This was my entry for the 2011 March DateMe contest on DeviantArt. Topic was favorite threesome. I absolutely love NaruHinaSasu, because it's my favorite pairings smushed together.

I know haters gonna hate, but try to keep the flaming to a minimum, okie dokie?

Enjoy.

Any Other Way

"This is so stupid." The blonde grumbles, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Che, stop complaining. You picked the movie last time." The other man scoffs before pushing an overflowing container of popcorn that the blonde knows has too much butter on it, even though he's told them time and time again that he likes salt and most certainly not butter on his popcorn.

The blonde wrinkles his nose and his whole face scrunches up. Movie popcorn butter smells like shit.

No, burnt shit.

The blonde lets out a heavy sigh and turns to the third member of their party, his expression immediately going from disgruntled to cheery. "You got all the candy, Hina?"

The bluenette nods slowly and begins to chew on her bottom lip. "Naruto-kun, do you really not want to see this?" She asks softly. "I know you hate-"

Naruto gives her his 'I can't believe you just asked that' look and grunts. "Let's get this show on the road."

Hinata's shoulders visibly relax, though she's still chewing on her lips.

Naruto shifts the popcorn to one arm and uses his free hand to catch Hinata's chin, gently tilting it so that her eyes are connected to his.

"Stop that, Hina." He scolds lightly, reaching his thumb up to pull her lip out from her teeth. "You're going to break the skin and I hate the taste of blood!"

Hinata giggles and her eyes light up. A satisfied grin grows on Naruto's face and his arm drops to his side, his goal accomplished. Then he turns back to Sasuke and his grin transforms into a smirk.

"I ain't scared of anything, teme." Then, eyes still on Sasuke's, he leans down and places his lips on Hinata's.

His smirk reaches epic proportions when Sasuke begins to growl and that blush he loves so much creeps onto Hinata's cheeks. He pulls away and slips his hand into Hinata's and winks at the dark haired man who is currently trying to glare him to death. "Let's go, teme! I don't wanna miss the previews, that's the best part!"

Sasuke normally hates these little outings they go on. He hates it when people stare at them, when they glare at Hinata and she ducks her head. What right do they have to make her feel bad about herself? What right do they have to even look at her, too angelic for them to even lay eyes on?

His hime insists she doesn't mind. She says it's not any different from when she lived with her clan (and that just makes him angrier; she's escaped that life and she's still suffering).

But when two passing movie-goers whisper 'demon whore' and 'traitor's slut', not even his hime can hold him back.

"Try saying that to my face," He hisses, the collars of the shinobi girl and civilian man bunched in his fists. "And I swear to Kami if you even look at her again, I will break you." He's activated his Sharingan and he hopes they piss their pants.

The terrified pair runs off when he lets them go and he snorts. "Pathetic losers."

Then he turns back to Hinata.

Naruto has his free arm wrapped around her and his eyes look sad and furious at the same time. His eyes-normally so blue Sasuke almost understands why Hinata sometimes can't tear her's away-are tinged red and his aura feels Kyuubi-dangerous.

She's not crying, and she doesn't look upset. In fact, she looks pissed, and she pushes Naruto's arm off of her with a dignified huff.

"If it bothered me so much, I would've mentioned it!" Her kitten-like anger is so adorable Sasuke can't quite pay attention to what she's saying. "I've been called worse things before, and that was before all this started. It really hurts that you think that something like name calling would make me so upset! I'm not the same little girl I was when-"

Sasuke is known for his rudeness. He is particularly known for interrupting.

And kissing someone mid-sentence is considered interrupting.

When he releases her, Hinata's eyes are wide and she has that cute little confused look on her face that she gets whenever he or Naruto does something totally out of character.

"It makes me upset, hime. If I need to terrorize a few idiots to make myself feel better, I will."

She begins fidgeting and mumbles something like "Gomen".

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that because if you were seriously apologizing for someone else's moronic actions, I'm going to have an aneurysm." He deadpans. Her constant apologizing is probably his main pet peeve. Sometimes he fantasies about murdering the people who made her this self-doubting and made her feel this guilty. She'd probably scold him if she knew.

Hinata sighs heavily and when she looks back up at him, her eyes are smiling even if her lips aren't.

Sasuke's lips, however, curve into a wry smile and he jerks his head toward the left.

"Come on. If we miss the previews, Naruto might start crying."

"Hey! Teme!"

When they settle into their seats at the back of the theater (Naruto insists it's a better view. Sasuke just rolls his eyes and says it's easier to make out in the back), Hinata almost sighs with relief.

It's true; the name calling doesn't really affect her. They're just words and for Kami's sake, she's a kunochi!

But she can't help but be glad that name-calling was all that happened today. The last time the three of them went out on a date, they almost ran into Sakura. That would've been a real disaster.

Snug in her seat between her boys, she pops a Sour Patch Kid into her mouth and sucks on it while she tunes out Naruto and Sasuke's bickering.

Instead, her eyes soften while she thinks about how everything changed.

"Naruto?" Tsunade asks, an incredulous look on her face. Her hazel eyes are wide with shock and Hinata wants to melt into the floor. "I mean, I expected this from Sasuke…but you seriously want to invoke the Clan Restoration Act?"

Naruto shrugs. Hinata wonders if he's really ok with this. He's insisted time and time again that he wants to be with both of them (the first time Hinata convinced them to try it, she fainted at the pure sexiness of it all) but she has her doubts.

"We both love Hinata. She loves us. Why does it have to be complicated?"

Tsunade inhales deeply, and she folds her hands together. "Look. I'm going to be straight with you. The village doesn't look kindly on either of you boys-yes, Sasuke, I know you helped save this village so stop giving me that look and Naruto, stop looking so sad, you know people don't change easily-and they're certainly not going to look kindly on a girl who is involved with both of you."

Hinata opened her mouth to protest, but Tsunade raised her hand up, stopping her. "I know you think you can handle it. I agree. But are all of you going to be ok if Hinata is attacked? If she's pregnant and attacked? What about your future children? And what of your friends? Hinata, Sakura isn't going to take this well-do you think you can take losing her friendship? And what of Lee? He will support Sakura. And as will Ino, who will have Chouji and Shikamaru behind her."

Naruto chuckles darkly. "Damn, baa-chan. You really don't have much faith in our friends, do you?"

Tsunade's eyes darken from hazel to brown. "You don't think Sakura will feel that Hinata is taking away her team?"

Hinata doesn't know what to say, but luckily (or unluckily; Tsuande hates it when people break her desk) Sasuke slams his fist down and the wood buckles under the pressure.

"Just sign the damn scroll," He hisses. "And we'll be on our way."

Naruto slips his hand into her's and Sasuke wraps his arm around her waist. Five minutes, four signatures, three rings and two kisses later, Tsunade pronounces them men and wife.

The next day at dinner the three of them break the news to the rest of the Konoha 12 at the newly expanded Ichikaru's.

Sakura's face turns almost as green as her eyes. Neji spits out his tea and Ino's chopsticks clatter to the table. These reactions, she expects.

She doesn't expect Shino to shrug or Kiba to continue eating. She doesn't expect Tenten to squeal with girlish glee or for Shikamaru to smirk or for Chouji to politely ask her to pass the hot sauce.

"It's a NaruHinaSasu sandwich!" Tenten cries, throwing her hands in the air. She's clearly had too much sake.

"Tenten…" Neji grits his teeth at her side and Hinata wonders how dark her face has turned.

"Are…are you serious?" Ino asks softly. Hinata knows she's only asking because Sakura hasn't found her voice-Ino has been dating Chouji for over a year now.

"Yes." Hinata knows she shouldn't feel guilty-she loves her boys and Sakura is dating Lee in any case-but that doesn't keep her stomach from falling to the floor and her skin from turning three shades whiter.

"Ah, Hinnnnaaa! The movie is gonna start now!" Naruto shakes her arm eagerly and snaps her from her thoughts.

"I thought you didn't want to see this!" She lets out a small giggle when Naruto's face falls for a brief second.

"Well…I can hold on to you, right?" He asks slowly.

Another giggle, accompanied by a brief nod.

And then a snort, followed by a "Coward" followed by the sounds of fighting.

"Boys," She chastens them softly. Hmph, sometimes she feels like she just can't take them out in public. "Please, the movie is starting."

They stop their bickering almost instantaneously and Hinata has to bite her lip to repress a satisfied smirk. Sasuke has rubbed off on her a little too much.

When the title flashes on the screen before them, Naruto blatantly grabs onto her hand.

"I hate horror movies." He grumbles. "I really, really hate em'." Then he sends her a sly look from the corner of his eye and squeezes her hand.

"If I get scared, will you hold me?"

She lets out a small squeak (they haven't corrupted her just yet, despite Sasuke and Naruto's combined efforts) and Naruto grins cheekily at her while on her left side, Sasuke smoothly slings his arm around her shoulders.

"Calm down. I can't hear over your obnoxiousness, Naruto."

A half hour into the movie Hinata finds herself on Naruto's lap while he buries his face in her neck. Sasuke watches the zombies on the screen with a half-hearted interest - she sees his eyes flicker towards them more than once, and she knows from the way he shifts his weight that he's slightly jealous of the way Naruto is completely monopolizing her attention. But when their eyes meet, his lips twitch up at the corners and he lets one of his arms rest on Naruto's shoulders and she's knows it's ok.

Their relationship isn't normal.

Not even close.

And maybe she's lost friends over it. And maybe she's lost family over it.

But when she feels the rough tips of Sasuke's fingers brush her neck and inhales Naruto's sweet Skittle breath, she gives a small sigh of contentment.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

fin.

Review?

- dreameratheart