When Love Fades

Chapter 12 - Divergence II

Sasuke stretched as he sat as his desk. His body felt like it was still riding the high from the endorphins of the night before. He found his thoughts drifting back to the sight of Naruto dead asleep in their bed that morning, and a slight smile made its way onto his lips. He hadn't gotten much sleep, but somehow he felt more energized than he had in months. He had expected Naruto to have been annoyed with him for showing up so late. Maybe Naruto had finally adjusted to their life post-college. He hadn't been fighting with him as much recently about the late nights and worked weekends.

And last night had been...

Sasuke looked up as the door to his office opened. Suigetsu walked in, his eyes widening as he took in the expression on Sasuke's face.

"Holy, shit! I didn't even know that you could actually smile," Suigetsu's eyes fixed on the unexpected sight of a small but clearly visible smile on his boss' face.

"What do you need, Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked, forcing his mind back on business, his face back in its expressionless mask.

Suigetsu eyed him for a moment suspiciously. "You look... happy." The pale-haired man stepped back out Sasuke's door, looking over at the nameplate to the right of the door frame as though double-checking the number on the office. "I know this is Uchiha Sasuke's office, but you can't be him. My asshole of a boss is never happy."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He was in a pretty good mood but it didn't mean Suigetsu had to make a big deal about it. His gaze happened to pass over the clock on his wall, and his eyes widened fractionally.

"Fuck," Sasuke breathed out a curse.

According to the clock, he was already five minutes late to their team meeting. Sasuke was never late, which is probably why Suigetsu had come looking for him. He felt his face heat slightly at the realization that he'd been daydreaming about his boyfriend and lost track of time.

He grabbed his laptop and shoved it in his bag. "Let's go. Neji's probably waiting!"

"Yeah. Why do you think I'm looking for you in your office, asshole?"

Ignoring him, Sasuke slung his bag over his shoulder and headed down to the team room where the rest of the group was already assembled, Suigetsu following behind him. He slid his satchel off his shoulder and set it on the table. The strap of the bag pulled Sasuke's shirt slightly, tugging the collar down enough that the darkened skin at the base of his throat was visible.

"Oh, my god, you have a hickey!" Suigetsu crowed, tugging the collar of Sasuke's shirt further to reveal the large, dark mark, "Sasuke got laid! Holy fucking shit!"

Sasuke stepped back sharply, giving the main a hard glare. "Fuck off, Suigetsu. We have other things to discuss today."

Suigetsu pulled his hands back, but didn't drop the subject. "Damn, that hickey is huge! Whatever chick you banged must have been some piece of ass. Was it that waitress that was drooling all over you last night? The way you glared at her I didn't think you were interested."

"I wasn't," Sasuke said tersely, fixing his collar. Usually he would have been annoyed at Naruto for leaving a mark that could be seen at work, but given the state Naruto had been in last night, Sasuke hadn't minded. In fact, he remembered quite actively enjoying it at the time.

Unfortunately, he now had to deal with the consequences. He never discussed his relationship status at work. Or really anything else about his personal life. He felt no desire to change that now.

Suigetsu kept going, though, ignoring the freezing look that Sasuke had on his face. "So if it wasn't the waitress... who did you even end up hooking up with?" Suigetsu glanced over at Karin.