated its headquarters to the area a year ago, he’d almost sought out Naruto then but had refrained, unsure of his welcome, whether Naruto would even remember him.
It looked like he hadn’t needed to worry about that after all.
It had been seven years since he'd seen Naruto, and he had matured and left behind his childish insecurities and dreams, although apparently, not his fascination with the blond. He'd been looking forward to seeing him and had wondered if something more than a completely professional relationship could develop.
He’d always wanted to pursue Naruto, so it shouldn’t matter that the first time he asked the other man on a date would be under these circumstances. He sat staring out the glass long after the login screen appeared on the monitor.
It shouldn’t matter – but it did.
-------------------
By the next morning, Sasuke still hadn’t decided how to approach Naruto. He knew Itachi wanted immediate results, but he didn’t feel right just calling up the blond after having a two minute conversation after seven years of no communication whatsoever.
Pushing away his indecision, he tried to bury himself in his work and had succeeded to the point that when he answered his phone midmorning, all thoughts of Naruto had been momentarily erased from his mind.
“This is Sasuke,” he said absently.
“And this is Naruto!”
“Naruto?” he asked dumbly, putting down the paperwork he’d been reviewing in his hand.
“Sheesh, Sasuke. You’re totally ruining my self confidence. We just spoke yesterday, and you've already forgotten me?”
“I wish,” he said, smirking slightly and relaxing into his chair.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Then, “You’re so meeeeaaaannnn, Teme!”
“Che, Dobe, what are you bothering me for? I’ve got work to do.” Sasuke’s smirk grew bigger. He didn’t really know why the two of them had such a confrontational relationship. Alright, that was a lie. He did know.
Itachi had been working on his computer, so when the doorbell rang, he’d absently asked Sasuke to get it. He’d opened the door and been completely surprised to see a gorgeous blond in the doorway, asking to speak to his brother. Apparently, his last pen had broken mysteriously. He’d taken it apart because the clicking mechanism hadn’t been responsive enough for him, so he’d tried to improve it, but after “fixing” the spring, it had suddenly stopped working, so could he please borrow a pen, and he promised to buy Itachi a super special pen with the Harvard logo – or ooh, ooh, maybe one of those pens that had a guy rowing in a boat in the see-through window when you held it upside down, wouldn’t that be cool? – in repayment the next time he visited the Coop.
Sasuke had closed the door in his face.
It had been an accident. The doors in the dorm automatically swung shut, and he’d been so unnerved by the smiling, handsome man who seemed to be spouting nonsense – and shouldn’t he take a breath before he expired from lack of air? – that his fingers had gone lax, letting the door slip through. Time had seemed to slow down to a crawl as he watched the blue door close in front of him, his eyes wide. Naruto’s yell of “Hey, Teme!” a second later had snapped him out of his momentary daze, but the damage had already been done.
Too embarrassed to actually open the door again and apologize – besides, it wasn’t like he did that sort of thing anyway – he’d walked downstairs and told his brother a blond moron was outside asking for him. Unfortunately, although the door closed automatically, it didn’t lock automatically, and Naruto, who had come in and followed him down, heard every word.
The look on his face when he realized who was behind him had apparently been priceless, because Naruto had started to immediately laugh and promptly put his arm around his shoulders, commenting to Itachi, “This has to be your brother. You two are so much alike!”
Sasuke had shrugged off the offending – although warm and nicely muscular – arm, and had immediately said, “Don’t touch me, Dobe. Your idiocy might be contagious.”
Seven years later, it looked like nothing had really changed much.
“Oh, come on, Sasuke! You should be happy I want to reestablish the bonds of friendship after all this time! Didn’t you miss me? Just a little bit?” He could just envision the big blue eyes watering dramatically in hope.
“As if,” he retorted, even while he tried to control the grin that tried to maneuver its way onto his face. He didn’t do grins.
“Are you sure? ‘Cause if I didn’t know better, I could swear you sound happy.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. And if you did hear any happiness, it would be because I am eagerly anticipating getting off on the phone with you.”
The half-smile dropped off his face, and Sasuke’s eyes widened. Had he really just said he wanted to “get off on the phone” with Naruto?
“Damn it, Teme! Can’t you just once in your life be nice to me?”
Oh, thank the gods. He hadn’t noticed.
He cleared his throat. “Did you need something, Dobe? Or were you just calling to annoy me?”
There was a short pause, and then Naruto laughed sheepishly. “Um…actually, I was wondering…if you wanted to go see a movie with me tonight. You know, just hang out in a non-work related - thing. We could catch up on old times. Talk about…” As the silence progressed, it became clear he was trying to think of something they had in common.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, much more comfortable now that Naruto was the one acting nervous. The perfect opportunity had fallen into his lap. They’d go out, but he’d keep it on a completely friendly basis until after the deal was closed. He ignored the small twinge of guilt. It was what he wanted. What his whole family, apparently, wanted. His hand tightened on the mouthpiece.
“Alright. We can grab dinner first and see what’s playing. Meet me here at six, and we’ll take one car.”
“Oh…okay…” He smirked at the dumbfounded tone. “Yeah! I’ll be there at six. See you then!”
“Fine.” He started to move the phone away.
“And Sasuke?” He looked at the phone in surprise, ignoring the tingle in his spine at the suddenly husky voice. “You can get off on the phone with me anytime.”
Dial tone.
He stared at the phone a second, a light blush covering his cheeks, before settling it gently back in its cradle. Then he buried his face in his hands. He was never going to hear the end of it.
-------------
The two of them sat down at their table at Morton’s Steakhouse. Naruto had pouted when he’d found out that Sasuke refused to go to Japanese just so he could get ramen, but now that they were at the restaurant, he seemed to have forgotten his sulking.
Surprisingly, Naruto had yet to mention his Freudian slip on the phone. He had looked at Sasuke with a horrible glint in his eye many times, making him tense up in anticipation, but then nothing. The idiot was trying to torture him, but he refused to give him the satisfaction of being affected. This was a business-related venture, he reminded himself, not a real date – at least not yet – and he wasn't going to act nervous or flustered.
He stilled his fingers which had been thrumming against the table.
Naruto bounced in his seat, looking around expectantly, while Sasuke perused the wine menu.
"This place is neat! I mean, it doesn't serve ramen, so that blows, but I suppose for an obviously inferior restaurant, it's kinda cool."
"Hn," Sasuke replied, shaking his head slightly at the other man's words.
When the waitress came, he ordered a glass of merlot. Naruto ordered a Sprite.
"What?" he asked. "You don't like wine?"
"Oh, I like it just fine, but me and a couple of buddies went out drinking last week, and I guess I got a little carried away. Maybe it was the combination of the peppermint schnapps Sakura made us order with the tequila shots Kiba wanted… Anyway, let's just say I had a lot of cleaning to do the next day. I can't even look at alcohol right now without getting queasy."
"Naruto?"
They both turned their heads at the cool query.
"Neji!" Naruto stood up awkwardly, his knees banging against the table top. "Hey, what a coincidence! Um..." he scratched the back of his neck. "Do you know Sasuke?"
"We've met before briefly," Sasuke said, looking at the older man disdainfully. Neji was the COO of Hyuuga Corporation, one of Uchiha's main competitors and a bidder for Leaf. Although he was in a subordinate position, everyone knew he was the real force behind the company. His cousin, Hinata, was the President, and while she was very smart, her timid personality was frequently overwhelmed by her strong cousin's.
"Uchiha." Neji gave what could be construed if one looked very, very closely as a nod.
"Hyuuga." Sasuke returned the gesture, making the other man's nod look like a bow in comparison.
"Wanna sit down?" Naruto asked, smiling happily now that the introductions were out of the way.
Sasuke wanted to stare incredulously at him and maybe hit him on the back of the head while he was at it, but he refrained. Couldn't he tell how awkward the situation was with both men wanting to buy Rasengan? And who invited another man to sit down with them on a date?
He conveniently ignored the fact that he'd told himself it wasn't a date just minutes before.
"Unfortunately, I must decline. I'm expected elsewhere," Neji said, glaring daggers at Sasuke. He stiffened, wondering why the other man was so upset. The two of their families were distantly related, and while he and Neji had never gotten along, neither had they ever made an effort to be uncivil either. Even though they were competing for Naruto’s software, it didn’t justify the look he was receiving.
"Have you given any more thought to my offer, Naruto?"
"Oh, um, yeah, Neji, but I told you, Shika and I will make our decision in a few weeks." Naruto looked uncomfortable finally, obviously not wanting to discuss business in front of both men.
"Of course, I understand. I wouldn't presume to pressure you. I was actually referring to my other offer," he said, arching an eyebrow and leaning forward slightly.
"Oh. Oh..." Naruto blushed, looking away from Sasuke. "Ahem, yeah, that." He scooted around the booth, inching toward the standing man and looking guilty. Even though he whispered, Sasuke had no trouble hearing his words. "Well, I had a really great time the other night, but I don't know if I can really take the time right now to go on a long weekend trip. I'm sorry."
Sasuke stiffened, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Well that certainly explained the look Neji had given him. He glared back at the other man. How dare he bring that up while Naruto was with him! He shifted his glare to the squirming blond. And how dare Naruto even go out with someone like him in the first place!
Neji’s lips thinned in disappointment. “That is a shame. However, we should get together again after things settle down then.”
Naruto looked between the two men, eyes flickering left and right. “Um…yeah, that would be great…um…heh, heh.”
Sasuke’s face was stony. Neji, however, looked smug.
Sasuke oh-so-casually rested his hand on top of Naruto's. Said blond looked at him quickly but didn't move it away.
It was Neji's turn to narrow his eyes as he eyed the two hands.
Sasuke didn't know why he'd done that. Once again, it wasn't like this was a real date, and rationally, he knew he shouldn't be chasing off one of Naruto's potential boyfriends. But he hadn't liked the way Neji had looked – as if he'd won – and his competitive nature had come out and made him stake his claim.
Besides, Naruto could do a lot better than Neji, so he was actually doing Naruto a favor by showing Neji he should get out of the picture.
“Till then, Naruto,” Neji said stiffly. He left the table, not even bothering to bid farewell to the smirking younger man.
Sasuke immediately removed his hand once Neji was gone and glared at Naruto. While it wasn't a date, Naruto didn't know that, and for him to lead someone else on while he was with Sasuke was not acceptable.
“Err, you know, Sasuke,” Naruto began after a long moment spent in silence as he fidgeted with his napkin and looked properly abashed, “he and I, we just went out the one time, and—”
“Naruto?”
They both turned at the smooth voice.
“Oh, S-Sai! Hey…imagine seeing you here…today…of all days…”
The other man cocked his head, the smile on his face hinting at some inner amusement, although his eyes remained blank. “Why, Naruto, you don’t sound happy to see me.”
“Oh…what? No! No, of course, I’m happy to see you! Um, I guess you probably know Sasuke?”
“Sasuke,” Sai said, turning his head to look at him before going back his perusal of the blond.
“Sai,” Sasuke replied. He realized he was bouncing his leg in irritation, and he stopped it. It wouldn’t do to display impatience in front of the head of Root Industries – another of Uchiha, Inc.’s main competitors and another bidder for Leaf.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then, “So…what brings you to Morton’s this fine day, Sai?”
“I had dinner with Hyuuga.”
Naruto blinked. “Really? I didn’t think you guys knew each other all that well.”
“It was a business matter, nothing more. Jealous?”
“Wh-wh- Sai!”
Sasuke’s jaw tightened. Why did Naruto look guilty?
“I keep telling you, Naruto, that you’re the one I want.”
“S-S—”
“It’s been two years. Enough time now for both of us to change. We should try again.”
Naruto’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
Sai turned those blank eyes to Sasuke.
“Naruto and I used to live together for a time. I’ve decided it was a mistake on my part to let him go.”
“Sai, that’s enough! Sasuke, I’m sorry—”
“It doesn’t sound like he’s interested, Sai,” he bit out. He couldn't believe another man was hitting on Naruto. What the hell was wrong with these people? Didn't they understand the proper etiquette of dating? “He’s here with me tonight, not you.”
“No matter. He has a product to sell, and you are a potential buyer. He probably feels he should get to know you better. That doesn’t change anything.”
“Guys—”
“Root wants Rasengan as well. Does your sudden change of heart have anything to do with Naruto’s willingness to finally sell?”
“Hey—”
Sai didn’t look amused anymore.
“Naruto is more than a commodity to me. But tell me, Sasuke, why would you assume I had ulterior motives? Exactly why did you ask Naruto out tonight?”
“That’s enough!” Said blond banged his palm on the table sharply. “I asked Sasuke out, not the other way around, Sai. Leave him alone.”
For a moment, both Sai’s and Sasuke’s eyes were transfixed on Naruto as he sat there, commanding and irate, blue eyes blazing.
Sasuke blinked. He forgot at times that Naruto wasn’t just the easy going, happy-go-lucky person he pretended to be. He had a dominant side that he kept hidden unless he really wanted something. Then nothing kept him from his goal.
“Naruto,” Sai began, but Naruto interrupted him.
“Please stop trying to rile Sasuke up.”
Sai nodded his head once coolly, the fake smile plastered on his face once again, and whether it was an apology or just acknowledgement of the request, Sasuke didn’t know and didn’t care.
“Sasuke, please excuse Sai. He and I were roommates for a few years, but we never dated. He just likes to give me a hard time when he sees me with someone. It’s just his sense of humor.”
He glanced at the other man who was looking at Naruto intently, and he thought it was Naruto who had the wrong idea. Sai definitely had feelings for him, and just because he hadn’t made them explicit, it didn’t change the fact that they existed.
His hand tightened into a fist. It was apparent that he wasn’t the only one who had designs on Naruto.
He would just have to make sure he was the one who got him.
“Okay,” Naruto sighed, relaxing back into the booth. He stuck out his tongue. “Ugh. Today’s been a long day. Now that that’s out of the way, wanna join us, Sai?” He grinned up at the other man.
And just like that, Sasuke went from wanting him to wanting to hit him. Why did he keep asking people to sit down with them? Didn’t he understand the whole point of a date?
“Sai just finished his meal. I’m sure he won’t want to—”
“Actually, that would be—”
“And we don’t want to be late for the movie and—”
“Oh, I’m sure that—”
“We’re already running a little behi—”
“Who gets to the theater on time—”
“I do. I hate having to scurry around for seats—”
Naruto’s head turned side to side as he watched the two men interrupt each other again and again. It was like watching a tennis match or something. He blinked repeatedly.
“Um, guys?”
They continued arguing, overriding him completely.
“Hey, Sasuke? Sai?”
Nothing.
“Hey! Guys!”
Still nothing.
Naruto’s eyes narrowed, and he sat up, putting his hands on the table. They were not just ignoring him. No way.
“YO!”
Two sets of startled black eyes turned to look at him.
“Remember me? You do? Thank goodness. I thought I had gone invisible for a second there.”
Sasuke and Sai started glaring at each other again, and Naruto rolled his eyes. He had no doubt they would start blaming each other if he let them talk.
“Ah hem! Anyway, Sai, Sasuke’s right. We’re running a little late, and it would be rude to expect you to keep us company while we’re rushing to eat. I’m sorry. Next time, okay?”
Sai could tell by the look in his eyes that Naruto was serious, so he decided to bow out gracefully. “No problem, dickless. I’ll see you next week.” Or as gracefully as someone like Sai could be.
Naruto was still spluttering when Sai’s back disappeared out the entrance of the restaurant.
Sasuke ignored the strangely content feeling that spread through him at Naruto's dismissal of the other man. It was Naruto's fault for inviting him to sit down with them in the first place! Righteous indignation prompted him to say, arching an eyebrow at the red-faced man next to him and pointedly not looking down, “Dickless?”
“What? Sai's just being an ass! Don’t look at me like that! My dick’s just fine!” Naruto’s look of offended outrage was so funny that he actually had to smile. It was small and closemouthed, which catered to his Uchiha-ness, and gone an instant later, but it was a smile nonetheless.
“But if Sai was your roommate for two years,” he said thoughtfully, tapping a finger against his lips, “maybe I should believe him instead of you—”
“Wha-wha-wha—“ Naruto’s arms flailed. “It was freezing cold outside! I’d gone outside in a t-shirt and jeans to get something from my car! I slipped on some ice and fell! He walked in on me as I was changing! It was shrinkage! You can’t blame me for shrinkage!”
Sasuke smirked, beyond amused by Naruto’s excuses, and very obviously did look down into the other man’s lap. “It doesn’t seem—”
Naruto’s eyes widened to the largest possible extent, his mouth falling open. Oh, he did not just go there! His eyes narrowed down to slits, and his mouth closed with a resounding clack.
He grabbed Sasuke’s arm and started dragging him out of the booth.
“What are you doing?” Sasuke hissed, surprised by the sudden movement, and started struggling against the grip, but was pulled inexorably across the leather seat.
“Come on,” Naruto grunted, dragging him towards the back of the restaurant – and the bathrooms.
Sasuke’s eyes widened in horrified realization. “Naruto! We can’t—”
“I’ll show you dickless, Teme!”
-------------
By the time the two of them sat back down at their booth five minutes later, Naruto was wearing an extremely smug grin, and Sasuke was blushing furiously.
Sasuke blinked rapidly several times, trying to will the flush from his cheeks, and smoothed his hair.
Well, that had been – eye opening.
He rearranged his silverware, which had moved around when he’d been pulled from the booth.
Seriously, what kind of person exposed himself in a public restaurant on a first date?
He snorted mentally, arranging his butter knife just so. Naruto, that’s who.
Naruto had dragged him into a stall and pulled down his pants, obviously wanting to prove his manliness.
He blushed harder, remembering. It didn’t help that Naruto was smirking at him.
Sasuke had to admit, privately at least, that Naruto had every reason to be smug.
He swallowed and realized his throat was dry. He avoided looking at Naruto.
And Naruto hadn’t even been aroused.
He took a drink of ice water and adjusted his tie, which had suddenly become too tight.
Of course, as Sasuke continued staring, Naruto had started to get aroused.
He took another drink.
That had been an interesting sight all on its own.
He was going to start sweating if the blood didn’t leave his flushed cheeks soon.
Of course, once that had started to happen, he’d smacked Naruto on the head and demanded he pull up his pants at once. They were in a restaurant for heaven’s sake.
He looked around, wondering where the waitress was.
However, when he’d tried to open the stall door, the lock had stuck. And it had to have been the lock. The fact that his fingers had been trembling had nothing to do with it. At all. After he’d finally managed to unlock it, he’d pulled it open, but that had meant he’d had to press himself quite intimately against the other man. Things had just gotten harder from there.
He caught her eye and started to raise his chin to signal her over when a thought made him pause.
If Naruto had responded like that just because he’d joked about believing Sai’s comment, what would he do if Sasuke said he agreed with him and wanted more proof?
He oh-so-casually arranged the tablecloth to cover his reaction to that thought.
---------------
By the time dessert arrived, all the sexual tension had dropped to a manageable level, and the two of them were talking easily.
Sasuke had tried to bring up the deal once or twice, but Naruto had managed to distract him. Once by spilling water all over himself and the other time by dropping his napkin and spending an inordinate amount of time under the table looking for it. He'd been so embarrassed by the looks people were sending them as Naruto repeatedly bumped his head on the underside of the table that he'd let the matter go.
He seriously doubted – or at least hoped – that no one could be that clumsy, and he decided to wait for a more opportune moment to bring up the subject again.
“Sasuke, you have to try this,” Naruto said, proffering a bite of his Molten Chocolate Cake, dripping chocolate and whipped cream. “It’s to die for.”
“Hn, Dobe. I don’t like sweets,” he said, taking a sip of his espresso.
“How can you not like chocolate?” Naruto asked, lowering the fork and staring at him in amazement.
He rolled his eyes. “I just don’t.”
“You’ll like this, I swear.” He raised the fork again.
“I don’t want it.”
“Try it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Just try it.”
“I said no.”
“Try it.”
“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand, idiot?”
“Just try it!”
“No!”
“Damn it, Sasuke! Eat it, or wear it!” Sasuke glared into determined eyes, his fingers tight on the table, his head pulled back as Naruto insistently pushed his fork forward.
“You wouldn’t dare,” he said.
Naruto grinned, an exceptionally evil and sadistic grin, a gleeful light brightening his eyes. He turned the fork and put a finger on the tines as if he were going to catapult the dessert into Sasuke’s face.
“Try me,” Naruto crooned.
Fine. If Naruto was going to act like such a five-year-old, then he could be the bigger man.
Sasuke opened his mouth, scowling pettishly.
Naruto slipped the fork into his mouth, smiling happily now that he’d won.
He swallowed the overly-sweet concoction as soon as he could, and then followed it up by taking a long drink of his espresso.
“Happy now?” he asked when he was satisfied the sweetness had been washed from his taste buds.
But Naruto was staring at him, the smile fading from his lips.
“What?” he asked. “Do I have something on my face?” He brought up his napkin and wiped his mouth, just to be certain. Sure enough, there was a smear of whipped cream on the cloth.
Naruto cleared his throat and looked at him, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips. “You look good with cream on your face,” he said huskily.
Just like that, the sexual tension was back up again.
-----------
A/N: So this is going to be a three-parter. Two long chapters and one short one. I actually have the whole thing written, but it’s freaking 47 pages. 47 pages! And since I was going to have to break it up to post it on Y! gal anyway, I thought I would just make it a MC. Besides, who wants to sit there and read almost 50 pages all in one go? So anyway, I shall be posting the next chapter in a few days. Hope you like it so far.
“Naruto, we’ve been negotiating this deal for weeks now. How you can even consider turning down our offer? Uchiha is offering an enormous amount of money for Rasengan, more than any of the other potential buyers could possibly put together, as well as shares in the company, future residuals and Senior Vice President positions for the both of you. Why are you hesitating?”
“Itachi, don’t be like that,” Naruto said, smiling and bouncing lightly in his chair. “This isn’t just about money. Rasengan’s my baby, and I won’t sell it to you just because we went to college together! I mean, I really appreciate your offer, but I just need a little time to finish looking at the other ones, too.” He sat back. “This is such a comfy chair!”
Anyone else might have been surprised by his seemingly random remark, but Itachi Uchiha, President of Uchiha, Inc., was familiar enough with the other man to not even blink. The two of them had attended Harvard University together, where they had shared many of the same computer science classes. They’d even lived down the hall from each other senior year. They’d been friends ever since. Not that Itachi had considered many people as friends, too busy with his work to socialize much, but Naruto hadn’t let that stop him. He held back a smirk, remembering some of his excuses for knocking on his door at all hours and interrupting his studying.
“Itachi! I ran out of printer paper, and I have a paper due in ten minutes. You’ve got to help me!” Or “My hotpot broke. Let me borrow yours. What? How can you not have a hotpot? Are you serious? Alright, the two of us are going to buy some right now, and I’ll introduce you to the wonders of late night ramen.” Or “Shika kicked me out of the room ‘cause he’s got a midterm tomorrow. Can I set up my Nintendo on your television?”
He still didn’t know why, looking back, he hadn’t just kicked him out of his room, but he couldn’t deny that the interruptions had made his senior year considerably more enjoyable than previous years.
Itachi had chosen a double major of Computer Science and Economics, knowing that he would take over the family company right after he graduated Harvard Business School – as his parents expected. In order to graduate summa cum laude, he’d had to write a thesis senior year, and the other man’s interruptions had always seemed to coincide with moments when he was most stressed, allowing him to take a breather and go back to his work refreshed.
On the outside, Naruto had seemed like a big slacker. People had forgotten that in order to get accepted to Harvard in the first place, he’d had to have done something right. Or in Naruto’s case, doing something wrong that turned out right.
It turned out that Naruto didn’t have the best grades in high school, having moved around from school to school as he changed foster homes. Luckily, rather than letting himself get lost in the system, he’d chosen to escape it, and using his hacking skills, the one thing he had excelled at, he’d hacked into one of Harvard’s top computer sciences professors’ work and left a message saying he could show him how to improve his security. Rather than having him arrested, the man had been delighted and after speaking with him, had helped Naruto get accepted to the prestigious university. Apparently, the two of them still got together at least once a year.
Most of their classmates, however, didn’t know his story. They saw his beach blond looks, his klutziness, his tendency to always arrive to class late and his loud personality and wrote him off as someone fun to hang out with, but not anyone to take seriously, someone who’d gotten accepted on a fluke.
Of course, seven years after graduating, Naruto was now in the extremely enviable position of becoming a multimillionaire. Itachi doubted any of their old colleagues would think he was a fluke now.
Naruto had never attended business school. He had partnered with his college roommate, Shikamaru, who was a business genius, and had set up shop in Menlo Park a few years after graduating. With the combination of the blond’s computer skills and Shikamaru’s business acumen, their company Leaf Technologies had been one of the fastest growing startups in recent years. And now, with the launch of their flagship product, Rasengan, an operating system that was being heralded as Window’s successor, they were in hot demand.
The only reason the two of them were willing to sell their company was that they were too small to be serious competition for companies the size of Microsoft, so they needed the financial support and business connections of a company like Uchiha to take their product all the way.
“So if we end up accepting your offer, does that mean I’ll get one of these chairs, too?” Naruto leaned forward anxiously.
His eyebrow twitched. “If you accept our offer, I will personally insure that you get a better chair than this. In addition, you’ll get a corner office on one of the top floors of the building, your own assistant, a company car, stock options—”
“Ooh, ooh, do I get to pick the car? And can it be orange, or will it be a boring black one?”
“Naruto,” Shikamaru sighed, shifting in his seat next to the other man.
Itachi’s eyebrow twitched again. He knew that underneath the goofy exterior, Naruto was an extremely intelligent and capable man. At least, when it came to computers. He had horrible business sense, which is why Shikamaru handled that end of things. But he had a habit of acting the part of a clown, cracking jokes, playing pranks, always smiling, hiding behind his jester façade. It had only taken him a few interactions with the man before Itachi had realized the truth, but he was always amused by how easily the mask fooled most people.
“What?” Naruto looked at his partner with clueless eyes. “Can I help it if I don’t want to drive a black BMW that looks exactly like the cars on my left and right when I park in the garage? I like a little oomph, a little pizzazz.” He did jazz hands to emphasize his point.
Shikamaru closed his eyes momentarily.
“Please try and take this seriously, Naruto.”
“Hmph. Spoilsport,” he mumbled, settling back in his chair and crossing his arms peevishly.
“Itachi,” Shikamaru said. “Thank you for your time today. We plan on making a final decision in the next few weeks, and we will get back to you as soon as—”
They were interrupted by a knock at the door and its subsequent opening. A dark-haired young man who bore a striking resemblance to Itachi walked inside.
“Sasuke,” Itachi said, a slight frown marring his features, “You’re late.”
“Hn,” the younger man said, shutting the door behind him. He looked at the two men from Leaf calmly. “I apologize for my tardiness,” he said, “but I was in a meeting with the Chairman that ran longer than expected.” The Chairman was Fugaku Uchiha, father to both Itachi and Sasuke.
Shikamaru nodded and waited for Naruto to say something since of the two of them, the other man was always the more outgoing. He turned his head to look at him when nothing came out and was surprised by what he saw.
Naruto had a slightly stunned expression on his face as he stared at Sasuke, his eyes wide and mouth partly open. For the first time in the eleven years Shikamaru had known him, Naruto was speechless.
“Naruto, I’m sure you remember my younger brother. Shikamaru, this is my brother, Sasuke Uchiha. He’s Vice President of Business Development, and he will be assisting me as we move forward with the deal.”
Shikamaru nodded once, his gaze straying to his oddly quiet companion as Sasuke took his seat. Naruto normally talked a mile a minute, so having any sort of silence while he was in the room was unusual. He sighed and took matters into his own hands – or foot as the case may be.
Naruto jerked and sent a scowl at his partner before smiling sheepishly at the Uchiha brothers across the table.
“Sorry, sorry, I got – distracted for a second there. Um, long day. Of course I remember Sasuke! Yo, Teme! Long time no see.”
Sasuke smirked. “Dobe.”
Since the Uchiha family lived in Boston, Sasuke had visited his brother frequently whenever he wanted to get out of the house and away from their constantly criticizing father. Even though he’d been accepted to Harvard as well, his father had always found fault with his achievements. He’d never been as smart as Itachi, never joined as many clubs, never won as many trophies. He’d needed a break from the stress and had often visited Itachi. On several of those occasions, Naruto had come by.
Naruto forced himself to look away from Sasuke’s challenging gaze and asked, “What were we discussing again?”
Itachi smile pleasantly, his eyes calculating, and folded his hands. “I believe we were discussing the benefits to be had if you signed with us, Naruto. As I mentioned before, you would both be brought on as Senior Vice Presidents in the company and would have offices on the top floor of the building. As you can see, the view is incredible.”
Shikamaru knew the comment wasn’t really directed at him and barely refrained from rolling his eyes when Naruto’s gaze drifted back to Sasuke. Still, he had to admit as he looked out the nearby window, being fifty stories up in the air did make the view of the clouds remarkable.
Naruto shook his head to clear it, once again wrenching his eyes away from the man who had so recently entered the room. Why was he so affected? He had known Sasuke for years, and he’d never been so…enthralled. Admittedly, he hadn’t seen the other man for seven years now, but still. Had time changed him so much?
He forced himself to keep his eyes on the older Uchiha and not turn his head. Where had this sudden attraction come from? Itachi had never had this effect on him.
Had he?
He looked at the older Uchiha. Itachi was a handsome man. There was no denying it. The dark, brooding eyes, the long, black hair, the calm, commanding presence…he was incredibly handsome. But Naruto wasn’t attracted to him.
He looked at Sasuke. He had the same dark, brooding eyes and dark hair, although not as long and much spikier. But where Itachi was calm, he had a hidden tension underneath the bored look. Everything about him bespoke the same cool, collected façade as his older brother, but Naruto knew it was a mask, and for some reason, he wanted to see beneath the veneer to what was underneath.
He looked at Itachi again. Not attracted.
Sasuke. Definitely attracted.
Itachi. Not so much.
Sasuke. Oh yeah, baby. Gimme some of that.
Ita—
“Dobe, what are you doing?”
Naruto snapped out of it with a blink. “What? Don’t call me a dobe, Teme!”
“Stop acting like one, and then I won’t have to, idiot.”
He pointed his finger at Sasuke accusingly. “Stop calling me names you – you – asshole!”
“Great comeback, Usuratonkachi.”
“Why you—” Naruto started to get out of his oh-so-comfortable chair.
“Enough.” It was one word, but both men quieted immediately. They continued to glare at each other, however, with Naruto pouting childishly, his arms crossed over his chest.
Itachi sighed. He was going to have to get his assistant to bring him some Advil after this. “I apologize for my brother. That was highly inappropriate and uncalled for.”
“I don’t need you to speak for me, Itachi.”
His eyes narrowed, and he turned to look at his younger brother.
“Hey, hey, it’s no big deal, Itachi,” Naruto said, sitting up and sending a large grin in their direction. “We’re just joking around. It’s not a problem.”
Itachi finally turned his head back to the two men, but it was obvious by the way he did it that he chose to look away and be the more mature man, and not because he couldn't look Sasuke in the eye, and by the way, Sasuke was being so juvenile for trying to have a staring contest in the middle of an important meeting.
Shikamaru sighed and began to gather his things together. “Excuse me, but we have to get going. We have a company meeting in an hour we need to get back for.”
“Of course,” Itachi said coolly, politely standing up. “Sasuke will walk you downstairs. I will be out of town for the next week, however, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to speak to Sasuke. He will be able to reach me if the need arises.”
Sasuke stood as well, giving his brother fleeting glance. “Let me give you both my card. It has my cell phone number on it. Feel free to call me at any time.” He ushered both men out of the conference room once they’d both shaken Itachi’s hand. “This way, gentlemen.”
As they walked towards the elevators, Naruto sidled up to the younger man. He tried to be as unobtrusive as possible as he looked at him from the corner of his eye.
Sasuke was maybe two inches shorter than his own 6’ frame. He was slender, although still broad in the shoulders, and he moved with a predatory grace that spoke of the muscle underneath. He wore a single-breasted, black suit over a spotless, white, button down shirt with a maroon, silk tie and matching handkerchief. He looked every inch the powerful businessman.
For the first time, Naruto felt self-conscious of his own appearance. Being the President of his own company, he had never enforced any kind of dress code. He frequently went to work dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. When Shika and he had started meeting with other companies, he’d gone out and bought a suit from Men’s Warehouse. Looking at Sasuke, he sincerely doubted the other man had bought a three hundred dollar off-the-rack suit like he had.
“So…” he said, trying to think of something to say as they rode down to the first floor. “You’ve gotten taller…”
Sasuke snorted. “Idiot.”
The hint of amusement in his voice made Naruto’s odd nervousness vanish, and he grinned.
“You look good.” He smiled, looking over him appreciatively in a joking manner. Naruto had never hidden the fact that he was bi, and Sasuke smirked. The once-over didn’t bother him. It was satisfying to have Naruto notice him after all this time, especially considering he’d had a crush on the other man for years.
“I mean seven years ago you looked completely different! You were all skinny and—”
“Get out of the elevator, Dobe.”
Sasuke had been a late bloomer. He’d been tall and thin, and although he excelled at sports, the muscles never seemed to show up on his body. His delicate bone structure had made him seem feminine, and he’d always been self-conscious of his appearance, wearing baggy clothes to make him seem bigger. His hair had been unmanageable, always flipping up in the back, no matter how long or short he cut it, and seven years ago, he’d still been trying to figure out a hairstyle that worked for him. He’d also worn glasses back then. He knew he looked completely different now.
Naruto, on the other hand, hadn’t changed much. He was a little taller, a little more muscular, a little blonder and if possible, a little more handsome. The past seven years had only made him more attractive, and now it looked like Naruto was actually looking at him as someone other than just Itachi’s younger brother, which opened up a realm of possibilities.
They reached the front desk and said their goodbyes. Naruto gave him one last lingering look, covering it up with a bright smile and jaunty wave, and then the two men were gone.
He walked back to Itachi’s office, closing the door behind him. As expected, his brother was waiting for him. “You’ll be out of town next week?”
Itachi waved his hand, dismissing his question. "I want you to spend more time with Naruto."
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. "Why?”
"Father wants to buy Naruto's company, but for some reason he and Shikamaru are still holding out. They're not asking for any more concessions, but they keep insisting on considering other offers. It's obvious that Naruto's interested in you. Convince him to sell to Uchiha."
Sasuke tensed, his eyes starting to burn with a cold fire. "And how do you expect me to convince him, Itachi?" The implication was clear.
"Foolish little brother. I'm not telling you to sleep with him. You're an Uchiha. But you can show him the advantages of working here. That isn't above your abilities, is it?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I don’t think—”
Itachi leaned back in his chair and picked up a pen, tapping it lazily against his desktop. “I’m sure Father would be pleased to know how valuable your contribution was to the closing of the deal.”
Sasuke froze.
His brother gently dropped the pen on the wooden surface and stood up, turning around to look out the huge windows in his office and idly taking in the panoramic view of the city.
“But of course, I would never want you to do anything you were uncomfortable with. With the terms I’m offering, there’s really no way Leaf would refuse. Your assistance is probably unnecessary. Thank you for your time, Sasuke. Don’t let me keep you from your—”
“Fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll convince him.”
He turned and walked out of the office, not wanting to see whatever expression was on his brother’s face. He tried to relax his shoulders as he avoided the elevators and walked down the ten levels of stairs from the top floor to his own office.
A year out of business school, he was Vice President of Business Development. After two years, he’d be a Senior Vice President. After a few years in that position, he and Itachi would split the roles of CEO and President. He already sat in on the company board meetings.
Itachi had been on the same track, but their father had decided earlier that year to step down as President and CEO and had given the position to him instead. He had boasted that there was no need to wait since Itachi was fully capable of taking over for him.
Sasuke’s hands tightened into fists. His father hadn’t even looked at him once that night.
He closed the door behind him and sat down in his own office, taking in the blinking light on his phone indicating new voice mails but choosing to ignore it. He turned on his computer, and as it was booting up, he looked out his own window that had a view of the skyscraper next door.
He’d been too young and shy to admit he had a crush on his brother’s friend when he’d been in high school. Not that it'd mattered. Naruto had obviously only seen him as a young kid. That had been a galling realization since he'd always considered himself more mature than his peers, but he'd accepted it. Still, when he’d found out that Uchiha was making an offer on Leaf, which was coincidentally owned by Itachi’s old dorm mate, a shiver of anticipation had run down his spine at the chance to see Naruto again.
He had never forgotten just how accepting the other man had been, always joking around with him, asking him how school was going, telling him it was a shame Naruto was graduating that year, or he would’ve taken him around the campus. He knew that Itachi still emailed Naruto and that they would get together occasionally whenever Itachi was in California or Naruto was in Boston. When Leaf had relocated its headquarters to the area a year ago, he’d almost sought out Naruto then but had refrained, unsure of his welcome, whether Naruto would even remember him.
It looked like he hadn’t needed to worry about that after all.
It had been seven years since he'd seen Naruto, and he had matured and left behind his childish insecurities and dreams, although apparently, not his fascination with the blond. He'd been looking forward to seeing him and had wondered if something more than a completely professional relationship could develop.
He’d always wanted to pursue Naruto, so it shouldn’t matter that the first time he asked the other man on a date would be under these circumstances. He sat staring out the glass long after the login screen appeared on the monitor.
It shouldn’t matter – but it did.
-------------------
By the next morning, Sasuke still hadn’t decided how to approach Naruto. He knew Itachi wanted immediate results, but he didn’t feel right just calling up the blond after having a two minute conversation after seven years of no communication whatsoever.
Pushing away his indecision, he tried to bury himself in his work and had succeeded to the point that when he answered his phone midmorning, all thoughts of Naruto had been momentarily erased from his mind.
“This is Sasuke,” he said absently.
“And this is Naruto!”
“Naruto?” he asked dumbly, putting down the paperwork he’d been reviewing in his hand.
“Sheesh, Sasuke. You’re totally ruining my self confidence. We just spoke yesterday, and you've already forgotten me?”
“I wish,” he said, smirking slightly and relaxing into his chair.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Then, “You’re so meeeeaaaannnn, Teme!”
“Che, Dobe, what are you bothering me for? I’ve got work to do.” Sasuke’s smirk grew bigger. He didn’t really know why the two of them had such a confrontational relationship. Alright, that was a lie. He did know.
Itachi had been working on his computer, so when the doorbell rang, he’d absently asked Sasuke to get it. He’d opened the door and been completely surprised to see a gorgeous blond in the doorway, asking to speak to his brother. Apparently, his last pen had broken mysteriously. He’d taken it apart because the clicking mechanism hadn’t been responsive enough for him, so he’d tried to improve it, but after “fixing” the spring, it had suddenly stopped working, so could he please borrow a pen, and he promised to buy Itachi a super special pen with the Harvard logo – or ooh, ooh, maybe one of those pens that had a guy rowing in a boat in the see-through window when you held it upside down, wouldn’t that be cool? – in repayment the next time he visited the Coop.
Sasuke had closed the door in his face.
It had been an accident. The doors in the dorm automatically swung shut, and he’d been so unnerved by the smiling, handsome man who seemed to be spouting nonsense – and shouldn’t he take a breath before he expired from lack of air? – that his fingers had gone lax, letting the door slip through. Time had seemed to slow down to a crawl as he watched the blue door close in front of him, his eyes wide. Naruto’s yell of “Hey, Teme!” a second later had snapped him out of his momentary daze, but the damage had already been done.
Too embarrassed to actually open the door again and apologize – besides, it wasn’t like he did that sort of thing anyway – he’d walked downstairs and told his brother a blond moron was outside asking for him. Unfortunately, although the door closed automatically, it didn’t lock automatically, and Naruto, who had come in and followed him down, heard every word.
The look on his face when he realized who was behind him had apparently been priceless, because Naruto had started to immediately laugh and promptly put his arm around his shoulders, commenting to Itachi, “This has to be your brother. You two are so much alike!”
Sasuke had shrugged off the offending – although warm and nicely muscular – arm, and had immediately said, “Don’t touch me, Dobe. Your idiocy might be contagious.”
Seven years later, it looked like nothing had really changed much.
“Oh, come on, Sasuke! You should be happy I want to reestablish the bonds of friendship after all this time! Didn’t you miss me? Just a little bit?” He could just envision the big blue eyes watering dramatically in hope.
“As if,” he retorted, even while he tried to control the grin that tried to maneuver its way onto his face. He didn’t do grins.
“Are you sure? ‘Cause if I didn’t know better, I could swear you sound happy.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. And if you did hear any happiness, it would be because I am eagerly anticipating getting off on the phone with you.”
The half-smile dropped off his face, and Sasuke’s eyes widened. Had he really just said he wanted to “get off on the phone” with Naruto?
“Damn it, Teme! Can’t you just once in your life be nice to me?”
Oh, thank the gods. He hadn’t noticed.
He cleared his throat. “Did you need something, Dobe? Or were you just calling to annoy me?”
There was a short pause, and then Naruto laughed sheepishly. “Um…actually, I was wondering…if you wanted to go see a movie with me tonight. You know, just hang out in a non-work related - thing. We could catch up on old times. Talk about…” As the silence progressed, it became clear he was trying to think of something they had in common.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, much more comfortable now that Naruto was the one acting nervous. The perfect opportunity had fallen into his lap. They’d go out, but he’d keep it on a completely friendly basis until after the deal was closed. He ignored the small twinge of guilt. It was what he wanted. What his whole family, apparently, wanted. His hand tightened on the mouthpiece.
“Alright. We can grab dinner first and see what’s playing. Meet me here at six, and we’ll take one car.”
“Oh…okay…” He smirked at the dumbfounded tone. “Yeah! I’ll be there at six. See you then!”
“Fine.” He started to move the phone away.
“And Sasuke?” He looked at the phone in surprise, ignoring the tingle in his spine at the suddenly husky voice. “You can get off on the phone with me anytime.”
Dial tone.
He stared at the phone a second, a light blush covering his cheeks, before settling it gently back in its cradle. Then he buried his face in his hands. He was never going to hear the end of it.
-------------
The two of them sat down at their table at Morton’s Steakhouse. Naruto had pouted when he’d found out that Sasuke refused to go to Japanese just so he could get ramen, but now that they were at the restaurant, he seemed to have forgotten his sulking.
Surprisingly, Naruto had yet to mention his Freudian slip on the phone. He had looked at Sasuke with a horrible glint in his eye many times, making him tense up in anticipation, but then nothing. The idiot was trying to torture him, but he refused to give him the satisfaction of being affected. This was a business-related venture, he reminded himself, not a real date – at least not yet – and he wasn't going to act nervous or flustered.
He stilled his fingers which had been thrumming against the table.
Naruto bounced in his seat, looking around expectantly, while Sasuke perused the wine menu.
"This place is neat! I mean, it doesn't serve ramen, so that blows, but I suppose for an obviously inferior restaurant, it's kinda cool."
"Hn," Sasuke replied, shaking his head slightly at the other man's words.
When the waitress came, he ordered a glass of merlot. Naruto ordered a Sprite.
"What?" he asked. "You don't like wine?"
"Oh, I like it just fine, but me and a couple of buddies went out drinking last week, and I guess I got a little carried away. Maybe it was the combination of the peppermint schnapps Sakura made us order with the tequila shots Kiba wanted… Anyway, let's just say I had a lot of cleaning to do the next day. I can't even look at alcohol right now without getting queasy."
"Naruto?"
They both turned their heads at the cool query.
"Neji!" Naruto stood up awkwardly, his knees banging against the table top. "Hey, what a coincidence! Um..." he scratched the back of his neck. "Do you know Sasuke?"
"We've met before briefly," Sasuke said, looking at the older man disdainfully. Neji was the COO of Hyuuga Corporation, one of Uchiha's main competitors and a bidder for Leaf. Although he was in a subordinate position, everyone knew he was the real force behind the company. His cousin, Hinata, was the President, and while she was very smart, her timid personality was frequently overwhelmed by her strong cousin's.
"Uchiha." Neji gave what could be construed if one looked very, very closely as a nod.
"Hyuuga." Sasuke returned the gesture, making the other man's nod look like a bow in comparison.
"Wanna sit down?" Naruto asked, smiling happily now that the introductions were out of the way.
Sasuke wanted to stare incredulously at him and maybe hit him on the back of the head while he was at it, but he refrained. Couldn't he tell how awkward the situation was with both men wanting to buy Rasengan? And who invited another man to sit down with them on a date?
He conveniently ignored the fact that he'd told himself it wasn't a date just minutes before.
"Unfortunately, I must decline. I'm expected elsewhere," Neji said, glaring daggers at Sasuke. He stiffened, wondering why the other man was so upset. The two of their families were distantly related, and while he and Neji had never gotten along, neither had they ever made an effort to be uncivil either. Even though they were competing for Naruto’s software, it didn’t justify the look he was receiving.
"Have you given any more thought to my offer, Naruto?"
"Oh, um, yeah, Neji, but I told you, Shika and I will make our decision in a few weeks." Naruto looked uncomfortable finally, obviously not wanting to discuss business in front of both men.
"Of course, I understand. I wouldn't presume to pressure you. I was actually referring to my other offer," he said, arching an eyebrow and leaning forward slightly.
"Oh. Oh..." Naruto blushed, looking away from Sasuke. "Ahem, yeah, that." He scooted around the booth, inching toward the standing man and looking guilty. Even though he whispered, Sasuke had no trouble hearing his words. "Well, I had a really great time the other night, but I don't know if I can really take the time right now to go on a long weekend trip. I'm sorry."
Sasuke stiffened, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Well that certainly explained the look Neji had given him. He glared back at the other man. How dare he bring that up while Naruto was with him! He shifted his glare to the squirming blond. And how dare Naruto even go out with someone like him in the first place!
Neji’s lips thinned in disappointment. “That is a shame. However, we should get together again after things settle down then.”
Naruto looked between the two men, eyes flickering left and right. “Um…yeah, that would be great…um…heh, heh.”
Sasuke’s face was stony. Neji, however, looked smug.
Sasuke oh-so-casually rested his hand on top of Naruto's. Said blond looked at him quickly but didn't move it away.
It was Neji's turn to narrow his eyes as he eyed the two hands.
Sasuke didn't know why he'd done that. Once again, it wasn't like this was a real date, and rationally, he knew he shouldn't be chasing off one of Naruto's potential boyfriends. But he hadn't liked the way Neji had looked – as if he'd won – and his competitive nature had come out and made him stake his claim.
Besides, Naruto could do a lot better than Neji, so he was actually doing Naruto a favor by showing Neji he should get out of the picture.
“Till then, Naruto,” Neji said stiffly. He left the table, not even bothering to bid farewell to the smirking younger man.
Sasuke immediately removed his hand once Neji was gone and glared at Naruto. While it wasn't a date, Naruto didn't know that, and for him to lead someone else on while he was with Sasuke was not acceptable.
“Err, you know, Sasuke,” Naruto began after a long moment spent in silence as he fidgeted with his napkin and looked properly abashed, “he and I, we just went out the one time, and—”
“Naruto?”
They both turned at the smooth voice.
“Oh, S-Sai! Hey…imagine seeing you here…today…of all days…”
The other man cocked his head, the smile on his face hinting at some inner amusement, although his eyes remained blank. “Why, Naruto, you don’t sound happy to see me.”
“Oh…what? No! No, of course, I’m happy to see you! Um, I guess you probably know Sasuke?”
“Sasuke,” Sai said, turning his head to look at him before going back his perusal of the blond.
“Sai,” Sasuke replied. He realized he was bouncing his leg in irritation, and he stopped it. It wouldn’t do to display impatience in front of the head of Root Industries – another of Uchiha, Inc.’s main competitors and another bidder for Leaf.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then, “So…what brings you to Morton’s this fine day, Sai?”
“I had dinner with Hyuuga.”
Naruto blinked. “Really? I didn’t think you guys knew each other all that well.”
“It was a business matter, nothing more. Jealous?”
“Wh-wh- Sai!”
Sasuke’s jaw tightened. Why did Naruto look guilty?
“I keep telling you, Naruto, that you’re the one I want.”
“S-S—”
“It’s been two years. Enough time now for both of us to change. We should try again.”
Naruto’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
Sai turned those blank eyes to Sasuke.
“Naruto and I used to live together for a time. I’ve decided it was a mistake on my part to let him go.”
“Sai, that’s enough! Sasuke, I’m sorry—”
“It doesn’t sound like he’s interested, Sai,” he bit out. He couldn't believe another man was hitting on Naruto. What the hell was wrong with these people? Didn't they understand the proper etiquette of dating? “He’s here with me tonight, not you.”
“No matter. He has a product to sell, and you are a potential buyer. He probably feels he should get to know you better. That doesn’t change anything.”
“Guys—”
“Root wants Rasengan as well. Does your sudden change of heart have anything to do with Naruto’s willingness to finally sell?”
“Hey—”
Sai didn’t look amused anymore.
“Naruto is more than a commodity to me. But tell me, Sasuke, why would you assume I had ulterior motives? Exactly why did you ask Naruto out tonight?”
“That’s enough!” Said blond banged his palm on the table sharply. “I asked Sasuke out, not the other way around, Sai. Leave him alone.”
For a moment, both Sai’s and Sasuke’s eyes were transfixed on Naruto as he sat there, commanding and irate, blue eyes blazing.
Sasuke blinked. He forgot at times that Naruto wasn’t just the easy going, happy-go-lucky person he pretended to be. He had a dominant side that he kept hidden unless he really wanted something. Then nothing kept him from his goal.
“Naruto,” Sai began, but Naruto interrupted him.
“Please stop trying to rile Sasuke up.”
Sai nodded his head once coolly, the fake smile plastered on his face once again, and whether it was an apology or just acknowledgement of the request, Sasuke didn’t know and didn’t care.
“Sasuke, please excuse Sai. He and I were roommates for a few years, but we never dated. He just likes to give me a hard time when he sees me with someone. It’s just his sense of humor.”
He glanced at the other man who was looking at Naruto intently, and he thought it was Naruto who had the wrong idea. Sai definitely had feelings for him, and just because he hadn’t made them explicit, it didn’t change the fact that they existed.
His hand tightened into a fist. It was apparent that he wasn’t the only one who had designs on Naruto.
He would just have to make sure he was the one who got him.
“Okay,” Naruto sighed, relaxing back into the booth. He stuck out his tongue. “Ugh. Today’s been a long day. Now that that’s out of the way, wanna join us, Sai?” He grinned up at the other man.
And just like that, Sasuke went from wanting him to wanting to hit him. Why did he keep asking people to sit down with them? Didn’t he understand the whole point of a date?
“Sai just finished his meal. I’m sure he won’t want to—”
“Actually, that would be—”
“And we don’t want to be late for the movie and—”
“Oh, I’m sure that—”
“We’re already running a little behi—”
“Who gets to the theater on time—”
“I do. I hate having to scurry around for seats—”
Naruto’s head turned side to side as he watched the two men interrupt each other again and again. It was like watching a tennis match or something. He blinked repeatedly.
“Um, guys?”
They continued arguing, overriding him completely.
“Hey, Sasuke? Sai?”
Nothing.
“Hey! Guys!”
Still nothing.
Naruto’s eyes narrowed, and he sat up, putting his hands on the table. They were not just ignoring him. No way.
“YO!”
Two sets of startled black eyes turned to look at him.
“Remember me? You do? Thank goodness. I thought I had gone invisible for a second there.”
Sasuke and Sai started glaring at each other again, and Naruto rolled his eyes. He had no doubt they would start blaming each other if he let them talk.
“Ah hem! Anyway, Sai, Sasuke’s right. We’re running a little late, and it would be rude to expect you to keep us company while we’re rushing to eat. I’m sorry. Next time, okay?”
Sai could tell by the look in his eyes that Naruto was serious, so he decided to bow out gracefully. “No problem, dickless. I’ll see you next week.” Or as gracefully as someone like Sai could be.
Naruto was still spluttering when Sai’s back disappeared out the entrance of the restaurant.
Sasuke ignored the strangely content feeling that spread through him at Naruto's dismissal of the other man. It was Naruto's fault for inviting him to sit down with them in the first place! Righteous indignation prompted him to say, arching an eyebrow at the red-faced man next to him and pointedly not looking down, “Dickless?”
“What? Sai's just being an ass! Don’t look at me like that! My dick’s just fine!” Naruto’s look of offended outrage was so funny that he actually had to smile. It was small and closemouthed, which catered to his Uchiha-ness, and gone an instant later, but it was a smile nonetheless.
“But if Sai was your roommate for two years,” he said thoughtfully, tapping a finger against his lips, “maybe I should believe him instead of you—”
“Wha-wha-wha—“ Naruto’s arms flailed. “It was freezing cold outside! I’d gone outside in a t-shirt and jeans to get something from my car! I slipped on some ice and fell! He walked in on me as I was changing! It was shrinkage! You can’t blame me for shrinkage!”
Sasuke smirked, beyond amused by Naruto’s excuses, and very obviously did look down into the other man’s lap. “It doesn’t seem—”
Naruto’s eyes widened to the largest possible extent, his mouth falling open. Oh, he did not just go there! His eyes narrowed down to slits, and his mouth closed with a resounding clack.
He grabbed Sasuke’s arm and started dragging him out of the booth.
“What are you doing?” Sasuke hissed, surprised by the sudden movement, and started struggling against the grip, but was pulled inexorably across the leather seat.
“Come on,” Naruto grunted, dragging him towards the back of the restaurant – and the bathrooms.
Sasuke’s eyes widened in horrified realization. “Naruto! We can’t—”
“I’ll show you dickless, Teme!”
-------------
By the time the two of them sat back down at their booth five minutes later, Naruto was wearing an extremely smug grin, and Sasuke was blushing furiously.
Sasuke blinked rapidly several times, trying to will the flush from his cheeks, and smoothed his hair.
Well, that had been – eye opening.
He rearranged his silverware, which had moved around when he’d been pulled from the booth.
Seriously, what kind of person exposed himself in a public restaurant on a first date?
He snorted mentally, arranging his butter knife just so. Naruto, that’s who.
Naruto had dragged him into a stall and pulled down his pants, obviously wanting to prove his manliness.
He blushed harder, remembering. It didn’t help that Naruto was smirking at him.
Sasuke had to admit, privately at least, that Naruto had every reason to be smug.
He swallowed and realized his throat was dry. He avoided looking at Naruto.
And Naruto hadn’t even been aroused.
He took a drink of ice water and adjusted his tie, which had suddenly become too tight.
Of course, as Sasuke continued staring, Naruto had started to get aroused.
He took another drink.
That had been an interesting sight all on its own.
He was going to start sweating if the blood didn’t leave his flushed cheeks soon.
Of course, once that had started to happen, he’d smacked Naruto on the head and demanded he pull up his pants at once. They were in a restaurant for heaven’s sake.
He looked around, wondering where the waitress was.
However, when he’d tried to open the stall door, the lock had stuck. And it had to have been the lock. The fact that his fingers had been trembling had nothing to do with it. At all. After he’d finally managed to unlock it, he’d pulled it open, but that had meant he’d had to press himself quite intimately against the other man. Things had just gotten harder from there.
He caught her eye and started to raise his chin to signal her over when a thought made him pause.
If Naruto had responded like that just because he’d joked about believing Sai’s comment, what would he do if Sasuke said he agreed with him and wanted more proof?
He oh-so-casually arranged the tablecloth to cover his reaction to that thought.
---------------
By the time dessert arrived, all the sexual tension had dropped to a manageable level, and the two of them were talking easily.
Sasuke had tried to bring up the deal once or twice, but Naruto had managed to distract him. Once by spilling water all over himself and the other time by dropping his napkin and spending an inordinate amount of time under the table looking for it. He'd been so embarrassed by the looks people were sending them as Naruto repeatedly bumped his head on the underside of the table that he'd let the matter go.
He seriously doubted – or at least hoped – that no one could be that clumsy, and he decided to wait for a more opportune moment to bring up the subject again.
“Sasuke, you have to try this,” Naruto said, proffering a bite of his Molten Chocolate Cake, dripping chocolate and whipped cream. “It’s to die for.”
“Hn, Dobe. I don’t like sweets,” he said, taking a sip of his espresso.
“How can you not like chocolate?” Naruto asked, lowering the fork and staring at him in amazement.
He rolled his eyes. “I just don’t.”
“You’ll like this, I swear.” He raised the fork again.
“I don’t want it.”
“Try it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Just try it.”
“I said no.”
“Try it.”
“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand, idiot?”
“Just try it!”
“No!”
“Damn it, Sasuke! Eat it, or wear it!” Sasuke glared into determined eyes, his fingers tight on the table, his head pulled back as Naruto insistently pushed his fork forward.
“You wouldn’t dare,” he said.
Naruto grinned, an exceptionally evil and sadistic grin, a gleeful light brightening his eyes. He turned the fork and put a finger on the tines as if he were going to catapult the dessert into Sasuke’s face.
“Try me,” Naruto crooned.
Fine. If Naruto was going to act like such a five-year-old, then he could be the bigger man.
Sasuke opened his mouth, scowling pettishly.
Naruto slipped the fork into his mouth, smiling happily now that he’d won.
He swallowed the overly-sweet concoction as soon as he could, and then followed it up by taking a long drink of his espresso.
“Happy now?” he asked when he was satisfied the sweetness had been washed from his taste buds.
But Naruto was staring at him, the smile fading from his lips.
“What?” he asked. “Do I have something on my face?” He brought up his napkin and wiped his mouth, just to be certain. Sure enough, there was a smear of whipped cream on the cloth.
Naruto cleared his throat and looked at him, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips. “You look good with cream on your face,” he said huskily.
Just like that, the sexual tension was back up again.
-----------
A/N: So this is going to be a three-parter. Two long chapters and one short one. I actually have the whole thing written, but it’s freaking 47 pages. 47 pages! And since I was going to have to break it up to post it on Y! gal anyway, I thought I would just make it a MC. Besides, who wants to sit there and read almost 50 pages all in one go? So anyway, I shall be posting the next chapter in a few days. Hope you like it so far.
