The Café

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor am I making any money off of this little fan fiction. Just me out for kicks.

CLARIFICATION: This is a shared UKE/SEME fic. As in, both Sasuke and Naruto will be dominant at different times as the story moves on.

Dedication: This is for my lovely Beta, simplyinsane, for having an enormous amount of patience while I worried over my chapters before sending them to her. And for the name of the café. ^-^ She did such a wonderful job of both complimenting me and fixing my (numerous!) mistakes!

Contest: “The Café” is just a working title. I don’t like it. If you have any ideas, please send them my way! The best one will be the new title, and get a special place in my heart. ^-^

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Ch. 1

Sasuke needed a place to study. A place that wasn’t deathly quiet and stuffy like the University Library and also a place that didn’t provide too many distractions like his bedroom did. He got along fine enough with his roommate; they were both studious and quiet, but he didn’t want to hear the guys down the hall blasting their music and shouting, “WHAT?” and “OOOKAY!” every five seconds. He also didn’t want to be distracted by his comfortable looking bed, waiting for him not even three feet from his desk. Being a college student was tough and Sasuke knew he needed the sleep, but he also needed to study for this exam.

He had heard about this café downtown so he decided to check it out. Several students had mentioned that it was a great place to study. A warm, welcoming environment that was alive, yet on the quiet side. It was established by several college graduates who thought it would be a great idea to make a place like this available to students wishing to study. They even offered a free drink to the students using their café to study. Sasuke didn’t drink coffee, but he decided to check this place out anyway.

Sasuke decided to walk since it wasn’t that far from campus. He grabbed his books, tossed on a light jacket and scarf and headed out.

It was typical middle of October weather; a bit chilly, but clean air with a hint of smoke from burning leaves. Orange and red leaves quickly turning to brown were adorning the trees and with every occasional gust of wind, they would tumble from the trees. The sky was clear and bright blue and the sun offered its warmth as it started to settle in the west. Autumn really was a beautiful season.

Sasuke approached the café with dubious thoughts. It looked like a little run-down hole in the wall. But, if there was one thing he had learned throughout the course of his life, it was that looks could be deceiving. The old brick wall surrounding the entrance was crumbly and dirty, but there was a nice clean ‘welcome’ mat in front of the huge oak door. A sign hanging above the door boasted the café’s name: Fermé la Bouche*. Through the windows he could see a scattering of students, all diligently working and nursing their free beverage. There were also some older couples sitting together and enjoying life it seemed. Sasuke felt a little weight lift off his shoulders as he realized that this place would be absolutely perfect.

Shifting the bag on his shoulder, Sasuke pulled the door open. Light jingles could be heard throughout the café as he entered. The door was heavier than he had thought and he nearly let it go for fear of it pulling him straight into it. Letting the door shut behind him, Sasuke took a quick look around, looking for the optimal spot.

Wood was his first impression. It seemed that everything was made from wood. The floors were a natural white oak and clean, with scratches and dents every so often. Chairs and tables were also of oak, but of a darker, more antique variety. The walls were comforting medium heartwood and they were covered in original artworks from local artists. What really impressed him though, was the bar. It was a deep mahogany; rich and dark. It should have contrasted with the rest of the wood, but instead, it complimented it. There was a mirror on the back wall, giving the illusion that it was much bigger than it actually was.

When he walked through the door, the bells had alerted the worker that there was another customer. The worker, who had a rather strange scar right across the bridge of his nose, looked up from his intense rub down of the bar, smiled warmly and said, “Welcome! Feel free to sit anywhere and we’ll be with you in just a moment.” Sasuke nodded and hunted down a table in the corner, right next to the window. Something about sunlight stimulation helped him study better.

Placing his bag on the ground, he pulled out his $300 Chemistry book (used) and a binder that was filled with completed homework assignments and notes taken in class. Setting these on the table, he then grabbed a pencil, huge gum eraser, several pens of different colors, highlighters, and a calculator. An Uchiha is always prepared.

As Sasuke was getting himself situated, the employee came over to the table with a pad. “Hi and welcome again. My name is Iruka and I’m one of the owners of this place.” So much for employee, make that employer. “I see you’re about to start studying. Would you like a free drink?”

All he wanted was to study, damn it. He really didn’t want an employer or employee bugging him. “Hn,” Sasuke replied rather coldly. “I don’t drink coffee.”

Iruka was taken aback by the cold tone. He quickly recovered and offered another warm smile. “Oh, well, we also have teas, caramel apple cider, and hot chocolate. I would recommend the cider, it’s seasonal and has a sweet and spicy tang to it. Today seems like the perfect day for one, doesn’t it?”

Getting irritated, Sasuke nodded absently, hoping to get rid of Iruka. After a moment, Sasuke realized that Iruka was waiting for his order still. “Fine, cider then. But no caramel. I hate sweets.”

Iruka, rather irked, scribbled this down. “Absolutely! I’m assuming no whip either?”

Sasuke nodded shortly again. Iruka made another scratch on the pad.

“And what name should I call when it’s ready?” Not seeing why he had to give his name, he almost just ignored the man. But wanting to get to studying quicker, he provided his name to Iruka. “I’ll have that drink up for you in a minute, Sasuke. Good luck studying!” With that Iruka headed back to the bar.

Sasuke turned back to his book and notes and resumed finding his place. He began to read the horribly overpriced chemistry book and started to take notes. He was just writing down the first equation when the door burst open and a young blond man stumbled in looking very disheveled and out of breath.

“SAFE!” He yelled deeply, impersonating an umpire. Most of the people in the café looked up and started to chuckle. This apparently happened on occasion and the regulars found it amusing. Irritated more, Sasuke wondered when he would ever get to start studying.

When Sasuke finally got a good look at the blond, he very nearly lost his resolve to study.

The blond stood at about 6 feet tall with a muscular, yet slim, build. His hair was a beautiful golden blond that hung messily over his forehead. And Sasuke wasn’t sure, but he swore he saw black lines on the man’s slightly rosy cheeks; three on each. The blond was surprisingly tan and was currently sporting a huge, pearly white grin. The blond’s hand moved up and ran through his hair. Sasuke had never thought that such a movement could be so unbelievably sexy.

At that moment, the blond seemed to sense that somebody was staring at him and looked straight at Sasuke. Piercing blue eyes met coal black ones. Sasuke very nearly gasped. If it wasn’t for his self control, he would have. The eyes looked like they could see through to your soul. And they were heartbreakingly beautiful. They looked older than they should have been, still innocent, but they had definitely seen a lot in the world. Sasuke wondered what this man had lived through. ‘And why does he have those markings on his cheeks?’ He stared.

The blond stared back. He too had never seen anything more beautiful. This young man was definitely a new customer; he had never seen him before. The first thing he noticed was the jet black eyes. They were so cold and deep and hid so many things. The blond felt a strange pull to them, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Surrounding the eyes were long, dark lashes; the kind that women would die to have. They man had a very pale complexion, surrounded by long black bangs that hung to his jaw. The back of his hair seemed to stick up from this angle, but the blond wasn’t sure. In any case, this man was absolutely gorgeous. A little on the thin side, but gorgeous nonetheless.

“Naruto!” Iruka said sternly. “Now that you’ve provided the comic relief in this place, why don’t you grab your apron and make this cider?”

Naruto’s eyes tore from the black ones and his grin returned full force to Iruka. “OK, OK, Iruka. I’ll be out in a jiffy.” With that, Naruto rushed to the back and grabbed a simple black apron. After washing his hands, he set out to prepare the cider. “What? No caramel? Who doesn’t like caramel?!” Naruto was flabbergasted.

“That’d be the handsome black haired one that you were staring at not too long ago,” Iruka provided.

Naruto quickly glanced toward the ‘handsome black haired one’ and blushed when he saw him staring. Then, he shrugged it off and set out to do what he does best: show off.

Sasuke couldn’t stop watching the blond, Naruto. He had heard Naruto’s comment about the caramel and Iruka’s reply. When their gazes met a second time that day, Sasuke saw Naruto blush, and if Naruto had looked for a second longer, he would have seen Sasuke blush too.

‘What? I never blush! Uchiha’s aren’t supposed to blush,’ Sasuke was thoroughly confused and more than a little pissed. His next thoughts were erased as he continued to watch Naruto.

Naruto had grabbed a container of spiced apple juice and a metal steamer mug. He tossed the mug high into the air, quickly untwisted the top of the apple juice, caught the mug with his left hand and poured the juice into the mug, using a flourishing style of bringing the mug away from the container and bringing it back up. Once done pouring, Naruto set it under the steamer wand and hit the ‘Auto’ button. It would automatically steam the juice to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. While the juice was steaming, Naruto twisted the top back onto the juice and tossed it back into the fridge under the counter. He quickly grabbed a 20 ounce paper cup and threw that into the air, twirling it. After catching that again with the left hand, the juice was done steaming. He removed it from the wand and poured it into the cup, not spilling a drop. Placing the cup onto the work counter he glanced over to the tag, taking note of the name.

“No whip either, Sasuke? How boring!” He glanced to Sasuke, seeing that he had been watching. He drew his lips up into a sexy smirk and gave Sasuke a saucy wink. “Come get it, sugar!”

Very much aware of the innuendo, Sasuke stood and strolled over to the bar where Naruto had placed his cider. Fully aware of Naruto’s eyes on his body, Sasuke wrapped a hand around the cup where Naruto’s had just been. Bringing his eyes up to meet Naruto’s, he stated his thanks with a very husky voice. He saw Naruto’s sexy smirk falter just a bit, revealing true lust in his eyes before Naruto gave a huge grin.

“It was nothing. Next time, give me something harder to do for you.” Again, Sasuke did not miss the implication. He was extremely glad he hadn’t chosen to take a sip at that moment, or surely he would have ended up choking on it. Nodding to Naruto, Sasuke took his cup back to his table and cautiously took a sip, his mind racing with Naruto’s suggestiveness.

He had never given much thought to his sexuality before. Taking a sip of the delicious cider, Sasuke contemplated this. He knew he was attracted to men, but he never really gave any thought to it before now. He’d never had a relationship with either sex. Would he be interested in one with Naruto? Hell no! From what he’d gathered, the blond was a loud and hyper show off. He really didn’t see any reason for attraction other than physical. So far, they’ve established that they were attracted to one another, but as far as relationships go, Sasuke would rather have a root canal than get wrapped up in something that was bound to screw him over in the long run.

While looking outside and sipping his cider, Sasuke admitted to himself that he would very much like to bang Naruto; long and hard into the mattress. How though? He never thought that he’d ever have to think about getting somebody he wanted. It was always the girls and the occasional guy who would throw themselves at him. He wondered how they did it.

After a few more minutes of thinking and imagining Naruto’s hands all over his body, Sasuke shook himself out of those thoughts and turned back to his studies. He came to study and that’s what he was going to do.

Lord help him.

*************

The hours flew by. Naruto had made drink after drink, all the while making conversation with customers, showing off, and more importantly, keeping an eye on the hot one by the window.

He didn’t know what came over him and made him behave like he did toward Sasuke. He didn’t regret it. In fact, he was exceedingly glad he did that. Now Sasuke knew that he found him attractive. The ball was in Sasuke’s court, if that was the correct term. Naruto never really kept track.

The café had slowed down to merely himself, Iruka, and a handful of customers, all students studying. Sasuke was still there, furiously taking notes and muttering things to himself. He had completely zoned out and was intent on whatever subject he was studying. Occasionally he would take a break, where he would stand and stretch, watch Naruto ‘perform’ for a bit, then walk outside for a minute. Naruto suspected that Sasuke smoked, but he never actually saw the sexy man light one up.

Now, it was thirty minutes till closing. Naruto decided that Sasuke had studied hard enough and he deserved a treat. As much as he would have liked to offer himself as that treat, he knew better.

A minute later, Naruto walked over to Sasuke’s table with a large cup of apple cider and a Chai Latte in his hands. As if sensing his approach, Sasuke looked up and locked eyes with Naruto. Naruto was afraid that he’d lose himself in those eyes. Smiling warmly, Naruto offered the cider to Sasuke.

Sasuke was in the middle of trying to memorize Van der Waals’ equation when he felt Naruto approach him. Suddenly thrown back into the real world, he looked up and into Naruto’s deep blue eyes. He never felt more vulnerable than he did at that moment.

“Here, I made you another one of your boring ciders.” Naruto winked and placed the cup on the table. He then pulled out the chair opposite Sasuke and sat down with his own Chai. After taking a little sip, Naruto sighed contentedly. “Iruka makes the best Chai Lattes.”

Sasuke figured it was his chance now, but how to come off as something other than the cold bastard he usually behaved like was beyond him. “Hn. Why didn’t you make it?” Maybe more words and questions?

Naruto smiled. “I totally would, but it’s against policy. What are you studying?”

The question was asked abruptly and Sasuke hesitated to switch topics. “Chemistry. I have a mid-term in a couple of days.” Sasuke leaned back and rubbed his tired eyes. He glanced outside and saw it was pitch black. “Wow, how long have I been here?”

“Around five hours. We’re going to close up shop pretty soon. It’s just about 9 o’clock.” Naruto smiled.

Sasuke shook his head. “I better get back on campus. I have a 9AM class in the morning.” Sasuke cringed at this. “I hate mornings.”

Naruto laughed. “Oh, I hear you. Any time before 11AM should be illegal. What classes are you taking this semester?”

Sasuke had to concentrate to focus on Naruto’s question. His laugh was too beautiful. ‘What is he doing to me?’ “Uh, Organic Chemistry, Calculus III, Biology, Quantum Physics, Logic, Creative Writing, and U.S. History to 1877.” Naruto groaned heartily.

“Woah, you’re either crazy or a genius. But man, U.S. History sucks! I took that class twice. I failed it the first time and the second time I took it I got an A, but I still didn’t learn anything. Go figure. History is not my forte.” Sasuke couldn’t stop the laugh that came out after Naruto’s story. He fleetingly wondered why Naruto was affecting him in such a way.

“Yeah, History isn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever studied. I mean, I understand its uses, but I really couldn’t care less about it.” Sasuke smiled. ‘Smiling?! What the hell?’ Shaking his head roughly, Sasuke asked, “What classes are you taking this semester?”

Naruto beamed. “Heh, my favorites! Music Theory II, Music History I, Ear Training II, Piano III, Woodwind Techniques I, String Techniques I, Symphonic Band, and Symphony Orchestra.”

Sasuke nearly choked on his cider. “What? Wow, that’s a lot of music classes. Are you a music major?” ‘Dumbest question I could have ever asked!’

Naruto nodded. “Yeah, with a double emphasis in Performance and Education.”

Sasuke had to ask. “What do you play?”

Naruto laughed. “If you wanted a shorter answer, you should have asked what I don’t play. I play all sorts of things, mostly woodwinds, but my main instrument is the flute.”

Sasuke nodded. “That’s an interesting choice. Why’d you pick it?”

Naruto grinned. “Everybody else in elementary school wanted to play the trumpet or clarinet. I wanted to be different.” Naruto thought for a moment. “What about you? What’s your major?”

“Biology. Haven’t quite decided where I want to go with it yet. Maybe find a cure for cancer.” Sasuke shrugged. To tell the truth, he really didn’t even have to do anything with his degree. The family company would be his soon.

“Eh, that’s fine. I’m not quite sure what I want to do either. I mean, I have a pretty good idea but it’s not set in stone.” Naruto smiled again.

‘He really has a beautiful smile,’ Sasuke thought.

Up until the final minute, Naruto and Sasuke sat and talked. They both discovered that they believed that ninjas were better than pirates, they enjoyed manga, they knew martial arts and had decided to spar sometime, and one of their favorite games was Apples to Apples. When Iruka called for Naruto to start closing down the café, Naruto smiled and told Sasuke that he should definitely come back to the café to study or to visit. Naruto winked at the last bit.

As Naruto sauntered (yes, sauntered) away, Sasuke made up his mind. Quickly grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, Sasuke scribbled down something. He then gathered his belongings and said his goodbyes to Iruka and Naruto, leaving the piece of paper on the table.

A few minutes later, when Naruto was wiping down tables, he came across the paper. He was about to throw it away when he noticed something written on it. ‘Must be some lecture notes he forgot,’ Naruto thought. He was about to fold it up to return to Sasuke when he saw his name. Curious, Naruto read the message.

Naruto –

Would you perhaps like to have dinner with me sometime? Here’s my number, just call.

I promise to give you “something harder to do”.

I await your response,
Sasuke

Naruto’s heart thudded and started to beat double time. ‘He just asked me out. Holy shit!’

“IRUKA!” Naruto yelled as his legs collapsed. “IRUKA! HELP!!”

Iruka came running from the wash room, where he had been doing dishes. He had been expecting to see Naruto in danger, but what he saw confused him even more.

Naruto was sitting on the floor clutching a piece of paper and staring at it wide eyed. He whispered, “Sasuke…” every so often as his eyes glazed over, his lips revealing a soft smile.

Iruka’s face split into a grin. ‘My, my, looks like Naruto is twitterpated!’ Clearing his throat, Iruka asked, “What’s going on, Naruto? We have a café to close.”

Naruto’s head whipped up at that and his face turned a deep red. His eyes grew wide as he realized what exactly had happened. “He asked me out!! YOSH!!!!” Naruto leapt to his feet, Iruka shaking his head. “Oh my God, Iruka, what do I do? You’ve got to help me out here!” Naruto started to pace around the café, running his hand through his hair.

Iruka sighed. “Naruto, calm down. It’s easy. Just call him and say yes. Now let’s clean up this place.” It wasn’t that Iruka didn’t care about Naruto, but he really wanted to get out of the café and home to his lover. “Tell you what, let’s get out of here quickly and I’ll treat you to a late dinner and we’ll talk about this, okay?”

Naruto stopped pacing and was playing with the piece of paper. The concept of free food hit the college student and he let loose a huge grin. “Okay, Iruka. Let’s clean!” With that, Naruto folded his paper and resumed his wiping of tables, only he was moving twice as fast.

Iruka shook his head and went to the back room to pull food for tomorrow morning and to finish up the dishes.

***********

* - My beta thought this one up. I couldn’t stop laughing and absolutely had to put it in here. This means “shut your mouth” in French. Thank you, simplyinsane!

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The second one will be coming along soon. Please review and let me know how you like it.