A/N: Done for the NaruSasu fanfic contest being hosted on DA by LonewolfshadowUchiha. Enjoy!

Beta: Blood Zephyr

For The Greater Good

10 pm, end of shift. The five employees of the packing warehouse stood in a line as their boss faced them, ticking something off on his clipboard.

"Sub par, I'm afraid," he said in his quiet voice. It was a voice that made the five other men shudder in active dislike. To look at the owner of that voice, you'd expect a nasally whine to issue from his pale lips, not the deep-ish baritone he had. It was enough to make real men jealous. Insufferable little prick that he was, he deserved to be stuck with a voice as gay as the rest of him.

Said prick went by the name Uchiha Sasuke, manager for the Chicago branch of Uchiha Unlimited. His announcement didn't come as a surprise, though everyone there knew that the five individuals' performance was exemplary. Sasuke looked up from his clipboard importantly. He was stared at with hostile eyes.

He was thin. That was strike one against the manager. His physique somehow managed to call up the schoolyard urges that drove bullies to select the weakest of the pack and make that person's life a living hell. Bland though the five stares were, each and every one hid rabid, creative thoughts on how to kill the Uchiha fucker.

He wore those retarded little pinstripe shirts with short sleeves. That was strike two against him. For shit's sake, this was 2010! Who went around in that 80's garbage anymore? He even had his thick black hair parted on one side and slicked down with some crap.

Strike three was the pants. As if the man had idolized Urkel, those pants were dragged up past his waist and cinched with a sensible belt. His ankles were clearly visible, as were his hideous dress shoes. Always brown, and always tied in triple knots, were those shoes.

The final straw, and one that made these visits dangerous to Uchiha's person, were the horn-rimmed glasses he wore. Were there not such things as contacts and laser surgery in this advanced day and age? The sight of those vintage specs made the five men want to break them and shove the shards into their owner's black eyes.

Sasuke let the stares marinate, basking in the clear enmity coming his way. It gave him warm feelings. When he felt the tension was thick enough to cut, he decided to speak. "You'll all need to stay on till midnight. Given the state of the economy, I know you'll all feel the proper amount of gratitude for this chance at a few extra dollars. You may thank me with e-cards," he added sarcastically. He turned and twitched away, sliding the large heavy warehouse door open and shut with surprising ease.

-oOo-

Naruto picked up a metal ladder and heaved it at the door, denting the thing in the process. "Fuuuuuuck!" he roared. He spun, looking for something else to throw.

Kiba came and got him in a not-so-friendly choke hold. "We saw it coming, didn't we? No use giving the little shit the satisfaction of knowing he got to you."

Naruto muscled his way out of the hold, spinning to level a finger at the door Uchiha had departed from. "Why does he do this to us? We've been here since 8 am. Where does it say he can fucking work us to death, huh?"

The other four exchanged a glance that said clearly they knew something the blonde didn't. Naruto narrowed his eyes, glancing back and forth between them.

"That's actually a good question," Neji said casually. "How about we get a drink after work and discuss it?" He turned to head towards the back of the warehouse, where they had inventorying to do. This would have been tomorrow's work, but since they were staying two extra hours…

Naruto hurried to follow, jogging to catch up. "Knock it off, Hyuuga. If you know something, spill."

"Quite honestly, I don't know why you haven't noticed before now, Uzumaki," Shikamaru said as he caught up to them. "It's obvious to anyone who looks."

Lee clapped Naruto's neck. "And we've been looking, trust me, since he makes our lives hell because of it."

Naruto pulled up short. The rest stood around, looking at him. "Lemme get this straight. You guys saying there's a reason Uchiha holds our time cards, and hence our pay, hostage? And I should know what this reason is?"

Slow nods, wide grins.

Naruto felt uncommonly stupid all of a sudden, a feeling he didn't relish. "You know what? Fuck you assholes." He shouldered past them, selecting his portion of the shipments to inventory.

Kiba rolled his eyes, walking after him. "Come on, man. Don't be like that."

"Be like what? You all love to make me look like an idiot."

"Hard to do, with that Master's in Applied Science you have, don't you think?" Neji drawled.

The blonde was slightly mollified. He wasn't stupid, he just wasn't as social as his friends were, and so frequently missed nuances the others didn't.

He was an interesting mix of contrasts. Bookish, yet possessed of a quick temper. Highly intelligent academically, but highly dense when it came to relationships or interacting with people. He was tall and rangy, with a moderately muscular build. He tended to live in cargo pants and tight t-shirts, a fact that drove women wild, yet he was unable to hang on to a girlfriend. His friends knew that this hurt him, as each break-up was more painful than the last, but there really wasn't much they could do besides try to get him drunk each time it happened. The thing was, Naruto was always so serious. It wore on people after while.

They talked about whether or not to hit the bar after work or try and catch a few hours of sleep before beginning work again at 8 o'clock. The bar won out. "After all," Shikamaru reasoned, "What good is a few hours of sleep going to really do us?" Shikamaru was intimately acquainted with all beverages alcoholic.

They took a bus. At the bar, they got a corner booth and a pitcher of Budweiser. It went down nice and smooth after sixteen straight hours. There was a collective 'aaahhh' from the five friends as they all slouched in their seats.

"All right," Naruto said when he'd mellowed out a bit. "What's this about Uchiha?"

Neji sat forward, resting his elbows on the table, mug between his long-fingered hands. "Think about it. He and his brother own a corporation that is purported to be worth millions of dollars. That warehouse we work at is what, one of thousands, maybe tens of thousands that they must own? Why would a CEO, as he surely must be, come down from his lofty pedestal to check the performance of a bunch of minimum-wage employees?"

"That's the kind of job you relegate to an HR suit," Kiba said as he wiped his mouth of foam. "Uchiha has enough money to hire a thousand HR reps. Fucka is paid, yet he prances around some moldy warehouse doing what, I ask you?

Naruto looked at each of them in turn, putting his deductive mind to work. "Something about that warehouse keeps him checking on us every week."

Nods all around, but Lee held up a finger. "Not the warehouse. The people working in the warehouse. Specifically, one person."

Naruto frowned, rubbing his lips. "Uchiha is interested in one of us?"

Kiba cackled boozily. "Not us, dude. You. He never takes his eyes off you, haven't you noticed?"

No, he hadn't, Naruto thought. He blinked. "So? Men have approached me before. I'm straight, you all know that."

Neji scooted closer to the blonde in order to throw an arm chummily around his neck. "Yes, we do," he said conspiratorially. "We also know that Uchiha would do just about anything for a taste of you."

Naruto turned his head to look into Neji's pale gray eyes, breathing in a wealth of beer fumes. "Where are you going with this?" But he thought he knew.

Kiba got to the point. "We want you to tell Uchiha you'll go out with him in exchange for reducing our hours-"

"-and a raise," Lee interjected around a belch.

Naruto stared at them. "A date?"

Neji snorted drunkenly. He had no head for alcohol. "A date? I think we're all in agreement that he won't give in to your request for a mere date."

"Sex? You all want me to have sex with him for your jobs?" Naruto hissed.

"For all our jobs, man," Shikamaru said piously. He was a mellow sort of drinker, becoming quieter the more he consumed. "Yours included."

"I'm supposed to sacrifice myself to the wolves," Naruto stated between his teeth. "You're drunk if you think that's happening."

"Think of it as being for the greater good," Kiba said reasonably. "I mean, which would you rather have, sixteen-hour days of tedious work at minimum wage or a chance to have a few hours at the end of the day to maybe find a second, more lucrative job? What I make now doesn't even pay for the gas in my truck, man."

"Need I point out the fact that I'd be hitting on my boss? I could end up fired. We all could," Naruto shot back.

Lee shook his head. "Not if how he looks at you is any indication of his feelings. He's hungry for you, Naruto. Do it. For us."

"I'm straight," Naruto offered as a last protest. "If I were considering this, which I'm not, how do you expect me to pull it off? You all know how much I suck at pick up lines."

Kiba, the ladies man, waggled his brows at the blonde. "Why don't we practice right now?"

"Christ, no," Naruto moaned, dropping his head to the table. "You guys are such assholes. I'm not doing it."

They kept at the blonde, firing off one good 'reason' after another for why Uchiha should be approached. The smoky, dim-lighted atmosphere of the bar was devoid of anyone but them by the time they left around four. Unwisely, they decided to go to their respective homes and catch a few winks. As a result, Naruto was the only one who arrived to work on time; he hadn't been drunk last night, and he was an extremely disciplined soul when it came to most things.

Uchiha, in an unprecedented move, was waiting at the warehouse before they showed up for work. He saw when Naruto arrived and waited the three extra hours until the rest of the crew finally made it, red-eyed and groaning.

During those three hours, though, Naruto studied the man. Sure enough, naked approval graced his manager's waxy features. He was amazed to find that Uchiha studied him in turn, following him up and down rows of stock on the pretense of critiquing his performance. Naruto clearly felt the stares on his ass, and whenever he bent or reached for something, he could have sworn he heard humming.

It made his skin crawl. Uchiha was just so nerdy. The idea of him having sexual thoughts, about anything, was wrong. It was like suddenly discovering that trees had sexual fantasies about the dogs that lifted their legs to pee on them. Just wrong.

When his friends showed up, Uchiha turned to them with a glint behind his thick lenses. "Deplorable work ethic," he said, clicking his pen on his clipboard. "I have no choice but to assign time and a half for all of you for the rest of this month…"

There were bitten off curses to this.

"…at reduced salary," Uchiha finished with relish.

Four heads turned and pinned Naruto with murderous looks. Do something, those looks demanded. He met their eyes and swallowed, nodded. They were right. Something had to be done, and it seemed he would have to be the sacrificial lamb.

Uchiha was turning away. "Sir?" Naruto said as he stepped forward. The shorter brunette turned to him with a raised brow. "Can I talk to you in private a moment?"

There was a brief look of something Naruto couldn't identify on Uchiha's face. Something akin to victory, but he couldn't be sure.

There was a small, locked office that only Uchiha had the keys to located on one side of the entrance to the warehouse. Naruto followed him to it now and stood nervously as the man searched for the right key among many to open the door. He glanced behind himself at his friends. Lee gave an exuberant thumbs up. Neji mimed soul kissing. Kiba made lewd humping gestures with his hips to Shikamaru's exaggerated expression of lust. Naruto turned back around quickly, suddenly breaking into a cold sweat.

-oOo-

The office was dusty. Uchiha searched for and found a light switch. He flicked it on and turned to lean his narrow ass on the edge of the cluttered desk. He held his clipboard prissily to his chest as he regarded Naruto from behind his ugly glasses.

Naruto hadn't noticed before, but the Uchiha had a large, shiny red pimple that looked ready to burst sitting above his right eyebrow. It was nauseating to look at. The man was just so unattractive… Naruto wasn't gay, but it would have gone a long way towards making this easier if Uchiha wasn't so retch-worthy. He gave himself a mental shake and took a deep breath.

"Uh, sir… the others… I mean we… Sir, I speak for all of us when I say that the hours you make us work and the salary you pay us are unacceptable."

Uchiha hugged his clipboard. "And what would you like me to do about that? I'm well-aware that you are all overqualified for the positions you hold, just as I'm aware that these are the only jobs currently available to you. Would you like to be released from service?" His eyes appeared small and beady behind his thick lenses. Naruto clenched a fist by his side at the threat.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no, sir." The man was right. He'd come along and offered him and his friends jobs when they'd been out of work for months. And here he was, a hair's breadth from losing the only paycheck any of them had. His stomach was tight with injured pride at the power Uchiha had over him.

"Then what is it you want, precisely?"

I can't do this, Naruto thought in rage. He raised his bowed head and glared at Uchiha with all the angry things he was too practical to utter. But I'm no coward either. I'll at least feel him out. He cleared his throat. "I was thinking… that… if you reduced our hours I'd sort of consider it a personal… favor. Like… maybe I could do something for you in turn." There. That hadn't been too obvious had it?

Uchiha turned and laid his clipboard on the desk. He spoke in an oddly strained voice without turning around. "I see. You know, I think I'll accept your offer. Would you care to meet me at the bar on Third Street tonight? Say around 9 pm?"

Naruto's head spun with the ease with which the shit was going down. "Uh, yeah. Okay. 9 pm it is."

Uchiha turned and briskly strode from the office, speaking over his shoulder as he went. "Excellent. You and your friends have the day off today. See you tonight." The office door remained open after Uchiha had exited. Naruto stared at it in numb amazement, smelling the unpleasant odor of Vicks Vaporub that always lingered around Uchiha, until his friends came creeping fearfully inside.

"Are you fired?" Lee asked in a hushed voice, eyes wide.

"Are we fired?" Neji asked in the same tone.

Naruto shook his head slowly, feeling returning to his limbs. "He took the bait. We all have the day off."

A second, as that miracle was processed. Then, "Aw, shit, Naruto! Yes! Fuck, yes. You can't fuck this up. All right, let's celebrate!" Kiba whooped as he skipped out of the office.

-oOo-

They did this by crashing for eight solid hours in Naruto's tiny apartment. When they woke up, they were sober, excited and full of advice for Naruto. There were two hours left before he had to meet Uchiha. Naruto listened to the wild suggestions and well-meant advice from his gaggle of straight friends as he showered, shaved and dressed in a white long-sleeved tee, low-hung jeans and Doc Martens. His only accessory was the crystal on a chain his great aunt had left him in her will. His friends followed him out of the apartment and down to the bus stop, keeping up their chatter until the bus came. When he boarded, he turned, waved to them, and watched them disperse with relief.

He found a seat and checked his phone. Plenty of time to get there by nine. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to dispel the tension there. The tube of lube Lee had made him bring felt large and ominous in his jeans pocket. Uchiha wouldn't expect anything like that on the first date, would he? Please let me be able to get it up if he is expecting it. Jesus.

The bar was actually pretty nice. He had a bad moment when he arrived. He'd paused in the doorway, taking in his surroundings. Every patron in there was male and every one of them gave him a slow up and down with their eyes. It had made him shiver. He'd swallowed hard and made his way to a booth that was in plain sight of the doorway. A server, also male, set a frothy beer in front of him. Naruto sat back to wait.

He was approached. He'd been in the process of taking a swig from his mug when a thin blonde came up to him, all smiles.

"Hi. I'm John. Would you like to-"

"I'm waiting for someone," Naruto said. His muscles were tight. If this person insisted or tried to do something…

"Oh, well that's fine," John chirped with a girlish wave of one hand. "Would you like to come have a drink with me while you wait? I'm sitting right over-"

"I said I'm waiting for someone," Naruto said with more force. He stared at John until the man got the hint. He was nonplussed, however, when John licked his lips and waggled his tongue at him.

"Let me know if he doesn't show," John said in a breathy whisper. "I love a butch man." And he walked away, swaying his hips expressly for Naruto's benefit, showing him what he was missing. Naruto saw him lean over to three men who were with him at his table and begin whispering. All of them turned to give Naruto lustful looks.

Naruto finished his beer and slammed his mug on the table. If Uchiha didn't show in the next fifteen minutes, he'd assume he'd been had and that his job was no longer available. His friends would crucify him and he would deserve it for going along with such a stu-

"Is this seat taken?"

"How many times do I have to say I'm waiting for someone-" Naruto snarled as he surged to his feet. He paused as he saw that it wasn't John.

"Yes," the black-haired man said carefully. He sat opposite Naruto in the booth, signaling for a server to come over. "I believe you're waiting for me?"

Naruto stared at the man. He was Uchiha's height, but clearly not Uchiha. This man had clean, slightly wavy hair cut into a trendy mushroom kind of style, with his forelocks hanging attractively to either side of his forehead. His eyes were large, dark and generously lashed. His complexion was clear, not waxy, and there was no sign of a pimple. A dark hoop earring sat in one ear. The man was wearing a fitted long-sleeved tee like Naruto, in dark forest green. His legs were clad in black jeans. Naruto couldn't see the footwear, but that was not Vicks he was smelling. It was Calvin Klein. A heavy silver chain graced the man's neck. His teeth were white and even as he smiled at Naruto's stunned appraisal.

"I'm sorry," Naruto mumbled. "I'm waiting for someone. You're not him."

"Would it help if I put these on?" the man asked. He held up a pair of familiar horn-rimmed glasses.

Naruto fell into his seat gracelessly. "Uchiha?"

A brief dip of his head, that smile again. "Surprised?"

Naruto ran his eyes up and down his boss once more. "To say the least. I don't understand."

Uchiha ordered a drink as he answered. "Yeah… there's actually a funny story behind why I dress that way at the warehouse. Someday I'll tell you. So!" he said brightly after a sip of his wine. "What made you decide to ask me out?"

Naruto's mind was reeling itself in from the explosion of shock it had gone through. He was filing away bits and pieces of information, making connections, struggling to find an answer for the glaring discrepancy between his boss's two vastly different appearances. He spoke absently. "I didn't ask you out, sir. You invited me here."

"Cut the crap," Uchiha waved. "We both knew what you were getting at when you said personal favor, just as we both know you're straight and I'm not. And call me Sasuke."

Naruto's attention was fully engaged. "You're my boss. It would be inappropriate."

Sasuke's lids lowered in a sardonic expression. "We're out on a date. We're past inappropriate. And I'm not your boss anymore."

"I'm fired?"

"Not exactly. Tell me-" Sasuke spoke over him when Naruto opened his mouth to probe deeper. "What did you expect to happen tonight?"

Naruto shrugged uncomfortably, noting for the first time that slow music was playing. "I don't know. I was… sort of willing to let you lead the evening."

Sasuke sat with his arms crossed on the table, looking at Naruto with an expression the blonde could recognize as pleasant interest. He hadn't been looked at like that in a long time, if ever. Women tended to see him as fairly stupid, despite his brains. He never mentioned it, but he suspected the only reason he ever got dates at all was because of the size of his hands and feet. He'd never been in a relationship that had lasted more than a few weeks.

He stared at Uchiha in turn, and realized just how much of his face the glasses had hidden. The brows were a perfect frame for the chiseled cheekbones and strong chin. There wasn't a trace of the nerd he was accustomed to seeing and dealing with. Even Uchiha's mannerisms were different now. His shoulders were lowered and relaxed, not hunched around his ears. His posture was straight, not slouched. He was really very good-looking. Very. "You're handsome, Uchiha," Naruto blurted out. His face colored in embarrassment.

So did Sasuke's. He gave a chuckle, dropping his eyes briefly to take a drink from his glass. He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Thanks." There were a few moments of awkward silence as they each recovered in their own way. Then Sasuke looked back up at Naruto. "So. Master's in Applied Science. Isn't that like research and development?"

Naruto was grateful for something to talk about. "Yes."

"What made you get into that field?"

And just like that, hours of the evening slipped by. Naruto spoke easily of what interested him most, pleasantly surprised when Sasuke showed himself able to keep up. He learned that Sasuke had gone to MIT. They ate and talked, and Naruto could not remember the last time he'd had a conversation that had truly challenged his mind. This was no small-minded social outcast who delighted in tormenting his employees, but a fiercely intelligent equal.

-oOo-

The manager of the bar came to tell them that they were closing. Sasuke and Naruto looked around in shock, noticing that they were the only ones in the place. A mountain of buffalo wing bones sat between them. Neither of them had had more than the initial hard drink, opting for water while they'd been talking, so they were clear-headed.

Naruto was relieved to see that Sasuke didn't try to pay for the whole bill, rich though he was. He paid for his half and Naruto got the rest and left a tip. It had been like an evening out with a friend, not a date.

Outside, they were further amazed to see the sun coming up. Naruto stood with his hands in his pockets. The tube of lube and the condom in there reminded him of how fearful he'd been at the start of the evening. He suddenly laughed.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sasuke said with a smile.

"It's nothing. I can't remember the last time I've enjoyed myself like this."

"Me either. Listen… I'm shutting down the warehouse, so you don't have to go in to work. Want to head down and get some coffee?"

"What! But… our jobs-"

"Paid leave," Sasuke said offhandedly. "Coffee, what do you say?"

Naruto agreed. They had almond coffee cake with the steaming brew at a diner two blocks from the bar. He watched Sasuke wince as he burned his tongue on the black liquid, and decided to ask something. "Why are you shutting down the warehouse? Why do you look so different and what did you mean when you said I wasn't 'exactly' fired?"

"All in good time," Sasuke said. He brought up an article that had been published in a recent issue of American Scientist. Naruto was diverted, but he made a note to get answers as soon as possible.

Later that day, Naruto found his friends camped out in front of his building. They made shocked sounds at discovering why the warehouse had been closed to them that morning, at learning that Naruto had been out since last night with Uchiha, and at discovering their boss apparently had an alter ego that was hot.

"I'll order pizza for us while you give us the juicy details," Shikamaru said as he pulled out his phone.

Naruto halted them all at his apartment door. "Sorry guys but I need some shut-eye." He closed the door gently on their disappointment.

He saw Uchiha the following night, and it went the same. They talked of a variety of things, with no sense that they'd been anything but lifelong friends. It was strange and exhilarating. None of Naruto's other friends were remotely interested in the things he liked, or the books he read, the way Uchiha was. None of them understood the level of language Naruto sometimes used, or appreciated the fact that there was more to life than gossip, television and the petty fears they lived with. Life was interesting and there was so much in the world, in the universe, that begged for answers… how could anyone stay wrapped up in the sameness of their lives and not explore?

Naruto did just that, spending hours on the internet or in libraries, whenever he had a chance. He had little patience for frivolity or nonsense, which probably gave him his short temper sometimes. He was an easy-going person for the most part, but he'd been lonely. Discovering that Uchiha had so many of the same interests was like finding a rare item. He felt alive whenever he saw the man, felt his stomach leap whenever Uchiha's name appeared in his caller ID. Things went on like that for two weeks, with them spending most nights talking, and most days roaming around the city.

Neji was the one who called the 'intervention.' "Look, man," he got to the point when they all had Naruto at Neji's place one evening. "This whole shutting the warehouse down and giving us a month of paid leave just isn't kosher. I think he's planning on firing our asses anyway. I need this job, Naruto. Hurry up and fuck him so we can have some security already. Enough with this bullshit of talking every damn night." The others nodded their agreement with the Hyuuga.

Naruto had to admit that the situation was strange. He could also admit that being around Uchiha made him so happy, so… complete, that the idea of taking it a step further didn't fill him with disgust as it had before. Now the idea of touching Uchiha just seemed… exciting. The way solving a previously unsolvable problem or proving a hypothesis was exciting. It would be a new experience, like much of science tended to be. He was interested in having this experience.

-oOo-

Uchiha seemed to be aware of the change in Naruto's attitude. One evening, when they'd been meeting for almost three weeks, the conversation seemed to go slower than usual. They were at their customary booth in the same bar they'd been using since their first night out. The silences were long and uncomfortable. Uchiha finally sighed. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No." Naruto pleated his napkin nervously as Uchiha waited for more. "I just…" He lost his nerve in the end. Kiba and the rest would be right to shoot him.

Sasuke watched him take a drink of his water. He let the silence stretch out a little more before he said, "I don't believe I've shown you where I live. Care to come over?"

Naruto let out a relieved breath, thankful that the subject had been changed and there was something to talk about again at last. "I'd like that. Bet you have a ton of interesting literature to read."

Sasuke paid his half of the bill while Naruto paid his, the way they were used to doing. "I do. Anything in particular you'd be interested in reading?" And off the conversation went on rare written works and long-dead authors.

Naruto turned automatically for the bus stop, but Uchiha guided him down the block to a sleek BMW M6. He slid behind the wheel and Naruto got in after a moment of staring. "Nice car," the blonde said enviously. "Most powerful of its line." He adjusted his seat to give himself leg room.

"Like a jet," Uchiha confirmed smugly. "I love this thing." There followed an entertaining conversation on car engines that Naruto found highly informative.

Uchiha lived in a loft that was jaw-dropping. The walls were lined with books, art and sculptures from obscure, yet highly exclusive artists. Sasuke disappeared into the kitchen while Naruto went directly to the nearest section of books and began drooling. He became oblivious to his surroundings, reading and skimming titles for a barely-felt hour.

"My brother gave me that one," Sasuke said from behind him. Naruto was startled. He turned and found Uchiha wearing a robe of black silk. On further inspection, it proved to be a kimono. Uchiha gestured at the book that lay forgotten in Naruto's hand. "Last July was my birthday."

Naruto took the glass of wine he was handed as Uchiha took the book and set it aside. He stared at Naruto as he sipped from his glass. He seemed to be waiting for something.

The blonde's attention was caught by something on the far wall. "Is that real?"

Uchiha turned to look. "Oh. Yes. My dad, believe it or not, was a decently famous swordsman. The blade is ancient, a true antique of Japan. Supposedly my ancestors are Japanese, but I'm born and bred in the States, so…"

They retired to the plush red-velvet couch and spoke at length of Japan and its history. They sipped their wine as they talked, their ease with each other re-asserting itself until Uchiha gently took Naruto's glass and set it on the side table with his own. He turned back to Naruto, rested his arm on the back of the couch behind the blonde's head, and crossed his legs. There was that air of waiting again.

Naruto floundered. He suspected that this was one of those social occasions where he was supposed to make a move, but he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He felt tension building in the air around them, and his skin broke out in a rash of goose bumps. He sat stiffly, hardly breathing, as he stubbornly stared out the large windows on the other side of the loft. Chicago was quite a sight at 2 am. The lights were pretty. The stars were actually visible for a change, since the sky was clear and-

Uchiha kissed him. On the neck. Naruto hadn't even been aware of when he'd moved closer. He jumped violently now, bringing up his arm reflexively.

Uchiha moved back, frowning. "I'm sorry. I thought this was what you wanted, that you were only nervous." He started to get up.

Naruto was forcibly reminded of his intentions to get himself laid with the Uchiha and grabbed his wrist. He recovered his wits quickly. "Yes. I mean no. I mean I am nervous, but you don't have to apologize."

Uchiha sat back down. He moved hesitantly closer to Naruto again and the blonde turned towards him, possessed once more of his excitement at trying something new. "I've um-" Uchiha cleared his throat. "I've been trying to figure out for the past few weeks whether or not you're really gay, despite my initial assessment. I'd come to the conclusion that you weren't, but for the past couple of days I thought I'd sensed a change. Was I wrong?" he asked in a puzzled voice. His eyes searched the blue ones before him.

"No. You're dead on, actually."

"Oh. So you're not gay?"

"I'm not."

Uchiha nodded slowly, maintaining eye contact. He seemed unsure of how to proceed. Naruto took his courage in his hands and moved a little closer to the smaller man, inching his head forward. He stopped when Uchiha's eyes widened, then continued when the other man began meeting him halfway.

Naruto didn't have what you'd call a lot of experience kissing, despite being thirty-two years old, but he knew what he was doing. He applied his limited knowledge to the act and was rewarded with Uchiha rising up from his position to settle in his lap, one hand resting on the side of Naruto's neck. The Uchiha gave a soft moan.

The only notable difference to kissing a man that he was aware of was the lack of lip gloss or lipstick, which was an improvement in Naruto's estimation. The mouth wasn't quite as soft as a woman's and for some reason this made the act infinitely more appealing.

It was a hesitant kiss, for the most part. Neither was sure at first, until Naruto's big hands settled around Uchiha's waist. He arched, Naruto's hands slid to his back, and suddenly the kiss was deep. Very deep. Tongues were exchanged and Naruto felt his cock explode to full readiness in the space of two seconds, making him groan into the mouth he was eating.

It was much more than a new or exciting experience, Naruto thought. It was gratifying on so many levels: It was being wanted, and sharing, and connecting. Every single person was in search of a connection. He hadn't been actively looking, but it didn't mean his soul hadn't yearned. The failed relationships had hurt, the mean words from women, the way he was always so misunderstood.

Until now. Sasuke wanted him and understood him. The pleasure, both physical and emotional, was fierce. It made a latent aggression Naruto seldom expressed rear its wild head.

Sasuke leaned back from the kiss at the way those strong arms crushed around him, squeezing the breath out of him. Naruto's skin seemed to ignite so that his entire body gave off a blast of heat that further sizzled the few remaining brain cells he had working. The blonde, unable to reach Sasuke's mouth for the moment, latched on to his exposed neck and Sasuke felt strong hot suction that had him leaking through his kimono. He was powerless not to gasp at feeling such desire for him from Naruto. It made his balls tighten with the need to come and his nipples stand at painful attention. He grabbed a fistful of the blonde hair and attempted to drag the hungry head up. "Naruto… wait."

"What," Naruto panted. He blinked, calming down somewhat. "Did I do something wrong?" He saw that Sasuke's face was flushed and sweating, and realized that he himself was burning up.

"No. You did everything right. I just wanted to make sure that this was what you really wanted to do because I'm not going to be able to stop if we continue. I really want you, Naruto. I have for a long time."

Naruto was visited by his reason for ever hooking up with Uchiha in the first place. He was using him.

But he also wanted him. Suddenly and inexplicably, he'd never wanted anything more in his life. He felt bestial with it. How he felt now, with Uchiha sitting on his lap and his erection just visible through the widening gap in his kimono was in direct opposition to how he'd always felt when it came down to sleeping with past girlfriends. Somehow Naruto knew his performance tonight wouldn't be critiqued and ridiculed until he went soft in shame. "I'm sure," he said quietly. "Just…"

Sasuke stroked the soft blonde hair that managed to stand straight up without hair product. "Just what?" he asked sensitively. "Are you scared?"

"No." Naruto frowned, working up the nerve to give an obligatory warning. "It's just… I might not be all that good. I've never received many compliments in this department."

Sasuke paused in the act of rubbing his hand in the hair that had secretly fascinated him for months. Not good? He took a long look at the lean muscles, the tight abs, the long, heavy legs. The boner sitting between Naruto's thighs did not look to be deficient or prone to premature ejaculation in any way, but one never could tell with these things until it was game time. He decided to withhold judgment. "I see. Why don't you let me worry about what's good or not? Just do what feels natural. I'll help you if you get stuck. Okay?"

"Okay."

They'd cooled off a bit during this brief conversation, but Naruto felt his body rev back to full power the moment Uchiha slipped his kimono off and kissed him again. He didn't feel shy about running his hands over the smooth white back or down to the hard ass in his lap. Now he only felt the gratified excitement from before come sweeping back. He felt Uchiha's hands on him in turn, felt his shirt being lifted off, and his pants unbuttoned, and his shoulders massaged and kneaded. He felt vital and capable and wanted. His gladness was such that he wanted to shout it to the sky.

-oOo-

A moment came when Naruto lifted his head from Uchiha's stomach to discover them both naked and on the floor in front of the couch. He sat up and gazed down at the man, realizing he'd left hickies and little bite marks all over his pale torso. "I've hurt you."

"No you haven't." Sasuke propped himself on his elbows. "I'd stop you if you had."

They regarded each other candidly, the air thick with the strength of their desire for each other. Uchiha knew himself, knew what he wanted and how he felt, but for Naruto, it was a revelation. His heart hammered in his chest. He stood abruptly and turned to face the windows, running a hand through his hair.

Sasuke got up more slowly, wondering what was wrong now. He located his kimono and put it on, holding his cock down until his erection subsided. He waited, but Naruto didn't say anything, only continued to give him his back. "If you're having second thoughts-"

"I think I'm f-falling in love. With you."

Sasuke froze.

"And because of that, I can't continue to deceive you." Naruto turned around and Sasuke saw the pained look on his face. "I have something I need to tell you."

Sasuke listened with little surprise to what Naruto's friends had coerced him in to doing. He stood quietly, with his arms folded, and waited until the blonde was done.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said. "It started out that way, but then I got to know you and… well… I really do have feelings for you. I hope you can forgive me, Uchiha. I'm not a dishonest person by nature."

Sasuke thought he'd die if he had to look into those remorseful blue eyes another second. It made what he had to say that much harder, but he could do no less than be honest, as Naruto had done.

"I own the unemployment office downtown on Fifty-First," he began. He moved to stand in front of his windows, looking out at the brightening sky. Dawn was approaching. "I saw you and your friends applying for jobs one day and being turned away.

"Needless to say, I was attracted right off the bat. I got the receptionist to give me your resume. I researched you, your background, that of your friends. You seemed very similar to me. I wanted you. I set out to get you.

"I bought the warehouse, filled it with bogus stock, and set it up so delivery trucks delivered and picked up more. All they did was move the same stock between your warehouse and another one downtown. I had the receptionist call you and your friends saying you'd gotten jobs there."

Naruto was silent, the clues and ideas he'd begun to put together on their first date coming back to him. He felt a slow burn begin in his belly.

"I think I dressed up in that ridiculous manager's outfit at first because I wanted to see how you'd all react. When I saw how much you hated that persona, I just ran with it. It was fun seeing you all choke down your hatred. At any rate, the plan was for me to make your job as unpleasant as possible and then offer you a better job… if you went out with me. But you came to me first, so the plan went out the window. It's pretty ironic that you planned to pay for better jobs for yourself and your friends with your body when I'd been thinking the same thing." Sasuke turned from the window to look at Naruto. "Incidentally, I've already set your friends up with jobs commiserate with their skills in Uchiha Unlimited. I was going to tell you the truth about everything at the end of the month and inform them of their new jobs at the same time."

Naruto thought of how Kiba was a computer analyst, of how Neji was fluent in seven languages and held a Master's in Ancient History, and knew his friends would be grateful for the work. However. "You concocted this elaborate ruse just to get in my pants? You must have been laughing at me behind my back the entire time." Just like his past girlfriends had done, he thought bitterly. He closed his eyes in disgust at remembering the declaration he'd given a short while ago.

"Actually, I was trying to work up the nerve to ask you out," Sasuke said quietly. "I meant what I said, Naruto. I've wanted you from the moment I learned how alike we are. You can't really hold this against me when you've just admitted to similar tactics."

"I did what I did for the greater good!" Naruto shouted, advancing on Uchiha. "You willfully manipulated my life and the lives of my friends for your own selfish purposes!"

Sasuke's eyes dropped to Naruto's rampant cock. It seemed just as angry as its owner, standing stiff and red from the bush of blonde hair around it. He averted his eyes, but Naruto had seen the look.

They stood nose to nose, Sasuke a good three or four inches shorter than the blonde. Naruto breathed heavily, eyes almost obscured by his lowered brows. Sasuke was tense, aware that Naruto was much stronger than he was and still an unknown when it came to his temper.

"I wanted you," Sasuke said again helplessly in his defense. "You're perfect, beautiful, so different from every other asshole out there. Haven't you ever wanted something so much that you'd do anything to get it?"

Naruto snatched at Sasuke's shoulders and crushed their mouths together in a punishing kiss, swallowing whatever protests the Uchiha tried to give. They weren't many, because Naruto ripped the kimono down the back and flung the pieces away as Sasuke managed to get his legs around the blonde's waist, holding on and kissing back furiously.

There was fury and punishment, but there was more. There was a towering need, in both men, to be wanted and loved and it was almost within their grasp. They reached for it desperately, pulling at each other as if they meant to exchange bodies.

They narrowly missed crashing through the glass coffee table when Naruto tripped and fell to the hardwood floor. Sasuke was beneath him, murmuring urgent instructions, spitting saliva into his palm and using it to lubricate things.

Sasuke gave a deep gasp at the penetration, having stupidly forgotten to have Naruto prep him. He felt his eyes glaze over at how hot the length of Naruto was, how it nearly burned during the entire slow ride in. His nose and throat clogged with desire as his body reacted to the feel of being stretched so tightly. The penetration seemed to go on and on with no end in sight. God, how much more could he take?

When Naruto was finally all the way in, they both sighed. Naruto wanted to apologize for forgetting to wear a condom but thought that was a remarkably dumb thing to say just then. Being in Sasuke was unlike anything he'd ever experienced or imagined. The Uchiha clung to him, breathing in gusts that suggested he was in pain. His eyes were moist, the cords in his neck standing out as he felt Naruto shift and press deeper. He pressed until Sasuke whined in protest.

"Naruto…"

Naruto got himself on his elbows, feeling a surge of staggering energy and adrenaline. He drew back and pushed back in, noting the way the veins in his cock and the walls of Uchiha's ass made for ungodly friction. Sasuke writhed at the depth, trying to find a position that was comfortable for himself, but Naruto was already pulling out to thrust again.

Sasuke could see by Naruto's face that he was learning as he went, and wondered just what his experience with sex had been prior to this night. It didn't matter; he was being thrown the best fuck of his life and he'd be lucky to survive. He was drenched with sweat, plugged so tightly to the blonde's fuck pole that his body lifted away from the floor each time Naruto pulled out of him. His back slapped painfully and wetly on the floor. His ass burned and stung, but he kept his legs firmly locked around the pumping hips of the man above him.

-oOo-

All Naruto could do was marvel that he was still hard, that he was able to give a good account of himself. It made him pound harder and faster, deeper and deeper, until he was sure Sasuke must be bleeding. There was a wealth of moisture in the ass he used so brutally now and he didn't think it was all him. The more he hammered away, the stronger he felt and the harder he thrust into Sasuke's willing body.

When Sasuke began yelling with each thrust, it threw Naruto's lust into overdrive. He gloried in the new-found power of his body, perversely slamming harder than ever into Sasuke as he felt the man's nails rake the skin from his back. He realized that he was yelling too, that his dick was killing him and the pain was wonderful, adding dark, syrupy pleasure to the ecstasy he was already feeling. He couldn't be sure, because his entire body was suffering under a white-hot blast of rapturous delight, but he thought he'd already come a few times. He knew Sasuke had. The man pounded his fists on Naruto's chest, tears running down the sides of his head and into his hair. They were sticky with sweat and cum and yet neither of them stopped or wanted to stop. It was madness.

-oOo-

Sasuke knew he'd be shitting Naruto's cum for the next month at least. The man let loose what felt like a gallon of the scalding stuff each time he came. It flooded all his insides with heat. At one point Naruto flipped him onto his knees and continued to fuck him that way. The deeper penetration made him scream in agonizing pleasure, especially when his prostate took a few accidental hits from that club of a cock Naruto had. He didn't have the strength to flog his own shit, had never even touched his meat, yet he'd cum more than he'd ever had with one person, in one night. He could barely hold himself up; his arms wobbled dangerously and his legs just barely kept him in a kneeling position. He knew his face was twisted, contorted into an expression one would see on a torture victim, and this image of himself turned him on even more, if that was possible.

They finished in the missionary position, Sasuke's arms wrapped weakly around Naruto as he continued to pummel himself into Sasuke's gaping ass. The blonde came a final time, washing them both in another tide of hot cream that ran out of the Uchiha's full hole. It coated the halves of his shaking ass like glaze, and Naruto's groin and thighs, joining with the cum already there from countless other eruptions. They were lying in a puddle of the stuff. It was cold and uncomfortable, but it emphasized the new status of their relationship.

The sun was well over the horizon, blazing in on the two naked men. It showed Sasuke's eyes to be not quite black and turned Naruto's a warm greenish color.

Naruto felt wonderfully spent. More, he felt validated, both by the lengths Sasuke had gone to to get him and by his own performance of the last few hours. He rested his chin on the brunette's chest and smiled tiredly. "I forgive you, Uchiha."

The Uchiha smiled, though it took the last of his strength. "Call me Sasuke."