Flowers, tattoos and I love you's

27.magnolia*

"How are you still walking that fast after we've been standing for over four hours?" Sasuke panted, struggling to keep up. His legs felt like jelly, and his feet throbbed with every step.

Since lunch, they'd trudged through what seemed like dozens of stores—he'd even spotted a crochet shop with little hand-made frogs in the window.

It reminded him of Naruto.

Their five-month anniversary was coming up, and though they'd promised not to do gifts (a rule Sasuke himself had suggested after feeling guilty about Naruto's spending habits), the raven still felt the urge to give him something meaningful. Naruto had, after all, broken the rule first, and Sasuke wasn't exactly innocent either. A small token felt only fair to express his gratitude.

Naruto had once mentioned that his mother had crocheted him a little frog when he was young, though it had been lost in an accident. As soon as Sasuke saw the frog display, he'd quickly pulled up a tutorial for crochet frogs on his phone to figure out what he'd need before going inside. It looked a bit tricky, but he had a knack for pushing through challenges when they mattered.

After all that browsing, Deidara had taken him to a salon for a trim. Though Sasuke felt a pang at the thought of cutting his hair, he knew it was overdue, so he agreed to have his bangs trimmed just enough to keep them out of his eyes, leaving the rest of his messy "duck-butt" style intact. While Sasuke sat in the chair, getting his hair taken care of, Deidara scheduled a keratin treatment for himself.

The Uchiha assumed they'd finally be heading back to the hotel afterward, so he was baffled when Deidara kept dragging him along—half an hour of relentless, near-jogging speed.

At last, Deidara stopped. "We're here, brat."

Sasuke sagged in relief, taking a moment to catch his breath before glancing up at the sign.

The Leather Club

He felt an eye twitch. "I'm not going in there."

"Oh, yes, you are. I can't leave you standing out here alone."

"I think I'd rather be kidnapped than be seen walking into that store."

"Don't be so dramatic, Sasuke. It's just a sex shop. Besides, no one knows you around here except me."

"I don't need to go in. You can go, grab what you need, and we'll leave. What could you possibly need so urgently anyway?" Sasuke demanded, already regretting his curiosity. "Wait..." He interrupted himself, cringing. "Actually, don't answer that." He definitely didn't want to know anything about his brother's sex life.

Deidara smirked. "I wanted something special to wear for your brother once we're engaged—maybe a little—"

"Shhh! Enough! I don't need details!" He cut him off, hands over his ears.

"Then stop stalling, or I'll fill you in on every single thing your brother does every night after his long showers." Before Deidara could finish, Sasuke grabbed his wrist, practically dragging him inside the store. "Relax. Konan's in the back taking a nap. We can just ring the bell when we're done."

"So... you come here often?" Sasuke asked, trying hard not to look at the array of items on display.

Deidara shrugged casually. "Yeah. It's one of the few shops with a solid collection for gay men. They carry things you don't find in most stores." He seemed to know his way around as he led them deeper into the shop.

"Oh! Check this out!" Deidara stopped in front of a mannequin dressed in a black lingerie set with intricate red lace details. The outfit had a micro skirt, thigh-high leather garters, and clips for stockings. "This color's too dark to compliment me, but... I bet it'd look amazing on you."