Gate Time

A/N: I couldn't help myself so I started writing a Cut Your Eyes prequel. It'll probebly help clear up a few things from that story and give a broader perspective. Brought to you by...Weezer's 'Troublemaker'


Chapter 1 out of 2

“Hey, Gaara.” Naruto sat backward on one of the only chairs that could allow him to do so. Gaara made fleeting eye contact before going back to stare at Kankuro who was babbling about the recent bout with Orochimaru. One of the newbies had managed to bring in some information, and Kankuro was reading the tightly wrapped paper, squinting as he read the microscopic words and tried to interpret some of the ciphers.

Apparently Temari had kicked some ass, not really bothering with names as she fucked up another branch of his drug trade. Sand was currently up a few kilos of H and down a foot soldier who was tied up in the hospital. Orochimaru was so pissed that he got beat up by a girl he hadn’t even put out a hit on her.

Naruto had never met her but with each report he liked Temari more and more.

Gaara nodded at the information and Kankuro continued. Baki was in the black for all of their underground gambling houses. He had added poker nights and kept rotating card sharks in to go halvsies on the poor idiots who lost. In the course of one evening Gaara was up two luxury cars, a couple stunning pieces of jewelry, and a seaside cottage.

“The cottage is a safe house, strip the cars for parts, and give Temari the jewelry if she wants it, if not keep the stones and pawn the gold.”

Naruto started to doze a little. Their part of the cell bloc was way quieter when Sand was holding a meeting. Pretty much everyone had no desire to know things about Sand that they shouldn’t. Naruto let his head fall on his forearms and listened to Kankuro in a smooth, matter-of-fact tenor. It was almost hypnotizing.

He ended with, “And they’ve looked for dirt on the warden, but there’s nothing and even if there was something he’s the son of Fugaku Uchiha.”

Naruto didn’t know what that meant but Gaara nodded, his eyes taking on a little life.

“Interesting.” Gaara murmured, “Anything else?”

“Yeah, Temari says the new tech guy is a genius and doesn’t ask for much more than a quiet room.”

“Put him in charge of the cottage house. He can set up his equipment away from the city.”

Kankuro nodded again, and Naruto asked, “Why interesting?”

“There are two types of Uchiha,” Gaara murmured, “Vicious, and uncompromisingly vicious…but you can never quite tell which one is which. Fugaku Uchiha is simply vicious.”

Naruto felt himself pale, “And he’s going to be our new warden?”

Gaara turned to him, blinked once, and said, “Vicious isn’t always harmful.”

Naruto couldn’t really see how, but he trusted Gaara, and if Gaara was okay with it…well, there was a reason why the Pope was finally gone, and it wasn’t retirement.

“Well, anyway it’d be a hell of a fight trying to get him out, if that’s what it comes to.” Kankuro gave Naruto one of those odd, speculating looks. He seemed to be perpetually surprised that Gaara would even waste a glance on him, let alone an explanation. Naruto rolled his eyes right back and started wondering how the hell he was going to keep himself occupied until lights out.

The Irish boys were always good for fight but they were having some kind of big Catholic birthday so they were knee deep in hail marys and would probably just kick him out. Naruto couldn’t really play with any of the other gangs given his honorary Sand status and he hated the fucking Aryans. He’d never really tried to get in a fight with one of the Muslims, it seemed a little unfair to make them get all muddy and torn.

And the Italians? No fucking way in hell.

Naruto sighed and started gnawing on his hand a little.

“Perhaps some physical exercise.” Gaara suggested blandly, “Or you could torment Kakashi for a while.”

“Basketball?” Kankuro shrugged, “I got nothing else to do.”

“Alright.” Naruto stood and they gathered some guys together, enough for two teams anyways, and made their way to the court.

“Who’s shirts and who’s skins?”

“I call skin!” Naruto announced, it was always easier for him to slip out of a grip when he was all sweaty, and cooler too. Kankuro made a face at him and stole a basketball from one of the smaller fish. They didn’t fight him, and Naruto couldn’t blame them Kankuro looked damn scary with his face tattoos, all the Sand guys did. The only person he knew went without tats was Gaara. The pale man only had a sprinkling of freckles over his back and some scars on his forearms.

Even Naruto had been forced to get a tattoo, and he was only part of the gang peripherally, as the guy who somehow managed to keep the boss from attacking and maiming on a regular basis.

“You healed up?” Kankuro pointed to Naruto’s stomach and Naruto pulled his shorts down a little, showing the whole swirling mess to a round of cat-calls.

The first couple of weeks Naruto had adamantly refused any prison tats, voluntary or otherwise. A few years later after he had been taken in by Sand Gaara had pushed him down into a bed with a large needle in his hand, smiling a little when he yanked Naruto’s shirt up and Naruto didn’t ask him what the hell he though he was doing.

It had been a painful couple of months, but the needle was clean and Gaara was surprisingly gentle for a murdering sociopath. He hadn’t let Naruto see it until it was done, staying close for all that time to make sure Naruto didn’t peek.

It turned out the whole thing was crazy cool, with an emphasis on the crazy. Gaara had written on him in some secret Sand language that Naruto couldn’t make heads or tails of but what made the enforcers and street punks slide their eyes away when they saw the boy with the whisker scars. Kankuro had told him very briefly, that it was a kind of fairy tale that had been passed from generation of their family about boys who contained things other than themselves.

Gaara had been considered one of those boys and it had gotten him consecutive life sentences.

Gaara recognized something in Naruto that was hidden and dangerous and secret and Naruto had a hard time telling himself he didn’t understand why.

When they met, really met, Naruto had been covered in blood and crying angry, bitter tears as he stared at the body at his feet.

He’d killed one of Orochimaru’s enforcers, and not because he wanted to…who wanted to rip a man open with nothing but a sharpened piece of metal? But Naruto had, and skinny little wiry piece of newbie that he’d been he hadn’t understood that he had just ensured his own safety for a long, long time.

He’d been seventeen then, and soft, but Gaara had turned him into twenty-four and a fairy tale that made men look away.

Naruto hadn’t had to kill anyone since, but that was because he was too quick and too accurate for an accidental death-wound.

But Naruto wasn’t like Kankuro, and he wasn’t like Gaara, he was just a person that the Sand gang would rather keep around…just in case.

“Looks good,” Kankuro nodded, “Now put your pants back on, fag.”

“Who you calling fag, miss twink?” Naruto checked the ball, grinning, and Kankuro said, “Dessert for a week.”

“You’re on.”

Fifteen minutes later Kankuro was yelling, “You little bastard!” and holding his forehead as Naruto beaned him with the ball, catching the rebound to pass it off before Kank could rip him to pieces and-
He tripped over his own shoes, landing hard right in front of the distraction that had stolen his brain.

“Are you alright?” The man leaned over, clipboard hand at his side as he peered down. “Mr…”

“Uzumaki.” Naruto’s mouth went dry, “You can call me Naruto.”
Next to him Kakashi snorted, and the man sighed, holding a hand out to help Naruto up.

For the guy’s size he had a pretty good grip…a pretty nice ass…damn, he was just *pretty*… like someone’s favorite porcelain doll had stepped off a shelf and decided it was going to wear a suit and tie instead of a frilly dress.

“Well, Mr. Uzumaki,” And he didn’t say it ironically, either. Naruto stood there, hand on his head sand-gang-Gaara’s pet Naruto, and remembered that he had a name you could put a Mr. in front of.

“I’m Sasuke Uchiha,” He shook the hand he was still holding and then let go, “You may call me Warden Uchiha.”

And Naruto’s head lost control of Naruto’s mouth a little.

“*You’re* the new Warden?” Naruto was making a face if Kakashi’s snicker was anything to go by, “Seriously?!”

And Warden Uchiha made a little face back, like he was confused.

“Yes.”

“But?!” But he wasn’t old and fat and angry. He didn’t have that sheen of dirt over him that anyone in the prison system acquired. He was handsome and young, and he called Naruto Mr. for the first time in six years.

“You must have hit your head pretty hard there, Naruto,” Kakashi winked over the Warden’s shoulder, as if he couldn’t quite believe it either. “Maybe you should go rest a little with Gaara.”

The warden’s eyes opened a little and he stood a little straighter at the name, if it was possible. His posture was *incredible*.

“I’d like to talk to Gaara.” He said, looking down at his clipboard. “Yes, I’ve already talked to-”

And then he listed the name of every gang leader in the prison, raising eyebrows all over the court. It wasn’t even noon yet. Some of those assholes shouldn’t even be *awake*. The general unspoken statement around the court was ‘and you haven’t been maimed?

“Saved the best for last then,” Naruto said warily, catching a nod from Kankuro. Naruto was the voice piece of Sand when it came to authority in general. He had no need to put off the gangstah vibe and the rest of them had to keep face. “I’ll take you.”

Uchiha looked up, an earnest expression on his face, as he said, “Wonderful.”

So they walked like that, like a Sunday stroll, and it was the most surreal moment in Naruto’s life to be chatting with the guy who was supposed to rain down fire and brimstone and was actually just smiling a little as they passed through the blocs. Pretty much everyone they passed had the same looks on their faces; like they were staring down an enormous pink train.

Naruto realized, finally, that Uchiha had actually been looking for him at the court. Gaara was the last on the list, the most dangerous in the prison, and Naruto was pretty much the only person who could hang around the guy with no particular reason at all. Despite himself a little smile started at the corner of his lips as he asked, “How long have you been looking for me?”

Uchiha looked up, a sly little smile blinking over his face, as he said, “Not long.”

Naruto couldn’t help himself, “Vicious or uncompromisingly vicious?”

Uchiha looked ahead, a full-out smirk as he said, “…I’ve never seen the point in compromise.”

“So you’re used to getting what you want?” Naruto’s eyes narrowed, a man who didn’t compromise wasn’t going to spend a whole lot of time in prison without getting shanked. It was amazing how cool and composed turned into spoiled rich kid with a word.

Uchiha went silent for a moment, putting his hands in his pockets as he thought. When he turned his face was still beautiful and his eyes were dark, deep, but something in him had softened around the edges.

Naruto, oddly enough, felt like he’d just put his hand down the man’s pants.

They stopped walking and the people around them backed off a little, as the warden gave a small, mocking smile, but it was aimed inward. Naruto knew about smiles like that.

“There are three ways to avoid a compromise,” Uchiha murmured, “Brute force, having the power to demand obedience. Agreeing to a compromise, but not actually following through. I try to use the less avoided method. It’s harder, takes more time, but gets the best results.”

“Blackmail?”

Uchiha looked up at him, surprised, “I guess that makes four, doesn’t it?”

Naruto snorted and Uchiha smiled, saying, “No. The best way is coming up with an idea that everyone wishes they had thought of first. You stay ahead of *thought*and organize your mind, and your actions, into something everyone hopes they can be a part of, be dependable, reliable, and of all things know who you’re dealing with.”

Naruto huffed, hurting a little in his brain, and said, “Well, you and Gaara are gonna be BFF, I guess. He’s a manipulative know-it-all too.”

This time Uchiha looked at him with wide, wide eyes, as if he were seeing Naruto for the first time. Naruto tried not to feel offended because it sort of happened a lot. People would look at him and think they knew everything, that he was simple and easily led…but he really wasn’t, and it was hilarious to watch people try. Finally Uchiha started walking again, and right before they walked into Sand territory, he murmured, “Mr. Uzumaki.”

“Yeah?” Naruto stayed quiet too, the feeling of intimacy was catching.

Uchiha smiled a little, “I think I’m going to have to work a little harder for you.”

And Naruto stopped and blushed from his toes to the tips of his shaggy hair while Sasuke sat down at the head table with Gaara, alone, and started to talk. After about a half an hour later Gaara nodded, more than his usual tilt of a head, and Uchiha walked off with Kakashi. Naruto walked forward, took his seat (it was still warm) and gave Gaara a look.

For the first time in many months Gaara’s lips twitched up just enough to call it a smile.

“Uncompromising.” Gaara said, and that was that.

****

Lights out meant lights out, but Gaara barely slept at all and Naruto was in a *mood* so he wriggled and rolled around and banged his foot against the bar on the bed until Gaara rolled over, narrowed his eyes, and said, “Naruto…”

Naruto smiled, stretched out a little, and whispered, “Make out with me.”

Gaara gave him a look that would never grace his face in daylight and said, “Why should I?”

“Uhh,” Naruto never knew quite what to say to that, but he tried a new one, “Warden made me horny.”

This time Gaara deviated out of their little script and murmured, “Really.”

“Yes, really.” Naruto whined a sigh. He wasn’t hot to trot but his skin felt all *itchy*, but not in a bad way, more like he just wanted to be touched all over.

“What part?” Gaara leaned a little forward, propping his chin with a pillow and Naruto snickered.

“What is this, girl talk?”

“Naruto, what part.”

Naruto tried to think, but ended up biting his lip.

“Uh, well…” He blushed a little in the dark, “The part where I want him to throw me down and fuck me?”

“Just like that. Like a sneeze.”

Gaara had some really weird ideas about sex, but Naruto never told…which was probably why he occasionally got Gaara to at least share a bunk for a little while. It wasn’t normal, simple screwing, but it was just as good. Almost better, curled up next to Gaara who seemed to be too cold all the time. Naruto liked warming him up.

“Okay, fine.” Naruto huffed and closed his eyes, trying to pick apart all the little pieces that culminated into blind lust. In the end, lying there, it was a little sad. Naruto opened his eyes and the itchiness went away.

“He called Mr. Uzumaki,” Naruto murmured, going still, “And he meant it, too.”

Gaara stared for a long time, but Naruto was used to that. Gaara stared a lot, it was the way he thought when he really wanted to think.

“He is very personable.” Gaara rolled back into his bunk, “I wonder if it will keep him alive.”

“You’re not going to…” Naruto didn’t like to say it, but they both knew what Gaara was capable of doing by himself, or by order.

“No. We stand to gain more than we lose with him in charge. But most people will be too blinded by greed to see that.”

“Greed?”

Gaara peeked over the edge again.

“They’ll want him, just like you, and if they can’t have him they’ll kill him.”

“Well, I’m not horny anymore.” Naruto groused, sighing deeply. To his surprise Gaara smiled a little again, just as he had when the warden left.

“I’ll make out with you.”

“Wait. What?” Naruto sat up so fast he almost smacked his head on the top bunk. Looking at Gaara upside down was just as intimidating as right side up, but, well, they both knew what Naruto liked. “Really?”

Gaara nodded, and Naruto, stupid with shock, asked, “Why?”

The redhead made a small snorting noise, reached down and grabbed a handful of Naruto’s hair, pressed their lips together, and murmured, “Warden made me horny.”

Naruto laughed so loud and so long that the night watch had to come down and smack the bars of the cell to get him to stop.

Then, smiling and giggling a little Naruto pulled himself up to the top bunk and let Gaara push him around.

***

Naruto was surprised that he could be surprised after so many years in prison, so the shock was a little mind numbing and, well, fantastic when the Warden came down and started playing cards with them.

He brought candy with him, and in only a few moments the Sand gang was circled around Gaara, Kankuro, Naruto, and Warden Uchiha as they chewed on red vines and upped the ante to ten skittles. Kankuro dropped out fast but Gaara knew his stuff and Naruto had always been some kind of magician when it came to cards and horses. Hand after hand, between Gaara’s straight face, Naruto’s luck, and the warden’s x-ray vision they got to the point where Uchiha looked down at his watch, stood up, and yelled, “Shit!”

And then disappeared.

“He’s fast for a little guy.”

Kankuro laughed a little and picked up the warden’s hand and then frowned. He pulled Gaara and Naruto’s hands down, and snorted a laugh, hard, through his nose, as he put the Warden’s cards down on the table. Naruto choked on his spit as Gaara gazed at the cards on the table, and murmured, “He was *cheating*.”

Naruto was still laughing hard enough to not make a single sound when Gaara grabbed him by the hair and dragged him to their cell.

***

They called him on it the next day. Gaara was much more amiable than usual and Naruto was a little sore but the Warden didn’t seem to notice as he shrugged, “I left the skittles.”

“No….hey…wait!” Naruto was jogging after him and giving the finger to Ebisu who was watching menacingly, “How’d you do it?”

Warden looked up from his ever-present clipboard and made brief eye contact, a pen in his mouth as he asked, “Hm?”

“How’d you cheat cheaters?” Naruto smiled sloppily, “Personally, I don’t have to cheat, I’m lucky, but I can spot a cheat just as good as if I were one.”

“You’re lucky?”

“Uh…”

“You should look into the stock-market.” Uchiha said, flipping through pages and muttering to himself, dark eyes scanning in quick, economical moves.

“What’s that?”

Uchiha made full eye contact then and took the pen out of his mouth, looking a little bemused. Naruto was waiting to be talked-down to with his big college-speak, already wilting a little, when Uchiha said, “I’ll show you.”

Naruto was on the internet and looking at little lines of information passing on the screen faster than he could say stock-broker and listening as Uchiha gave him the run-down.

It turned out to be really hard and really simple, and Naruto watched avidly, muttering, “Uh, how do I get a bank account?”

The warden did him a favor, talked to some people, and Naruto had his first bank statement with all the money he’d been saving working down in laundry. It wasn’t much.

But he’d made three thousand dollars by the end of the next month.

****

For the first time since they met Naruto said something that made Gaara completely stop what he was doing, turn around and go, “*What?!*

“I said,” And Naruto giggled a little, couldn’t help it, “I have fifty-thousand dollars in my bank account.”

“What?!”

So they sat and Naruto went through it with Gaara too, and they ended up in the computer room, isolated by a bunch of strong-arms while Naruto convinced Gaara to give him all his money.

“This is way better than poker.” Naruto grinned and Gaara, huffing a little, rolled his eyes and gave Naruto ten thousand from his personal account.

Naruto lost almost half of it the next day, but by the end of the third month he had it tripled and spent a lot of phone time talking to people who called him Mr. Uzumaki, meant it, and didn’t have any problem coming to a prison to discuss Naruto’s many ‘options’.

It was the very first time in his life that’d he’d ever had any, and the guy they sent was a little confused when Naruto’s eyes started watering when he said things like ‘long-term’, but he did his job. Naruto invested everything he had into a small, struggling company, and watched as it blossomed, long-term.

He never told the warden, he honestly couldn’t quite believe it himself, but by the second year anniversary of Uchiha running around like a crack-fiend as he tried to make everything and everyone *better*, Naruto was making the kind of money that meant he’d never have to steal, cheat, or lie again.

But it couldn’t get him out of prison.

***

“Gaara,” Naruto smiled up at the top bunk, “Make out with me?”

Gaara sighed deeply and looked over the bunk.

“What’s wrong now?”

Naruto closed his eyes a little, but his voice choked, when he whispered, “I feel bad.”

Gaara didn’t say a word, but he slipped down from his bunk quiet as a cat and crawled into Naruto’s arms in his tank top and boxers. As always the first few kisses were a little rough, but that was fine, because as always, when Gaara decided to go the whole way he had Naruto curled into him and gasping in soft, hard pants, making little noises that sounded too, too loud in the dark. It made him feel small, but Naruto liked that about Gaara, that Gaara could make him feel small and warm and safe.

When they’d first been put together in a bunk it was because the Pope was pissed, angry that Naruto refused, with bared, sharp teeth, to get down on his knees. He was green, really really green, but he had lived the sort of life where he knew exactly what the name Gaara meant. It was a moment of pure terror to pack his shit in a little bag and walk up to the second floor where the guards kept the people they wanted to watch. It had been Kakashi who took him up, and despite being a pervy bastard, he had touched Naruto’s shoulder and told him, Gaara’d never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it, one way or another.

Walking into prison as a cop-killer, listening to words coming from one of the guards…it surprised Naruto enough that he walked into the cell with an odd, confused expression on his face. With Kakashi in mind he simply put his stuff on the empty bottom bunk, sat on it, and finally noticed the redhead standing in the shadows by the toilet.
He wasn’t taking a crap, so Naruto said hello, looking up into his eyes with a smile that was more shy than scared, because Kakashi had woken him up for a moment. Reminded him he wasn’t an animal just waiting to be consumed.

Gaara took two steps forward, stared down, and said, “If you snore I’ll kill you.” And then got up on his bunk.

Naruto had sat on his bed and stared at the wall, wondering how long a human could go without sleep. What he didn’t know was that Gaara was awake too, and could feel every nervous movement and hear every sigh. When Gaara leaned over the bunk for the first time he scared Naruto half to death.

“Go to sleep, or I’ll kill you.”

“Uh…” Naruto thought of the two orders in tandem and started snorting a little, trying to hold back his laughter.

Gaara narrowed his eyes and Naruto managed, “I don’t know if I snore…”

Gaara closed his eyes for a long time before whispering, “Just go to sleep.”

“Well,” Naruto rolled his eyes. He’d never really been a particularly *clever* boy, “As long as I’m being ordered-”

Inhale. Exxxxhale. Inhale- “Tell me your name.”

“Naruto.” Naruto said, a little surprised.

“Tell me your crime.”

Naruto didn’t want to tell, but he did. He whispered and Gaara seemed to be watching *everything*, Naruto’s hitched breath and the way he couldn’t quite keep his face in one position.

“Do you miss your family?”

Naruto couldn’t keep a small, tear-thick laugh from entering his mouth.

“I miss Haku. He’s all I’ve ever had.”

“Would you do it again?”

And in a second Naruto wasn’t crying anymore, he was angry and slick, and fisting his hands, as snapped, “You’re a fucking asshole, I just *told* you…you calling me a liar?!”

The little noises of prison at night stopped, even the guards stopped walking as their eyes jerked up for the show.

Gaara didn’t move a single muscle, just stared and stared until sighing, looking a little disappointed.

“Uzumaki Naruto,” He said, and it was *loud*, “I, nor any of my kind, will never kill you.”

Naruto snapped his mouth shut, Gaara rolled back over, and neither of them got any sleep.

Which was why, dozing on his table, one of Orochimaru’s thugs took an opportunity take something from Sand.

***

Gaara touched the scars on his face, brushed his fingers down and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Naruto kissed him and kissed him, and gasped, silently, his hand in Gaara’s hair as he finally bit at Naruto’s neck, open-mouthed and pressing, but no bruise. They exchanged kisses again, wet and hot, and that hard part of Gaara unfurled in a way it would never do outside. They were trapped in a cage together, but it kept everyone out.

Kissing Naruto was the only time Gaara could truly drop his guard, and it was the only time Naruto would ask him to, pressing against each other in thin shorts, Gaara pulling his tank to the side to suck on Naruto's nipple, bit his ribs and nibbled on his neck. It was fast, everything was fast in prison. Gaara got him off with a hand over his shorts and Naruto had just enough time to arch, before Gaara was pulling down his own shorts and Naruto was making those soft sounds again as Gaara fucked his mouth.

Gaara came, his red hair pressing against Naruto’s lips as he gave on small burst of air in satisfaction. He helped Naruto disengage, ran his fingers against his cheeks and ran a tongue over his wet lips before wrapping his whole hand around Naruto’s throat, squeezing just hard enough, harder and harder now that they knew each other, until the little glint of fear entered Naruto’s eyes. He let go, Naruto gasped a grateful, grateful breath and it was worth it, that moment of restrained fear, because every time Naruto didn’t struggle, every time he let his head fall back for Gaara’s brushing fingers…every single time Gaara would look at him with a curious kind of love, dark in his eyes and sharp on his mouth as he nipped hard on one space high on Naruto’s neck.

Then, and the first time Gaara had done this Naruto had been a little scared but more amazed, Gaara took off his shorts, pulled Naruto’s down and lowered himself, eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head in pleasure.

The first night Naruto had been loud, really loud, but this time a little sad, a little comforted, Naruto only gripped Gaara’s thighs so that Gaara could snatch Naruto at the wrists, and turn their little moment into anything he wanted.

***

The warden was frowning again, opening his mouth to say, “Lang-” when he stopped. Paused completely.

Naruto thought it was weird, that Uchiha was just having a really weird moment, and let it go, toning down the cussing.

Later in the day he watched as the warden talked to Kakashi, and when Kakashi started going on and on and on and the Warden was listening, a little glassy-eyed, three of those graceful fingers, slipped up behind his ear, white against his black hair, touching a little, rubbing up and down almost like a gentle itch. Naruto stared at that for a moment, and did the same to himself, a little confused. He touched a piece of skin that was surprisingly tender.

And then Naruto stopped too, frozen mid-babble as he thought, “*Oh*”

****

“So, here’s the thing-” Naruto scratched his arm and tried not to blush as he and Uchiha stared at each other.

Uchiha raised an eyebrow and asked, “Yes?”

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek, and said, “We don’t have any balls.”

Uchiha made the strangest face Naruto had ever seen and the guys watching from the shadows snorted their laughter when he finally rolled his eyes, and said, “What sort of balls are you interested in?”

Naruto’s eyes widened and he bit down *hard* to keep himself from taking the most laden opportunity for pure filth that he had ever been presented in his life. He stared at Uchiha, his shoulders trembling as the Warden gave him his trademark bemused stare…that slowly leeched out of his face, turning it placid and smooth. Without a single word Uchiha turned around to the wall and started laughing into his arm, really laughing as Naruto turned bright red.

When Uchiha finally turned back around his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were a little watery but he was composed again as he pulled his clipboard up.

“So,” His voice was a little strained , Naruto was bright red, and the rest of the room was in varying states of mirth as he started naming off half of a sports store.

“No golf balls I think,” Uchiha said, frowning very seriously, “And no croquet…nothing with mallets or clubs.”

“What about volley ball?” Naruto asked, stepping a little closer than he probably should. Everyone else had gotten bored and the hall was pretty much deserted. “I’ve watched it on TV but I’ve never played…”

Uchiha nodded, and said, “You know, neither have I.”

“Now,” His moment of being human was gone and the Warden was firmly back in place, “What happened to the sports equipment you *used* to have.”

Naruto shrugged, “You can’t play basketball with the same basketball for months and not have it die out on you.”

“Truly.” Uchiha nodded, “But I’d like to see the corpses before I order more, if you don’t mind.”

It took a moment for Naruto process and when he did-

“You’re a fucking weirdo, Uchiha.”

“Warden Uchiha,” He murmured, flipping a couple of pages on his clipboard. All of a sudden, for no particular reason except for being contrary…Naruto snatched the clipboard out of Uchiha’s hands.

Sasuke…and *that’s* when Naruto started thing *Sasuke* stared at the empty air, frozen for a long, long time until Naruto winced and put the clipboard back where it should be, sliding right back into his hands. Sasuke’s lips quirked a little and Naruto murmured, “Sorry.”

Then Sasuke looked up and smiled. It wasn’t a huge, toothy, face wrinkling smile, but it was a real smile. Warmth sort of filled in his eyes from the middle, showing off the facets of brown that Naruto hadn’t noticed before. Usually they looked black, especially with those thick eyelashes and pale, pale skin, but really, Naruto smiled back, no one had *black* eyes just really, really, really dark chocolate-

“Nothing to be sorry about Mr. Uzumaki.”

Naruto laughed a little hysterically but he didn’t lean forward, push that stupid clipboard down, grab him by the tie and-

“Mr. Uzumaki,” And Naruto knew it, there was something there that hadn’t been there before, before they started blushing at each other and laughing and being stupid about nonsense.

“Uh, yeah…Warden?”

“Was there anything else?”

And was there? Naruto stepped forward and said, “Keep smiling, don’t do anything different,”

And Sasuke took the cue perfectly, nodding with that little, bemused stare as Naruto ran a hand through his hair.

“Tomorrow the Aryans are gonna trash the Moslems. Gaara’s been recruiting the kids that aren’t too fucked up, and they want to go after something. They’re pissed.”

Sasuke pulled his pen off the clipboard and clicked it, like he always did, asking, “About what time you say?”

“They fight late in the day, those lazy fucks.”

“Language.” Sasuke murmured, put the pen against his lip, and said, smooth as anything, “Does this have something to do with the heroin shipments Gaara has been smuggling in with the plumber?”

Naruto froze and felt all the blood run right out of his face. Sasuke’s eyes flicked up and they were sharp, deadly sharp as he said, “Act natural, Uzumaki.”

“Shit,” Naruto hissed through a smile, “How the fuck did you-”

“Language.” Sasuke went through clipboard and this time when he checked something off it was for *real*, and Naruto wondered what it would have said if he had read it instead of giving the damn thing back.

“Tell your cellmate,” Sasuke didn’t look amused at all, “That this is strike two, and try to remind him that impressionable young men with toddlers and a mortgage can end up in jail just as easily as murderers.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay…” Naruto wilted a little, already not liking how a conversation like that might go.

“And *don’t* tell him that you told me about the Aryans.”

“I’m not stupid.” Naruto snapped, irritated that his nice afternoon had totally been fucked to hell and he still thought that Sasuke was gorgeous. Gorgeous, dangerous…and *uncompromising*.

“What happens at strike three?” Naruto couldn’t help but ask, and Sasuke smiled that sharp, dangerous grin, and said, “Do you really want to know?”

Naruto decided he really didn’t and, still stunned, he watched Sasuke go, clipboard in hand to where the Italians were shooting the shit.

He watched then, for a little while, as Sasuke made small-talk, smiled, and he noted exactly when the entire table froze, looking at Sasuke with wide, wide eyes.

Sasuke walked off after a few more minutes talking, making another check on his clipboard.


Part two....