Chapter Text
It was Saturday night. The early winter air was crisp and as Sasuke made his way up the stairs and out of the busy subway station, he pulled his wool coat tighter around his middle to fight the chill. Sasuke walked briskly as the double espresso he’d had a little while ago started to kick in. He hadn’t been able to get much sleep again and hoped he had enough energy to make it through another shift.
Downtown Konoha was bustling with tourists and natives alike, all likely looking for a drink and good time. The raven ghosted silently past their happy, smiling faces, no sense of connection to any of the other youth. It had been that way for a long time. In the early days, he used to pretend he was one of them. Just another carefree citizen passing through the shiny, busy streets on his way to meet some friends for some fun.
Those days were long gone though. Now he preferred to blend into the scenery so no one would notice him. Sasuke continued on his way, body moving on autopilot, mind blank. It was just easier if he didn’t have to think about it.
The raven walked the eight familiar blocks until he got to the side street the establishment was on. There was hardly anyone outside on that end but that wasn’t too unusual. That section of blocks was pretty desolate to begin with since there wasn’t much to do. There were no hip restaurants or popular lounges on that side so not many people had reason to be there. The only ones that were had very specific intentions. They knew exactly what they wanted and knew just where to get it.
Sasuke continued down the empty street for a few moments before turning down a small damp alley. He made his way through until he came to a large, steel door. The word Sannin beamed in purple, neon cursive against the black, painted brick of the building. The fluorescent light cast an eery glow on Sasuke’s pale face.
Sighing softly, the raven made his way up the steps and knocked three times. After a few seconds, the sound of metal sliding across metal was heard as the Judas window was opened. Sasuke nodded once at the man and the window was quickly shut before the door was unlocked and pulled open.
“Hey Sasuke,” the large, redheaded man said. He stepped aside as the smaller man passed by him.
“Hi Jugo. You’re on the door all night?”
“Nah, just filling in for a bit. I’ll be out there to spot you guys soon.”
“Ok. How is it tonight,” Sasuke asked flatly.
“Full house. Should keep you real busy.”
“Yeah I bet. Thanks Jugo.”
The bouncer nodded once and Sasuke turned and made his way downstairs and into the dark club. Music pulsed through the walls and became louder as Sasuke made his way down.
Despite it’s humble exterior, Sannin was an extremely lavish venue. There were high ceilings, shiny hardwood floors, and posh, modern decor throughout the entire space. The site was divided into three main areas. There was a large main room with sparkling, hanging light fixtures, colorful plush couches, and a modest dance floor in the center.
Off to the left of that was a small staircase that led up to a narrow hallway. Beyond that were several private rooms, and a small industrial kitchen. On the right side of the space, right before the main room, was another small hallway. The restrooms were there along with a small changing room for the staff and a lone red door.
Sasuke’s dark eyes skimmed the main room. As Jugo said, it was packed. There were rowdy men in suits everywhere drinking and smoking and laughing as impeccably dressed hosts served them a seemingly endless supply of gourmet food and expensive drinks.
Music blared through the speakers as several women in skimpy, sequined costumes twirled around gracefully in the middle of the dance floor. Most of the men watched the dancers eagerly from the couches. The rest of them were busy with some of the other hosts they’d managed to pull into their laps.
Sasuke noted the tight smiles many of the hosts wore. It was the forced twisting of their mouths, jaws clenched to hide the disgust. The interest they managed to fake just never quite reached the eyes. It was stiffening of the shoulders as a wrinkled hand unsubtly groped them through the thin fabric of their clothes. The men were seemingly oblivious to these small details, but that was to be expected.
They were paying for a service so why would they try to care about something as silly as someone else’s comfort?
The raven sighed as he continued to the changing room like he normally did. He was really starting to feel the effects of his lack of proper sleep, but he also didn’t have time to let that slow him down. He steeled his nerves, took a large swig from the bottle he carried in his coat, and prepared for another night at Sannin.
_________________________________
Later on that evening, Sasuke found himself in one of the private rooms seated between two older, intoxicated businessmen, both vying pathetically for his attention. Multicolored lights gleamed off of the spinning disco ball that hung overhead and illuminated the soft flecks of silver mica adorning Sasuke’s eyelids and the tops of his cheeks.
The raven’s jet black hair was pushed away from his face and swept back into a short, low ponytail. He kept his engagement with the clients extremely limited so allowing them the pleasure of enjoying his face unobstructed by the silky fringe was more than a fair trade in his mind.
Music boomed from the walls and the floor and vibrated through the soft cushions of the lime green couch. Sasuke’s could feel the base as it pulsed through his shoes and he hated it. It made it difficult to pretend he was elsewhere. He had a slight buzz from the shots he’d taken earlier, but it wasn’t enough to dull the feelings of resentment he harbored at having to be there.
From the corner of his eye, he could see the third guest on the other side of the couch sucking face with one of his coworkers. The man had pulled her hastily into his lap and was touching her wherever he could reach. It was only a matter of time before her dress would end up on the ground. Sasuke knew the two men he was sandwiched between were expecting the same sort of treatment.
He would be sure to disappoint them.
The raven stared straight ahead at the mirrored wall and tried his best to tune out the men’s fervid praises. He didn’t care that the one on his left thought he was the “most gorgeous creature he had ever seen”, or that the one to his right would “gladly take him away from all this” with a single word.
He just wanted them to finish their drinks, thank him for his company, and leave like the majority of them did. Once they figured out that was all the raven offered, they usually just thanked him for his time and found someone else who was willing to warm their beds. Sasuke knew that wouldn’t be the case tonight somehow.
His suspicions were confirmed when he felt a hand squeeze his knee. Another came from the opposite side of him and slowly glided up to his inner thigh.
Sasuke’s first instinct was to shove the offending digits away but over time, he had learned to keep those reflexes in check. He knew what this was and what was expected of him. No matter how much he loathed it. So he took a breath and slowly closed his eyes as he summoned the tiny bit of patience he’d been clinging to since he first walked in.
He let his jet black lashes fan out demurely under his lids and forced the side of his mouth up into a small curve. It was the best imitation of a genuine smile he could muster.
“You’re both too kind,” he said evenly above the music.
He opened his eyes again and got up to retrieve the ornate glass decanter off of the small metal table in front of them. He could have reached it by simply leaning forward, but the hands quickly slid from his leg as he rose and the raven could not have been more pleased about it.
Keeping his voice as neutral as possible Sasuke turned back to the gray-haired men, “Please, allow me to get you some more wine.”
He reached for one of the empty glasses and immediately began to pour more of the expensive drink.
“Oh, isn’t he sweet,” the one on the left said to his friend.
He smiled towards Sasuke as he accepted the glass, putting his yellowed teeth on full display. The raven got the impression that the man actually expected he looked somewhat charming. His friend laughed alongside him. His teeth weren’t as yellow but his face was unnaturally greasy-looking.
“Yes he is,” grease-face replied still leering at the younger man.
Just as Sasuke was about to pour another drink for the second man, he felt a hand grasp his wrist effectively stopping him. He glanced up to see the other businessman leaning toward him with a lecherous grin.
“I’m fine, thanks. I was actually hoping for something else.”
His tone was positively dripping with lust and it made the raven’s stomach turn.
Sasuke put down the decanter as he felt his arm being pulled by the man, “Let go of my arm please.”
Grease-face just chuckled as he continued to tug at Sasuke, “Hey it’s okay. Just come here, I won’t bite. Unless you want me to.”
Both men laughed.
“I said let go of me,” Sasuke commanded again as he yanked his arm out of his grasp.
Yellow-teeth moved his glass from his lips and arched a brow in their direction. Sasuke mentally sighed.
So it was going to be one of those nights.
“What the hell is your problem? We’re just trying to have a good time,” greasy said angrily as he got to his feet and crowded the raven. “Now come on and give me a kiss for being so rude. I’ll forgive you if you’re nice sweetheart.”
Sasuke’s face remained passive as he stared at the man in disgust. The alcohol on his breath and the offensive odor of his cologne threatened to make him gag. He took a step back to put some much-needed distance between them and tried again to manage the unruly brute.
“It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to meet your expectations for tonight. Let me find you another host who’s more along the lines of what you’re looking for.”
As Sasuke turned to walk to the door, he felt a rough hand on his shoulder pull him back around.
“Excuse me? Just who the hell do you think you are? Do you know who I am?” greasy sneered. His fingers dug into Sasuke’s arm as he forced him back against the wall.
Yellow-teeth just stayed on the couch, eyes wide as he chuckled and sipped his wine. The other man in the corner pulled away from the woman on his lap and watched the display with mild interest.
The grease-faced man gripped Sasuke by his other shoulder and leaned in close to his face as he spoke. The raven could see specks of saliva flying past his lips as he scolded him.
“Do you know how much money I spend in this place? I could buy you a hundred times over honey. Now how about you show me some damn respect and get on your fucking knees.”
The man leaned closer as if to try to kiss Sasuke. Before he could reach him though, there was a hard, muffled sound and he promptly doubled over in pain, eyes wide and frantic.
Sasuke lowered his knee and hurriedly pushed the man away from him. Though he seemed to project a mild, uninterested demeanor, the raven was still almost six feet tall. He might not be able to win every fight with his lean frame, but he could certainly hold his own when he needed to.
Hell, even if he couldn’t he would absolutely go down swinging.
Sasuke straightened his clothes and tucked away a loose strand of hair before speaking again in his monotone, “I believe I asked you not to touch me.”
“Ughh-, you little bitch,” the man winced raggedly, nursing his injured groin. He hobbled over to the table and reached for one of the empty water carafes.
Just as he was about to lunge at Sasuke with the glass, the door to the private room swung open and in walked Jugo. He immediately placed himself in front of Sasuke and grabbed the man’s arm where he’d raised it to strike. The heavily muscled bouncer twisted the arm back and the man soon dropped the glass as he howled in pain. It shattered into pieces across the hardwood floor.
“Is everything okay in here?” Jugo asked as his eyes darted angrily around the room.
His tone implied it wouldn’t be smart to indicate otherwise and the men seemed to understand. None of the men spoke as they stared up at him hesitantly. Jugo released the arm with a harsh shove and the greasy man stumbled back down onto the couch next to his friend.
“Everything is fine. I was just on my way to get this gentleman a new host. He’s expressed some... specific tastes. Nothing to worry about,” Sasuke supplied flatly.
Jugo grunted in response, eyes still leveling a threatening glare at the man still clutching his groin on the sofa. The raven moved out of the room and Jugo stepped back slowly after him.
“We’ll get someone in here to clean that up,” Jugo said gesturing at the broken glass. “Remember, I’ll be close by if you need anything else.”
The men nodded up at the larger man, letting him know they’d received the message loud and clear. Jugo grunted his satisfaction and sent a questioning glance over to the other girl who was still seated in the other guy’s lap. She sent him a small smile assuring him she was fine.
Jugo nodded as he backed out of the room, “Please enjoy the rest of your night gentlemen.”
The bouncer stepped through the door and met Sasuke in the hallway. The raven rubbed at his forehead as if he was having a migraine. Jugo reached out and placed a hand on his arm gently.
“Are you okay?”
Sasuke turned and looked up at Jugo. He felt tired and aggravated but he managed to keep his face blank. He blinked and nodded slowly, “Yes. I’m fine. Thanks Jugo.”
“If he gives you any more trouble let me know. I’ll stay close.”
The raven nodded his understanding and Jugo walked away to continue his patrol of the club.
Sasuke made his way to the staff room and was happy to discover it was empty. He took a seat at one of the vanities and stared at his reflection. No one could tell by looking at him just how empty and dead he felt on the inside. His job at Sannin only made it worse but he knew he had no other choice. He reminded himself that it wouldn’t be forever. All he had to do was stick it out for a little while longer and he’d be free of that place once and for all.
After a few more steadying breaths, Sasuke stood up, fixed his clothes, and went back out to finish his shift.
_________________________________
It was just after 4:00 am as Sasuke punched in the passcode and made his way through the red door next to the changing room. He climbed the small flight of stairs and made his way into the office. He sat down on the small sofa and turned his head to look out the one-way mirror overlooking the main floor of the club.
The music had tapered off and hosts were helping happy, drunken guests make their way towards the exit as others began to sweep up and wipe down the tables.
Another night at Sannin completed.
Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the couch. It was quiet in the office and he allowed himself a few moments to decompress. Forcing himself to keep the company of so many repellent men made him sick and he just felt drained.
He thought back on the incident with the greaseball earlier and wondered vaguely what would have happened had Jugo not stepped in when he did. Sasuke knew he could have potentially been harmed but the thought didn’t really scare him as much as he thought it should.
His brief respite was short-lived as he heard the passcode being entered down at the door. There was a beep and the sound of a latch unlocking before the door opened. A set of footsteps traveled up the stairs and Sasuke pulled his eyes open and lowered his head to see who had entered the room. His eyes rolled tiredly in his skull and he laid back against the sofa as the white hair came into view.
Just what he needed.
“Ugh. What the hell are you doing in here,” Kabuto mumbled as he shuffled over to the desk in the center of the room.
Sasuke felt his annoyance growing and pushed it down as best he could. He closed his eyes again and replied monotonously, “I was asked to wait here.”
He heard Kabuto snort and then there was the sound of a box being placed on the desk.
“I don’t know why he’d ask you to wait here for him. You should be down there helping to clean up for the night. It’s not like you do anything else.”
Sasuke remained silent. He was in no mood to deal with Kabuto and figured if he didn’t engage, the man would get bored and leave him alone.
No such luck.
“I heard you got into it with a client tonight,” Kabuto taunted. “What’s the matter? I thought everyone loved you Sasuke? Or were they just fighting over you.”
The raven sighed and slowly tilted his head down to look at the other man. He was leaning on the desk with his arms crossed over his chest. A smug grin was spread across his face as he stared venomously through his rounded silver spectacles.
“Oh don’t give me that look. Kimi told me all about it. Said she had to step in and save your pathetic ass after you practically begged her to. You still can’t do your job properly pretty boy?”
Sasuke arched a thin brow, “She got paid for taking the clients. And she doesn’t seem to mind those types of requests so I’d hardly call it a sacrifice. What exactly is the problem?”
Kabuto’s face morphed into an expression of anger as he pushed off from the desk and stepped closer to Sasuke.
“What’s the problem? The problem is you’re too fucking high and mighty to do what people wanna pay you for! You work here same as any of us but you somehow think you’re better than everyone.”
“I don’t think that.”
“Bullshit you don’t!” he yelled moving right in front of him on the sofa. “If you’re too much of a prude to give these men what you know they want, then you should just fucking leave!”
Sasuke stared up at the white-haired man with a bored expression. It was always the same argument with him. Just as the raven opened his mouth to reply, a smooth, low voice sounded from the top of the staircase.
“That’s enough Kabuto.”
Kabuto whipped around and every trace of aggression in his body instantly evaporated.
“Orochimaru sir!”
Sasuke glanced over at the owner of the office with mild interest. Orochimaru was a tall, slender man who wore a deep, navy suite. His long, black hair was gathered over the side of his right shoulder and secured halfway down the strands with a purple, silk tie.
Despite his slight build, Orochimaru carried with him such an imposing and foreboding presence that he commanded respect without ever having to open his mouth. If ever someone was put off by his powerful aura, one smile was usually all it took for him to disarm them. Kabuto, like many others, had quickly fallen victim to the man’s charms.
“Sasuke did nothing wrong,” the older man said smoothly stepping fully into the office. His hands were tucked into his pants pockets and there was a soft expression on his face.
“This isn’t some low class whorehouse. Sannin is an exclusive gentleman’s club and we take our reputation very seriously. The only encounters encouraged here are ones between consenting adults. I’d hate for any of my employees to feel pressured to do anything they didn’t want to do.”
Kabuto lowered his head in shame, “Yes. Of course sir. Please, forgive me.”
Orochimaru moved forward and rested a hand on the younger man’s shoulder, “All is well Kabuto. Thank you for your hard work tonight. I heard a lot of good things from Mr. Choi as he was leaving. He seemed quite smitten with you. I think he’ll be a new regular.”
The white-haired man looked up at his boss, eyes shining at the praise, “I think so as well. He booked a room upstairs and I’m meeting him there later on.”
Orochimaru smiled proudly, “Wonderful. I’m sure you’ll show him a good time.”
“I will,” Kabuto said nodding dutifully. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope full of cash before handing it to the taller man. “Mr. Choi paid in advance too. Well over the usual rate!”
The snake-like man cocked a thin brow at Kabuto. His face was suddenly very serious, “Paid?”
The younger man realized his mistake immediately and lowered his head, “I’m sorry sir. He has offered his donation in advance.”
Orochimaru smiled again, “That’s right. We don’t accept payment for those types of services here. That’s not what this is. The generous patrons who visit our lounge provide tips and donations to our attentive hosts as a show of appreciation. Anything happening beyond the walls of Sannin is something else entirely and not our business.”
Sasuke rolled his eyes discreetly from where he sat.
Kabuto nodded fervently as he took in the older man’s words. He was completely entranced, “Of course sir.”
The pale man smiled charmingly at Kabuto. His hand left his shoulder and moved up to cup his cheek gently, “Thank you. Now run along. You look divine and you wouldn’t want to keep Mr. Choi waiting.”
Kabuto practically melted into the brief touch as he nodded slowly at the older man. He looked like he would burst from excitement at any moment. After another smug glance back at Sasuke, he dashed down the steps and out of the room.
The raven sighed quietly and stood up from the sofa. He glanced up at the other man expectantly when they were finally alone, and hoped he’d make it quick so he could leave already. Orochimaru leaned on his desk and folded his hands together in front of him. Silence hung in the air for a few more moments.
“Did you need something from me?” Sasuke finally asked. His tone was as dry as ever.
Orochimaru chuckled gently, “Not so much, no. I simply wanted to check on you. Jugo told me what happened earlier and I saw the footage. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” he replied evenly.
The older man seemed to be waiting for Sasuke to elaborate, but when he remained silent Orochimaru just nodded. He got up from the desk and walked over to the raven.
He was standing directly in front of him when he continued, “Okay. I know you’ve only been with us for about a month, but I just want to make sure you feel safe here. Your comfort is my highest priority Sasuke so if you ever need anything, I hope you’ll let me know.”
Sasuke stared up at the man, face still blank. He didn’t know him that well but he wasn’t stupid. He could feel there was something off about Orochimaru. Something dangerous even. He’d felt it the moment he met him.
Though he showed no outward emotion, Sasuke knew it was better to just play it cool for as long as possible. His gut told him Orochimaru was not someone he should get mixed up with but he had no choice. He desperately needed the money so he decided he’d keep his head down and his mouth shut.
“Thank you. I will,” came his colorless response. The older man watched him curiously through narrowed, golden eyes. “...If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
Orochimaru suddenly smiled brightly at him, “Yes, of course.”
Sasuke stepped around him to leave but before he reached the staircase, the older man’s voice stopped him.
“Oh since I have you here, I may as well give you this.”
Sasuke turned to see the man reach into his jacket and pull out a folded stack of cash. The raven eyed it suspiciously.
“I thought we got paid on Sunday nights. At the end of the weekend.”
He watched Orochimaru count the twenty, hundred-dollar bills from the stack before he stretched his arm out to hand him the money.
“That’s true. But these are your tips from the gentlemen from earlier. They felt bad about the... misunderstanding, and told me they wanted to try and make it up to you.”
Sasuke had no doubt that Orochimaru had some type of influence over the sudden gesture of apology. He glanced down hesitantly at the thick, wad of cash being presented to him.
“Go on and take it. You’ve more than earned it,” the older man gently insisted.
The raven stared for another moment before his arm came up and his fingers closed around the bills. He looked down at the folded paper before glancing back up at the older man. A wide smile stretched across Orochimaru’s face.
“It’s really a shame we only operate Friday through Sunday. We could have this entire city eating out of the palms of our hands if we opened during the week.”
Sasuke cast him a bored look. As he understood it , Sannin had a loose arrangement with the hotel upstairs and one of the terms of the agreement was that they only sent them “customer referrals” on weekends.
It was something to do with the shady weekend night manager being somewhat skittish about the legalities of the situation. So since easy access to upscale hotel rooms were a large part of Sannin’s “business”, it made sense to confine their operations strictly to the weekends.
The raven was sure Orochimaru knew all this so he wasn’t sure why he’d made that comment. But the next moment the man seemed to forget about it.
“Alright then. I won’t hold you up any longer,” he said softly as he walked behind his desk. “Enjoy the rest of your night Sasuke. Thank you for your hard work. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sasuke nodded before turning around and heading down the stairs to leave the office. Had he looked back, he might have seen the sly grin that slid across the other man’s face as he left.
_________________________________
One forty-minute subway ride, and a twenty-minute walk from the station later, Sasuke finally found himself walking up the frigid, concrete steps of his shabby, third floor apartment. He shuffled silently through a group of young guys hanging out on the steps, and ignored their childish heckling.
The familiar burn settled into his thighs when he reached the top and he sighed as he traveled down the junky, outdoor hallway towards his own shitty apartment. Despite the early morning hour, Sasuke could hear music blasting and people arguing from the surrounding units he passed. He ignored the noise as he usually did and made his way to his own door.
He jiggled his keys in the cold, metal lock, twisting it several times before the stupid thing finally gave way and allowed him to push open the creaky door. He shuffled inside the tiny studio, nearly tripping on the shopping bag of clothes Orochimaru insisted on sending him home with the prior weekend. He kicked the bag to the side and locked the heavy door behind him.
The space couldn’t exactly be called messy since there weren’t enough items in the apartment to really constitute a mess. Sasuke’s only furniture was a black futon tucked into one corner of the room, and two plastic storage containers stacked in the other that held most of the raven’s worldly possessions.
There wasn’t any clutter but the place itself could definitely use some fixing up. Paint peeled from the dull, stained walls and brown water spots littered the ceiling from previous damage. The bathroom door was almost completely off of the rusty hinges and the overhead light in the middle of the room flickered continuously.
The tiled floor was discolored in some areas and there was a thick layer of grime caked between the panes of the only window. None of it really mattered though. This was all just temporary. Who cared what it looked like.
Sasuke shrugged off his coat and tucked it into the tiny closet. He set his hand on the radiator and wasn’t surprised to find it was ice cold. Sucking his teeth, the raven quickly changed into an old gray sweatsuit. He pulled a tiny space heater out of the closet and set it up near the bed.
Though he wasn’t particularly hungry, Sasuke knew he should eat something and tossed a cup of instant noodles into the microwave. It wasn’t his favorite but he had nothing else so he decided to make due.
While the noodles cooked, Sasuke went into the tiny bathroom and washed the night off of his face. He stared at his reflection in the rusty, cracked mirror and noted the darkness under his eyes. Without the makeup his bare skin looked sallow and dull. He felt exhaustion settle into his frame and wondered if he’d be able to get a few hours of sleep today.
Probably not.
Sasuke shut off the bathroom light and headed to the kitchen area. He opened the only cabinet above the counter and pulled out a box of wheat crackers. The raven opened the package and removed an envelope. He took out the bills Orochimaru had given him earlier and added them to the stack he’d tucked away in the snack box.
Once they were all lined up, he closed the envelope, put it back in the box, and placed the package back in the cabinet. Just as he finished, the microwave dinged.
Sasuke grabbed his noodles, hit the light, and tucked himself into the corner of his futon in front of the heater. He forced down the food without even really tasting it, but it was hot so it was fine. When he was done, he folded himself into his only blanket to try to shake off the chill. His body ached with fatigue and though he closed his eyes, his mind continued to turn restlessly.
Sasuke did his best to clear his thoughts and tried the visualization technique he’d read about a few weeks ago. He imagined himself laying on his back in an empty, grassy field.
He was doing well but every so often, flashes of police lights and echos of screaming would invade the field and his eyes would shoot open in panic. His heart raced but once he realized he wasn’t back there, he started to calm down.
Sasuke stuck his hand out of the blanket and reached for the bottle he kept next to the bed. He uncapped it and leaned up to take a few healthy swigs of the dark, amber liquor. He grimaced as put the bottle away and settled back under the comforter. Sasuke stared up at the blotchy ceiling as the alcohol slowly warmed his stomach.
It was much quieter in the apartment today. The woman next door must have already left for work because he couldn’t hear her yelling at her children. Sasuke closed his eyes again and tried to take advantage of the peace. If he was lucky he could get a solid three hours of sleep before he was inevitably woken up by the ghosts in his head.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke pulled the covers over his face and forced his eyes to stay closed. It was just after 6:30 in the morning when he finally drifted off to sleep.
_________________________________
The sound of yelling outside his apartment yanked the raven from his light slumber. His eyeballs danced behind his lids and he quickly squeezed them shut as he tried to trick his mind into falling back to sleep.
It probably would have worked if it wasn’t for the unexpected shriek of a nearby car alarm that tore through the air right after.
Sasuke huffed and pulled the covers tighter around himself as the cold air began to seep in. He cracked an eye open and saw the space heater had shut off after the automatic timer. The raven grabbed his phone and saw that it was almost 11:00 am.
Before he could think about it, he braced himself against the chill and crawled off of the futon. He reached over and turned the heater on again before he scurried back underneath his blanket. Once the warm air started to blow in his direction, Sasuke closed his eyes tried to lull himself back to sleep.
The car alarm was still blaring in the distance and the lady outside was still hell bent on letting the world know that she could do a lot better than the bum she was currently screaming at. Sasuke tapped his phone a few times and soft music began to play. The commotion outside could still be heard, but it was much easier for him to ignore it.
For the next hour, Sasuke forced himself to rest. He knew that even if he couldn’t get back to sleep, his body would certainly appreciate the downtime.
At 12:00 pm, the raven finally accepted that he’d be running his day on those precious four hours of sleep he’d somehow managed to get. He pulled himself off of the futon and made his way to the bathroom to put himself together. To his delight, there was hot water for his shower. He made quick work of cleaning himself and finished up just as the flow started to cool back down again.
Twenty minutes later, Sasuke was out the door. He rode the subway for an hour and got off in the business district. Despite it being a sunny, Sunday afternoon, Sasuke hated coming to this part of town. It was crawling with bankers and executives and office workers who wore nice suits and seemed straight-laced, but frequented places like Sannin on the weekends.
Sasuke hated how smug they always looked. He’d see them turn their noses up at the cleaners and restaurant workers and shoe-shiners who served them, when all the while they were happy to betray their wives and partners whenever the feeling struck them.
They were no better than anyone else but they seemed to love pretending that they were. Paying for the affections of desperate, young women and men must have become a new virtue Sasuke wasn’t aware of.
The raven kept his head down as he moved through the streets. Eventually, he came to an older-looking building on an empty corner. He hit the bell and within a few seconds the door buzzed and allowed him entry. He slipped inside the narrow building and took the elevator up to the fifth floor. He stepped out into a narrow hallway, and towards a set of clear, double doors. A large sign hung over them spelling out Root.
Sasuke entered the small, shabby office and glanced around. No one was there. He sighed and moved over to the counter before he hit the bell to let someone know he was there.
After a few moments, movement was heard from the back room. Sasuke looked up as an unfamiliar man walked out to greet him. He was unnaturally pale with jet black hair, and he looked to be about the same age as Sasuke.
His face was blank but as he stopped in front of the counter, his cheeks seemed to pull themselves into a weird grimace that Sasuke suspected was supposed to be a smile.
“How can I help you?” the man asked casually.
“Is Danzo here?” Sasuke replied curtly.
“I’m afraid he stepped out,” the man replied with another odd grimace. He seemed to be trying to engage the upper half of his face, but couldn’t quite get it to cooperate. “Maybe I might be of assistance?”
“When is he coming back.”
“I’m not sure, but I’d be happy to help if you tell me what you need.”
“I need to know when Danzo will be back.”
The man’s brows came together in what appeared to be mock-concern, “Again, I’m not sure when that might be.”
Sasuke sighed as his patience started to slip. He knew he was being rude but he couldn’t help it. He just wanted to finish his business and he didn’t want to be there longer than was necessary.
“Look, no offense but I don’t know who the hell you are. I need to know when Danzo will be back. Can you call him or something?”
The man’s dark eyes went wide but strangely enough, his overall expression didn’t change, “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself! Please forgive me. My name is Sai. I’m a new account manager here at Root.”
Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes before speaking very slowly, “Sai. I need to make a payment on a loan. Since you work here now, I know you know that since you aren’t my account manager, you can’t accept my payment. When. Will Danzo. Be back?”
Sai stared blankly at the raven before pulling out his phone. He dialed a number and put the device to his ear. His eyes remained on Sasuke as the call connected.
“Hi. Yes it’s me… I have someone here who needs to make a payment… Yes, dark hair, pretty face… I know I told him… Ok, hold on.”
Sai handed Sasuke the phone. When the raven just gave him a confused stare he explained, “He wants to talk to you. Take it. It’s fine.”
Sasuke reluctantly took the phone and put it to his ear, “Hello?”
“Sasuke my boy, is that you? Back so soon? Your next payment isn’t due for another week you know.”
Sasuke felt his skin prickle at the man’s scummy tone, and flat out ignored them identifying him as ‘dark hair’ and ‘pretty face’.
“I’m well aware,” he replied evenly. “Will you be here to take it or should I come back another day?”
“Well I’m afraid I’m attending to some other business at the moment, but I’d hate for you to have made the trip for nothing. Especially when you’re trying to be so diligent with an early payment.”
Sasuke ground his teeth. He could practically hear the smile in the old man’s voice.
“I’ll authorize Sai to accept your payment just this once.”
“That’s allowed all of a sudden? What about the contract terms?”
“Don’t worry about that. We won’t enforce any penalty so you’re fine.”
Sasuke didn’t believe the man for one second, but it’s not like he could argue with him. He stared at Sai for a moment before he spoke again.
“Tell him I’ll be needing a signed receipt as well as a copy of the ledger entry.”
Danzo laughed softly. It was devoid of humor and implied danger.
“Always so meticulous. A copy of the ledger? Do you really need to go that far? Don’t you trust us?”
“Why would I.”
“Oh Sasuke. We wouldn’t try to cheat you. What kind of people do you take us for?”
Sasuke decided it was best not to respond. Danzo’s tone was becoming suggestive and the raven didn’t trust his patience to endure. He handed the phone back to Sai who was still staring at him blankly.
“Mm,” Sai hummed as he put the phone back to his ear. “Okay. I will.”
He hung up the call and abruptly walked away to the back of the office where he had first come from. Sasuke watched him go, still slightly confused.
Sai returned a few minutes later with a large black book under his arm and a smaller white one in the other. He set the items down on the counter and flipped them open.
“Danzo has instructed me to accept your loan payment this afternoon on his behalf,” the man explained as he flipped through the pages of the black book. “How much would you like to pay today?”
Sasuke unzipped his coat a little and slipped his hand into one of his inner pockets. He pulled out some folded bills and placed them on the counter, “$1,000.”
Sai took the money and counted it. He held the bills up to the light and used a special marker to blot each one. Once he was satisfied of their authenticity, he wrote up a receipt in the white book and handed it to Sasuke.
“Sign here please,” Sai told him.
The raven did as he was instructed and Sai took the book back. He tore out the page and separated the sheets, handing one of the copies of the payment receipt to Sasuke.
He then went through the black book and scrolled down to an empty line under the Uchiha’s section. He listed the payment and turned the book around to Sasuke so he could confirm it was entered.
The raven pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of the page with the new entry. He nodded once he was satisfied his payment was received and properly logged.
“Thank you for your payment Mr. Uchiha.”
Sasuke carefully put away his receipt and zipped his coat back up. As he turned to leave, Sai’s voice called out to him again.
“It’s good that your lot have stopped making the minimum payments on this account. That interest starts to pile up if you let it get away from you. ”
When Sasuke glanced back, Sai had looked back down into the ledger book. He raised his eyes to Sasuke and his face was back to being completely blank.
“This type of payment shows Root that you’re serious about settling your debt. It makes us less inclined to resort to… unfavorable measures when clients fall behind. And that’s good for everyone.”
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the man’s thinly-veiled threat but didn’t deign him a response. With the humble office space, it was easy to forget that Root was nothing more than a dodgy loan shark business. But when things like that were said, it was made blindingly clear.
Sai’s face suddenly morphed into the same smile-grimace he wore earlier, and he waved a hand at him from the counter.
“Thank you for coming by. Have a lovely day.”
Sasuke turned away without another word and left the office.
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