To Protect and To Serve

That chapter was incredibly fun to write! I am so happy about that. I've never really written about any holidays, much less Halloween, in my stories. Okay, I am participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time ever, which means I will be updating both my current stories a lot in the coming month (something about I want to finish current projects as I am writing new ones--it makes sense to me). And the new one I referred to in another chapter of this? It'll happen soon. At least a chapter of it. On with this story in the meantime.

-Naruto-

"Thanks for last night."
"Likewise. See you tonight?"
"Absolutely," I sigh happily, then press the 'end' button on the phone.
Rosario walks up to me and pokes my side after I place the phone in its cradle. I jump a mile in the air.
--Fuck, Rosario!--
--No, your girlfriend would be pretty angry. And you're not my type. Who are you cheating on her with? I had no idea you speak English!--
--How much of that conversation did you HEAR?!-- I wail.
--Just you saying thanks for last night and then absolutely.--
--It's...uh, a um, figment of your imagination. YOU CAN'T TELL ANYONE OH MY GOD ROSARIO.--

She is practically bent in half laughing. --Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me.--
She strolls away, shaking her head. I feel like I am going to faint. My voice and hands shake as I confess the events to Hinata. She shakes her head and what she says surprises me. No, ‘You could have sacrificed the operation, Naruto!’ but “She would have found out sooner or later.”
“So I’m okay, we’re okay and the operation is fine?”
She nods. “And if she does tell anyone, we’ll just have to kill her.”

--What?!—I thunder. Yelling in Spanish will not draw attention. English would. “Hinata, you know I hate that part of the job! And I’m really liking this girl, whoever she is.”
“Me, too. Be more careful.”
“Practice your Spanish some more,” I grumble. I hug her anyway. Today is the beginning of week seven of the operation. Sasuke and I have been together for two months—Halloween was our two-month anniversary. The house is decorated with Dia de Los Muertos things. The ceremony and celebration will probably start at seven tonight, which is usually when we all eat dinner. Most of the time the women say dinner is at five and we wind up eating at seven. Nobody cares. We eat when we eat, celebrate when we celebrate. It matters that we do it, not at which hour. Everybody wishes everybody else a Feliz Dia de los Muertos, and we exchange candy made from pure sugar shaped like white skulls as tokens of friendship. Many of the agents have been celebrating it their whole lives, and are very comfortable because they know what’s going on. Other agents, like Hinata, do not but they do a damn good job of faking it. I smile to myself, observing everyone. I like Dia de Los Muertos.

--Hi, Dadi. Happy Day of the Dead.—
--Naruto, my baby! To you too! What are you doing?—
--Working.—
--Oh.—
--How are you? I miss you.—
--I’m fine. A little bit lonely. I miss you, too, sweetheart. Visit me when you are done with your awful job.—

I choose not to remind her that it’s a steady job, which means I would never be able to visit her.
–I will. And I’ll be able to tell you about somebody I met.—
--Wonderful!—
--See you. I love you.—
--Be well. I love you, too.—
I hang up the pay phone and readjust my beanie and sunglasses. The gloves I am wearing (so as to not leave fingerprints) are thick and make the actions difficult. I head back to the gang’s house, thinking about Dadi. I want her to meet Sasuke if we stay together longer than three months. I hope they like each other.

I’m so full that I think I am going to burst. Somebody offers me coffee. I drink a little bit with milk, admiring the elegantly framed photos, the lights and assorted decorations. Most of the dead being celebrated are people’s grandparents and great-grandparents. There are a few sisters, brothers, cousins. One two-year-old.
--Want some more?—
--No, thanks.—
Each person in every photo on the altar is explained one by one. All the stories are unique. Many of the gang members have or had family members who “inspired” them. Lots of military sergeants. That’s a big clue to gang connections. I’m not trying to say that every Honduran or El Salvadorian person with a relative in those countries’ militaries are automatically gang members and lying about it, but an overwhelming amount of MS-13 members have had training in those militaries or been trained by someone that training. The agents aren’t congregating until tomorrow morning, so I zoom merrily over to Sauske’s apartment. The apartment I have a key to. Does he want me to start moving my stuff in? I’ll ask him later. Tonight I just want to be with him.

“Happy Day of the Dead,” he greets me. I wrap him in my arms. “To you, too.” He shuts and locks the door behind us and is all over me right away. “Hey, slow down for a bit,” I chuckle. He stops and stares at me. I feel like…he never just looks at me, it’s always a stare. I think deep, intense brown eyes will do that. I have contact-tinted dark brown eyes now. They are nothing like Sasuke’s. I miss being able to wear my natural eye color (that sounds weird). I miss looking at my blue eyes in the mirror. This operation will be over soon and I can go back to being my old self.

“Francisco.”
“Huh.”
“What’s your vocation?”
“Navy SEAL,” I lie automatically.
He nods. “Can I go back to what I was doing?”
I press my body against his and we play tonsil hockey. He pauses to give me a hard love bite.
“When I—when I leave my girlfriend, we—can do this every day,” I pant.
“We’d get tired.”
“Ohh…harder…”
“But two orgasms a week are plenty for a person’s sexual needs.”
“Not—YES—not everybody has that low of a sex drive—OW!” He bites my neck harder than I like. “You’re really leaving your girlfriend?” He looks so damn hot when his face is flushed with lust. I want him to fuck me over and over again. “Yeah. The only reason I’m with her is so nobody will realize I’m gay.” He mumbles something and his hands do amazing things. I let him know he’s making me happy.

I’m sorry I (had to?) lied to him. “Sasuke! Keep doing that! Oh!”
“When?”
“When what?” I’m not thinking with my mind.
“When are you leaving her?” he demands.
“Whenever you want,” I hear myself say. “Wait, I mean!”
He kisses me and bites my tongue to encourage my silence. “You have two days, Francisco.” His breath is hot against my ear. I shudder in pleasure. “Leave her and start moving your stuff into here.”
“Anything for you, Sasuke.” Damn me. I wish I could control what I say during amazing sex. He smirks and lowers his head. I come. “Good boy.”