Mixed Communication

Summary: Sometimes it's not a lack of understanding that's the problem - it's when the other person understands far too much.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto character. But I'm totally admitting the defeat in my effort to keep Itachi in Hong Kong, I just have too much love for the bastard ^_^

Warnings: YAOI, boyxboy, language per usual, smutty!Deidara

A/N: A bit fluffy in places :) but hopefully enticing! I so wish I could be there, too! And not only to spy on the boys. Well, ok, mainly....

Oh yeah, and reviews make mouths happy ^_^

Review responses at the end.

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Naruto fidgeted with the newspaper on his lap. It was in Japanese. If anyone asked, he honestly couldn’t say he could understand much of any of it. It gave him something to do with his hands, though. Better than getting his cell phone out and playing with it again.

He was sitting in a chair in the hotel lobby, waiting for Sasuke. He’d had plenty of time to get showered and changed after they came back from shopping. Sakura and Deidara had wanted to go back out, and Naruto had shooed them away from the hotel suite, assuring them that he was old enough to shower and get dressed on his own. Now, he almost wished he had the company.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a date. Years, probably. Sometime in college. Even then, he barely dated. Even in his relationships, it was more a matter of hanging out together than going on some sort of official date. He was getting a bit old to be inexperienced at this type of thing, but there it was.

He checked his watch again, sighing. It wasn’t like Sasuke was late picking him up, or anything. It was just that he’d been done early because he wanted to make sure he was ready on time. He’d washed all of Sakura’s makeup off of his neck, hiding it instead under the brilliant blue turtleneck. The skin had ached as he scrubbed it, but it was a delicious reminder of the night before. He couldn’t help but anticipate what the night would bring, and shuffled the newspaper in his lap to distract him from thoughts of the raven’s hard body pressed against his own flesh, demanding everything. He wasn’t quite sure how he was going to make it through dinner if that kept up.

The blond turned back to the paper. He was trying to piece together some sense out of the article in front of him when he felt fingertips brush against the back of his neck. He jumped, almost falling out of the chair as he turned to look at the person behind him. He scowled at the smug look on the raven’s face.

“Teme!”

Sasuke just chuckled.

“You could’ve just said hello, or gotten my attention like a normal person!”

Smirking, the raven leaned over and took the paper out of the blond’s hands, whispering a low “Hello” as he leaned over. He stood back up and eyed the paper critically, then folded it and put it on top of the coffee table in front of the chair. Naruto swallowed as he saw the raven look at him with that same searching look. Something told him that if he had a tail, he would be wagging it at the faint look of approval that resulted from the raven’s perusal. Approval, and appreciation, all toned down so that only Naruto noticed.

“Are you ready to go?” Sasuke said finally, glancing down at his watch. “I thought we could take the train, if you’d like. Probably easier than messing with parking.”

“Sure! Is it ok, I brought my camera?”

“Of course.”

Naruto grinned at the pleased look on Sasuke’s face, and stood to follow the other man out of the hotel. He admired the figure in front of him. Sasuke had chosen to wear blue as well, though his was darker than Naruto’s shirt, and just a tad bit indigo. It was a brushed silk button-down shirt tucked into dark grey slacks. The material looked soft to the touch. Naruto was tempted to feel it, but he wasn’t sure how the raven would react. There seemed to be this slightest bit of distance between them – but it wasn’t a bad thing. Even if Sasuke wasn’t touching him, he had the feeling that the raven knew exactly where he was. It was almost as if they didn’t need to touch, not yet. There was promise that touching would be soon to come.

They walked a few blocks in silence. Naruto couldn’t help feeling like a major tourist, gawking at the buildings around him. The dark red building of Tokyo station was beautiful as they came upon it. It seemed very western in its appearance. The blond had to hurry to keep up with Sasuke in the mass of people rushing for the train, though the raven slowed a bit when he noticed that Naruto was having trouble.

“Sorry,” Naruto mumbled once they finally were able to stop in front of the train platform. “Not a lot of public transportation in Los Angeles.”

The raven just nodded, allowing Naruto to enter the train ahead of him when it came. There were not empty seats, so Naruto grabbed the metal bar in front of him, watching out the window. He could feel Sasuke behind him. The raven kept some distance between them, holding onto the side of the seat next to Naruto as they sped north. Even so, Naruto fancied he could feel the heat of Sasuke’s breath against his neck, and felt hypersensitive to the times when they brushed against each other as the train careened down its path. They finally got off at Ueno station, where they exited the train and traveled up to the promenade.

Naruto couldn’t get enough of the view. He felt like a little kid, standing up against the railing, taking in the view from all sides. The sun was just starting to set in the west. He grinned back at Sasuke. The raven stood watching him, hands stuck in his pockets, a slightly bored look on his face. Naruto jumped down and punched lightly at the raven’s shoulder.

“Just because you can come look at this view whenever you want doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it, bastard.”

Sasuke shrugged him off, a faint smirk crossing his face. “Idiot. If you don’t hurry, we’re going to be late for our reservation.”

“Eh?”

Naruto scowled at the raven, but followed along behind as he led his way off the promenade and down into the city streets. The buildings they passed looked older, less modern, and the streets were barely wide enough to let one car pass alongside the ones parked on the side of the road. It was a different side of Tokyo than he’d seen before. Finally, they came to a small restaurant. The doorway was set back under a tiled awning, and red lanterns hung on either side. Pictures of different dishes were displayed in the windows below the lanterns. Naruto was surprised – the place didn’t look quite like what he had expected. He glanced at the raven, and smiled at the calm in the bearing of the other man. Someplace he liked. Someplace private. Someplace special. It made Naruto feel special, too.

Sasuke ushered him inside and spoke to the proprietor in a quick voice. Naruto had a hard time following the man’s comments, his accent was unfamiliar. The blond and Sasuke were shown to a table set back in a recessed area. Their host slid the screen shut, giving them privacy.

“Kappou Suigyoku,” Naruto said, reading the menu. He looked over the other dishes in puzzlement.

“If you want, I can just order for both of us,” Sasuke said.

The blond looked up at him suspiciously. “You’re going to decide what I can eat? I’m not a woman, you know.”

Sasuke’s lips twitched, and Naruto felt a foot slide lightly along the inside of his ankle. “Of that, I am very aware,” the raven said, giving the blond a look full of promise for later in the evening. That slight touch, after the time spent close but not that close, was enough to send Naruto’s libido into overdrive. He swallowed, and looked back down at the menu, the dishes blurring together as he tried to concentrate on something other than the warmth of his companion.

“However, I’m more familiar with this place, and, well,” Sasuke said, pausing a moment. Naruto looked back up at him. Was that – shyness? “I’d like to help you get a taste of different types of traditional cuisine. Not just ramen.” He looked at the blond almost hesitantly, and Naruto gave him a small smile. He got it. Sasuke wanted to show off something about Sasuke. For now, Naruto decided, he’d sit back and learn what the man in front of him was willing to show him. He was willing to try almost anything once, after all.

So he just sat back as Sasuke communicated their order to the waiter, taking his time to admire the man across from him. Sasuke was in his element. It was obvious he came here often; the server was familiar with him and treated him with jovial deference.

The first thing that came out was a bowl of soup. It wasn’t miso soup or ramen, or any other soup that he was familiar with. The light broth contained some dark grey – was that fish? He looked up at Sasuke and raised an eyebrow. The raven just motioned for him to try it out.

He lifted the bowl to his lips and took a sip. It was good! He licked his lips, trying to catch every drop of the light broth mixed with a certain sweetness and a slight citrusy flavor. He noticed Sasuke’s eyes on his mouth and grinned. The raven’s eyebrow rose in question.

“It’s good, Sasuke. What is it?”

“Hn.” Sasuke looked pleased, and took a sip for himself. “Grilled eel soup in a citron base.”

Never would he have thought to order something like that for himself. He was glad he’d let Sasuke take over the menu for the evening. Each course that came out showcased different styles of traditional Japanese cooking. The portions were small, just a few bites each – but that meant they could both share each dish and still have room for the others. Soon Naruto found himself caught up in all the different flavors, asking Sasuke about each dish. The raven’s pleasure became more and more obvious as Naruto shared what he liked about the different types of food. Occasionally he rolled his eyes at the nonstop chatter, but Naruto didn’t take offense. He loved his food, and wanted to make sure Sasuke knew how much he was enjoying himself.

Eventually Sasuke just gave in. “You’re so loud, moron,” he said, fondly.

Naruto grinned back unrepentant. “You didn’t seem to mind last night – meep!” The feeling of a foot crawling higher on his leg made the blond scoot back on his bench.

“Trust me,” the raven said, smirking, “I didn’t. But you don’t have to let everyone and their brother know that.”

Sticking his tongue out at the other man, Naruto picked up the last piece of shrimp tempura and opened his mouth to take a bite. He smirked as he saw the raven’s eyes drawn towards his lips, and made an exaggerated moan of pleasure as he held the delicious morsel in his mouth.

“Idiot,” Sasuke said finally. Was that a note of strain in the raven’s voice? Why yes, it was. He licked his lips again, tasting the savory sauce he’d dipped the tempura in. This game of temptation was definitely something he could get addicted to in a hurry. He was surprised to find how much he’d missed the easy flirtation, and there was so much about Sasuke that made things even hotter.

Not that their talk was all about sex, mind. As the meal wore on, accompanied by the best sake the blond had ever had, their voices fell into an easy conversation about random, unimportant things. They talked about movies. Naruto teased Sasuke about the cartoons he’d watched growing up, saying he wanted to hear him sing the Doraemon theme song. Sasuke countered with threats about the Thundercats, and then backed down quickly when the blond proved prepared to do just that. It got to the point where Naruto didn’t really care what they were talking about, he just wanted to be able to watch the raven’s beautiful face, catching a glimpse at the emotions hidden behind the stoic exterior. He knew it was infatuation, he could feel himself falling, but he didn’t really care. For the moment, he just wanted to be happy.

After dinner was over, they walked back towards the station and crossed into Ueno Park. Sasuke made sure they stayed to well lit areas. The blond was content to listen as his host explained about the different features of the park, all of the things it offered during the day. The raven told him about the cherry blossom festival held there every spring. When Naruto piped up with an idea about how they could celebrate the opening of the new store at the festival, they both fell silent. It was a reminder that their time together was not permanent, even if they wanted it to be.

Naruto felt torn between his life and what he had found here with Sasuke. He remembered when he was younger and it had seemed so easy to just give up all his ties to his hometown and run away to Los Angeles with Sakura. Now, things were different. He and his best friend had worked to build up their brand, pouring countless hours and overcoming both their failures and moments of too-quick success that threatened to unravel all their progress. And of course, there was his grandfather – he wasn’t so young now. There was no telling where he would wander off too next. Naruto sometimes felt nervous about leaving him home along even for a few days.

He sighed, leaning against the railing of a bridge in the middle of a lily-covered pond. He knew he wasn’t looking at the brightly-lit skyscrapers across the water. A hand rubbed the small of his back, and he turned toward the raven with a smile, startled by a quick kiss. He glanced around, but the area they were was deserted. Leaning against the raven, he licked his lips again, finding that there wasn’t enough of Sasuke’s taste left on them to satisfy him.

“Sasuke,” he murmured.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

The raven nodded absently against his shoulder, and then said, “I always like it here at night, but it’s probably better to show it to you during the daytime.”

He snaked and arm around the blond. They stood there together, Naruto’s fingers overlapping the ravens, taking in the view. “It’s peaceful like this, though.” Naruto said finally.

“Hn.”

Naruto turned in the raven’s arms, and looked up at the shadowed face of his companion. He lifted a hand to brush the raven bangs from the pale face, and leaned forward to give him a kiss, just a bit less innocent than the one Sasuke had given him. He let his hands rest on the raven’s shoulders, confirming the fact that the shirt was indeed deliciously soft. “Ne, Sasuke,” he said.

“Hn?”

“Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

Sasuke chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that sent shivers up and down the blond’s spine. “The night isn’t over yet, dobe.”

“Teme,” Naruto said, though the word was without the sting of insult. Instead, he changed the subject. “You’re going to get cold in just that shirt if we stay out here too much longer.”

Smirking, the raven said, “Is that your subtle way of hinting that we should go back to my apartment?”

Naruto blinked bright blue eyes up at the raven, putting on his best innocent face. “Why, whatever gave you that idea?”

Shaking his head, the raven just stepped back, inviting Naruto to follow as they walked back to the train station. The blond missed the physical contact, but it heightened things even more than before. They were able to get seats on the train ride back to Tokyo station. Sasuke’s leg was warm against his. The anticipation built as they made their way back to Sasuke’s apartment building.

They barely got in the elevator when Naruto found himself shoved back against the wall, wrapped in Sasuke’s heated embrace. The raven tugged down the neck of Naruto’s sweater, humming in appreciation as he spied his work from the night before. Naruto rolled his eyes before gasping as he was assaulted by a pair of hungry lips. He could only mutter a hushed “bastard” as his bruised skin was worked over, feeling the raven’s body pressed against him as a hand assaulted his ass from behind.

The elevator ride was over all too quickly. He suppressed a small moan of disappointment when the raven stepped back, admiring his handiwork. Naruto was already way too hot. The dark possessive look in Sasuke’s eyes only turned up the heat, and the blond knew he was way more drunk on the raven than he was on the last bit of sake working through his system. He had to shake his head as he was dragged towards Sasuke’s apartment. He had a feeling his poor body was going to be battered and bruised if they kept this up – but there was no way he was turning back now.

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Review Responses

Prism0467 - I really think that, once they grow up, Naru and Saku could be awesome friends. I'm not a major fanatic about Sakura, but I really think she's a much more kickass character than the majority of fanfiction makes her out to be. Sasuke is terribly, deliciously wicked :) and trust me, he's planning on handling business so well that Naruto can't even find the words to describe it...

Arashi-Kumo - thanks!! Yeah, Shikamaru is probably... third favorite overall for me? And probably the char I'd most want to be like, overall.

xkuramaxhieix - dunno if I'll get into total NaruSasu (it could happen, and I could definately see Naru being more aggressive, but he's just such a lovely uke here!) in this story, but I have another one running around in my head that I may get too once I'm done with this arc.... may you squee over it in fangirl glee!

Ony-chan - hehehe I had fun with it. And gomen about the error - thank you oh lovely editor person! I'll get to it :)

dark angel - thanks! of course :)