Festivities - Prompt #1 for GaaSaku Month 2015!

"OK everyone! Fill up your drinks! Midnight is fast approaching!"
Sakura watched as a collective excitement ran through the crowd as people started gravitating toward the kitchen to refill their glasses. Contemplating the remains of her drink, she debated on whether or not she needed to get more.
Well, it wan't that she necessarily needed more alcohol, it was more of a question of want.

She had been dreading the holidays for a few months now.
She had covertly ducked out of Thanksgiving and spent a quiet night to herself full of pampering and fatty foods.
Christmas, however, couldn't be avoided. But between running around from house to house visiting friends and their families, the holiday sped by and she didn't have time to reflect on the dark and empty apartment she returned to before she collapsed exhausted on her bed.
New Years Eve was an entirely different monster and her lack of date she had brought haunted her around every corner.

She could see Ino's sympathy plastered all over her face when she walked through the door. "Ino, I'd like for you to meet my date." Sakura joked as she held up two bottles of wine.
"Oh, honey." Ino stated sympathetically as she gave her friend a hug. "Maybe there will be a few single guys here tonight."
Sakura flinched. All of the single guys left in Konoha were either too old, super young, or there were blatant reasons as to why they were still single.
"I'll be alright."
"Just promise you'll stick around until midnight. I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year at least."

All in all, she was actually quite proud of herself on how she had managed to avoid all of the couples activities and games that Ino had orchestrated. Choosing to mingle and catch up with a lot of people she really hadn't seen in a while, the time had flown by.
Time had also seemed to steal her date away from her as well. As she reached for one of the bottles she had brought, she noticed that one was already empty and the other was well on its way as well. At least I'll have an excuse to leave early Sakura thought to herself and she filled up her glass once again.

She watched as everyone started to shuffle to the living room where the official countdown was going to be held. Leaning against the counter, she debated on whether or not she should even follow everyone. It would be easier to snake out unnoticed if she separated herself now and also a lot easier to avoid all of the single guys that had been eyeing her all night.
Taking a big gulp of her wine, she sighed and leaned against the counter, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Having fun I see."
Her eyes flew open as she watched Gaara saunter into the kitchen.
"What brings you out to these parts?" Sakura asked surprised. Now that his sister was living in Konoha, Gaara had been around more often lately. But that didn't mean he didn't have his own responsibilities back in Suna.
"Naruto invited me." He stated simply as he placed an empty glass on the counter next to her. "And Temari said it would be good for me." His aggravation came to the surface as he grabbed for a liquor bottle behind her. Shifting out of his way slower than usual due to the alcohol saturating her blood stream, she smiled at his obvious irritation.

"Ino told me the same thing."
"You're here by yourself too?"
Sakura nodded as she watched him poor the brown alcohol into his glass, stop to contemplate the level, then pour more.
"I thought you came with that guy you've been talking to all night."
"What guy?"
"The one that's been following you around like a lost puppy."
"Oh...him. No, that poor man-child came by himself. I've been doing my best to avoid him all night."
"And failing miserably I see."
She shrugged back at him. "Some people just can't take a hint."
"Tell me about it." he mumbled as he sipped his drink.
"I take it that pack of wild girls that keeps following you around aren't your dates either."
"Good observation Haruno."

Sakura giggled and held up her glass, "To being single on New Years and preferring to keep it that way."
"And to the people that try their hardest to change that."
Their glasses clinked, and they both quickly downed their contents. Laughing at each other, Gaara took her glass from her and placed it on the counter.
Pushing herself onto the counter, she watched in silence as he refilled drink.

"Gaara-sama, it's almost midnight!" A busty brunette whined from the entrance of the kitchen.
"I'll be there in a second." he stated flatly. Sakura watched as his jaw muscles tightened.
When the brunette left, Gaara stopped pouring their drinks and leaned heavily on the counter.
"Friend of yours?"
"No. But she'd like to be."
"She's cute." Sakura offered.
"Unfortunately, I have a few more requirements then just that."
"I'm just saying, you could do a lot worse to bring in the new year."
"Don't be too sure about that, you haven't had a conversation with her yet."
"That bad, huh?"
The look he threw her spoke volumes.

"One minute everyone!" They heard Ino's voice raise above everyone else's.

"Are you going to head in there?" she asked him as she swung her legs over the side of the counter.
"I was actually looking for a place to hide. I didn't expect anyone else to be in here at this point of the night."
"I was trying to hide too."
His laugh came out as a low rumble from his chest as they clinked their glasses together once again.

Ten!
Nine!
Eight!

Sakura watched as couples in the other room started to wrap their arms around each other.

Five!
Four!
Three!

She was vaguely aware of him shifting next to her, gently brushing his arm against her leg.

Two!
One!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cheering, poppers, and noisemakers filled the house as everyone pulled each other into a kiss.
His hand on her cheek drew her out of her reverie as he planted a soft kiss on her lips.
"Happy New Year, Sakura." he mumbled against her mouth as she smiled against his.

The next day at breakfast, they both blamed the alcohol as they nursed their hangovers over a greasy breakfast and coffee. But when he asked her what she was doing later that night and mentioned that he really didn't have a reason to rush back to Suna, Sakura got the feeling that the new year was going to be much more interesting than the last one.