That Smile

It wasn't such a bad turnout, Sakura decided, crouching down next to Sai and Ino. She didn't even know that it was physically possible, but she had somehow managed to cram about a dozen people - all armed with presents - into Naruto's tiny apartment. The lights in his apartment and in the hallway leading to his door were all out, and Sakura had finally managed to get everyone to stay quiet and still. Naruto would be there any minute now…

Three knocks on Naruto's door broke the eerie silence, "Surprise!" Sai yelled, as enthusiastically as he could manage (which would sound like it was half-hearted, coming from any other person). Sakura brought her palm to her forehead, "Not yet, Sai," she said, rolling her eyes. She had to give the guy some credit, though; as clueless as he was in the social relations department, he was still trying his best.

Lee beat Sakura to the punch, standing up and walking over to the door, carefully stepping over other party guests as he did, "Oh wow!" he exclaimed, "I didn't think you would be able to make it tonight!" He threw his arms around someone at the door as he said this. Sakura couldn't tell who was at the door because of how dark it was, but after hearing a low gasp from the person receiving the embrace, she could tell it was a guy, and a guy that obviously wasn't used to that kind of a greeting. He took a step backwards, trying to wriggle out of Lee's grasp to get some space, but Lee ended up losing his balance and stumbling forwards on top of him. They both crashed to the floor with a soft thud, Lee's face mere inches from his.

The laughter that rang through the air was from several people; that meant that there was more than one party guest standing in the hallway. But Sakura pieced the rest together when she heard the familiar giggle that no-doubt belonged to Temari.

By the time she reached the doorway to see what exactly had happened, Lee was back on his feet with an arms stretched out to help Gaara, who was sitting, still a little stunned. There was sand underneath him, and Sakura pieced together that it must have cradled his landing before he hit the floor.

Temari peered through the doorway, sensing that Gaara wanted the attention taken off of him, "We're not too late, are we?"

"Nah, you're all just in time. Come on in," Shikamaru said from beside Sakura, stepping back to let them all in.

Within a couple of minutes, the room had gotten quiet again, and footsteps could be heard approaching the door. The door swung open pretty fast, almost hitting Kiba and Hinata in the face. The figure entered the room, and the lights turned on.

"Surprise!" Everyone but Sai shouted, "Oh… Uh, surprise!" Sai said, about a second late. This got a laugh from a few people. But what really got a laugh was Naruto, who had screamed in alarm and stumbled backwards, smacking his head on the doorframe. As he fumed and tried to catch his breath, Sakura and Hinata walked over to him.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, smiling sweetly at him. She fiddled with her fingers, not able to maintain eye contact with him for more than a few seconds at a time. This was still a vast improvement from their previous encounters. Naruto smiled gently back at her, although she wasn't able to see it.

As Naruto walked further into his apartment, he wore his biggest goofy grin as he saw all of his friends who had come to see him on the evening of his birthday, "You guys…" He murmured, tearing up a little. His eyes suddenly grew wide as he scanned the party guests, "Gaara!" he exclaimed, dashing across the room; Gaara felt air escape his lungs and his feet leave the floor again as he was tackle-hugged for the second time that day. He hesitated – probably waiting for his heart rate to slow back down – then lightly hugged him back. It was going to take a while for him to get used to Konoha's brand of affection, but he'd decided that he liked it, as startling as it was.

Naruto pulled away just enough to look Gaara in the eyes, "I… I can't believe you're here, too…" he said, smiling sheepishly.

Gaara opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Sakura perked up, "Hinata and I made reservations for all of us at Ichiraku Ramen tonight-"

"Really?" Naruto exclaimed, "That's so awesome! Hey," he continued, suddenly changing his tone, "Maybe you and I can sit together and then-"

SMACK! Naruto's arms immediately released Sakura, as he was sent reeling backwards, "Not even on your birthday, Naruto," Sakura spat out, pumping her fists in the air. Lee had managed to catch and stop Naruto before he went right into the wall. Most of the others laughed or rolled their eyes, "Does she always do that to people?" Gaara murmured to him, a little confused by Sakura's behavior that had been treated like a normal occurrence.

"Nah, she usually only does stuff like that to me," Naruto said, rubbing his slapped cheek that now had a red handprint on it, "I think it's because she secretly likes me," he said, grinning from ear to ear. Sakura pulled her fist back to strike him down again, but Ino and Tenten held her back.

"Hey, we all came here to have a party, remember?" Ino said, trying to calm her down.

"Yeah," Tenten continued, "Let's all just head over to Ichiraku now." Everyone seemed to like this idea, and within a minute or two, everyone was out the door and on their way to the restaurant.

…

When they all walked in to Ichiraku, they were greeted with a long table and stools set up with balloons tied to one of the end stools, which was where Naruto was supposed to sit. He refused though, and sat on one side near the middle of the table, so he could have more people around him.

Gaara sat on his left, but only after Temari practically shoved him into the chair before racing to go sit next to Shikamaru. Matsuri jumped into the chair on the left of Gaara's. Sakura had refused to sit right next to Naruto because of the comment he had made earlier, so Kiba nudged Hinata to go sit to the right of Naruto and then sat next to her. Sai sat across from Naruto's seat, with Ino and Sakura on either side of him.

Even though Naruto had already eaten dinner, he couldn't resist. He easily managed to keep up with everyone else's portions. He grinned brightly; he was happy, and everyone around him seemed pretty happy, too. He couldn't ask for much more than that. When everyone was just about done eating, the lights went out, and Teuchi and Ayame carried in a huge chocolate cake with sixteen orange candles in a circle near the edge. Naruto beamed. He wasn't used to this kind of attention. He could feel tears dotting the outer edges of his eyes. For a small moment the pain of Sasuke being gone had faded.

"Make a wish," Teuchi said after some obnoxious singing. Naruto already knew what he would wish for. He wished for the same thing every year. And one of these years, he swore that wish was going to come true. He blew out all the candles in one try, and the lights came back on. Naruto cut out a piece of cake for himself, and as others started getting some, he got another one and offered it to Gaara.

"Here," he said, smiling and holding out a paper plate with a piece of cake on it.

"Oh, uh, no thanks," Gaara said, "I don't really like sweets."

"How do you even live?" Naruto joked at him, laughing. Gaara smiled back hesitantly. Naruto grinned back, and then turned and handed the piece to Hinata, who still hadn't gotten one yet; it was a feeding frenzy and the most aggressive people were the only ones able to get food at that point.

"Oh! T-Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said with a sheepish smile on her face, and then took the cake from him.

"Time for presents, maybe?" Lee suggested, holding up the one he had brought.

"Yeah, good idea," Ino said, grabbing her present along with Sai's.

"Presents?" Naruto repeated with a genuinely surprised look on his face. His response was over a dozen presents getting piled up in front of him. Naruto wasn't used to being spoiled like this, and he immediately decided that he loved it very much.

After all was said and done, Naruto decided to bring what was left of the party back to his apartment. Quite a few people had to leave because of missions in the morning, and when Naruto got back, the people who were left that were going to sleep over were Sai, Sakura, Tenten, Ino, Kankuro, Hinata, Gaara, Matsuri, Kiba, Temari, Lee, and a few others that Naruto had met through the years.

Kiba laughed when Akamaru right away went to take a nap in the back corner of the room, while Sakura and Ino raided Naruto's fridge and made a huge bowl of punch and set out cups for everyone to use. Gaara spotted Ino mixing something from a small bottle into the bowl and kept Lee from getting a cup, having heard the stories about Lee's low tolerance for alcohol. Sakura popped one of her CDs into her portable CD player that she had brought, and music started to play pretty loudly.

"Oh, I'm sure the neighbors will love you for that," Kankuro said with sarcasm, drinking half of his cup of punch in one drink. He was glad he'd never had to live in an apartment-like complex for more than a few days at a time, and when he had, the neighbors had all stayed eerily quiet upon hearing that "Gaara of the Desert" was under the same roof.

Sai scanned through a book he had brought with him, titled, "Great Party Games," "How about we play… 'Spin the Bottle?'" he said, pointing at a spot on the page.

Surprisingly, after the initial ruckus, everyone was willing to play, thanks to some liquid courage and some persuasion from Ino and Temari, with a disclaimer from the latter that if it landed on either of her brothers she'd kiss them on the forehead. Since it was Naruto's birthday, he got to choose who went first. He chose Sakura, and since the game order was going counter-clockwise, the first few people to go were, Sakura, Sai, Lee, Gaara, Naruto, and then Hinata. Sakura didn't hesitate for too long. It landed on a chuunin named Noriaki. She could barely contain a squeal; he was a cool and brooding type that vaguely reminded Naruto of Sasuke until he'd gotten to know him better, accompanied with pretty boy eyes and a jaw line that could cut glass. Sakura quickly crawled over to kiss him. A couple of the girls cheered, and Naruto and Lee pouted visibly.

Sai spun the bottle next. He was slightly pleased when it landed on Ino; well, Ino was certainly pleased, at least. She practically ate his face. The girls seemed to be enjoying the game more than the guys were, but when Naruto stole a glance at Sai he saw this contented look in his eyes that made Naruto swell with pride. He had always worried about Sai being able to "catch up" to his other friends, socially, but he wasn't just keeping up, he was thriving. Naruto was so glad to have met him, and everyone in the room, actually; as much as he influenced others he truly felt that they influenced him to the same degree. He wouldn't be anywhere near the same person without them.

Next up was Lee. He accidentally spun it extremely hard, forgetting the disparity between his strength and the others'. When it finally came to a halt, it landed on Tenten, who had been sitting right next to Sakura. He was disappointed that he was so close, yet so far. But when Tenten pulled away from the kiss, it was like Lee was in a trance. It took him a moment to realize where he was and get back to his spot. They kept exchanging glances after that.

Then it was Gaara's turn. He had gone back and forth between drinking and not, but eventually decided a little bit would help him calm down. And he trusted Naruto and Lee to back him up if anything were to happen. But the situation was still so strange and new to him, and everyone could see how tense and nervous he was as he spun the bottle. It looked as though he didn't know whether to be relieved or not when it landed on Matsuri. Gaara hadn't felt threatened by her and appreciated her as a friend, but Temari and Kankuro had both told him about how she saw him differently than he saw her, and that when she gets so close to him it's with deeper intentions than friendship.

Gaara didn't even have to move; she scrambled towards him, almost as if she was afraid of him backing out before she got the chance to kiss him. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big smooch. He was definitely not prepared for this first kiss. His heart pounded in his chest and he panicked at first, silently trying to wriggle out of her grip, but after the initial shock he just sat there patiently, waiting for her to finish; he knew that struggling would get him nowhere fast, and that she'd never do anything to try and hurt him. But he pushed her away after a few seconds, remembering Kankuro telling him that he should keep his distance if he didn't want her to get any more ideas. Gaara wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, catching his breath as Matsuri returned to her spot in the circle, beaming. She looked around, as if daring any of the other girls to give Gaara a kiss as serious as that one.

Naruto smiled, finding it amusing to see Gaara as flustered as he was. Naruto spun the bottle, praying in his head that it would land on Sakura. Gaara looked over at her; she was actually praying that it didn't land on her. On Naruto's right, Hinata sat staring at him, fidgeting even more than usual.

Almost everyone yelled, cheered, hollered… or laughed in unison because of where it landed. Naruto's face turned bright red when he realized whom it had landed on. He turned to look at Gaara, who was just staring down at the bottle that was pointed at him.

"I, uh," Naruto started, trying to get a read on Gaara, "Let's just get this over with," he murmured to his friend, trying his best to ignore the whooping and laughter from his peers. He used his hand to turn Gaara's head so that they were face to face. Naruto hesitated, seeing the nervous look present on Gaara's bright red face, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Naruto whispered gently, but Gaara mouthed that it was okay. Naruto slowly leaned in and kissed him, but before he could pull away quickly like he had planned, this weird feeling washed over him. He felt warm, and almost lightheaded. He tilted his head to the right, pressing himself closer to Gaara, who tensed at the sudden heat between them. Naruto's hand brushed against Gaara's, and he grabbed and held it tightly. He used his other hand to continue to hold Gaara's face. Gaara's free arm wrapped around Naruto's waist, and pulled him even closer. Gaara didn't know what was happening to him, but he knew that it felt good and he wanted it to last longer.

While continuing the kiss with Gaara, Naruto thought about how quiet everyone had become… All he could hear was the music in the background… and then he realized what he had been doing this whole time. He abruptly yanked himself away from Gaara, gasping for air. He had no idea what had come over him just then. How long had they been kissing? Gaara fell backwards in surprise and bumped into Lee, who steadied him.

Other than the music, the room stayed quiet for a few more seconds; no one knew what to say to break the tension. Naruto picked up the bottle and passed it to Hinata; his whole body was shaking, "Your… Turn, Hinata-chan," he muttered, his voice rough.

Hinata held the bottle in both of her hands, staring at it like it was some kind of weapon of mass destruction. She glanced at Sakura for advice, and Sakura peered over at Naruto and Gaara, who were both still shaking, "Umm… How about we do something different?" She suggested, trying to get everyone relaxed again.

"Yeah… Okay," Hinata said quietly, getting up and gently putting the bottle away.

Everyone started talking and moving, trying to change the subject, but Naruto and Gaara just sat next to each other, motionless. Finally, Naruto turned back towards him. Gaara saw him move from his peripheral vision, and turned to face him.

"Umm…" Naruto started, "I'm sorry about that… I don't know what happened…"

"It's okay, Naruto," Gaara said, trying to look pleasant in front of him, even though he was still a little flustered, "It's just a game…"

"Yeah… You're right… It's… Just a game… I guess…" Naruto repeated with a fake smile, somehow not convinced. Had he been hoping that Gaara thought of it as more than a game? He stared at Gaara, who just gazed back at him with his quiet intensity that he only used with Naruto. No matter what way Naruto tried to look at it, something weird had just happened to him when he was with Gaara, and he wasn't going to be able to just move on and forget it.

…

"Do you think they're going to be okay?" Tenten whispered to Temari and Sakura at the other side of the room. Temari shrugged her shoulders, shooting a worried look towards Gaara.

"Yeah, they're okay," Sakura whispered back, "They're just a little startled, that's all… They'll probably feel better in a few minutes... See? They're already talking again," she continued, motioning towards where Naruto and Gaara were sitting. Naruto was speaking softly, one hand clutching his chest and the other gesturing wildly.

"Oh, good," Temari said, sighing softly, "That's a relief-" She gasped when she looked at them again. Naruto had toughly grabbed Gaara's shoulders and yanked him into another kiss, and Gaara relaxed into the embrace and placed his hands on Naruto's chest.

'There it is again,' Naruto thought to himself as he felt that warm and bright sensation consuming him again. He didn't want it to ever go away, he decided. He ran a hand up Gaara's neck and snaked his fingers through his red hair, grabbing a clump of it as he held Gaara tightly. Gaara tugged lightly on Naruto's shirt, letting him know that this feeling, whatever this strange feeling was, it was mutual.

But after a little while, Gaara gently pulled away from him, looking at Naruto in a manner that Naruto had never seen before. There was no hesitation in his eyes like before, and his cheeks were tinted red just slightly, but Naruto remembered that it might be the alcohol doing that; Gaara smiled brightly, like a smile you would love to see on your child's face on Christmas morning. His eyes were even squinted slightly from the grin pushing up on his cheeks. There was nothing held back.

Naruto didn't think he'd ever get to see Gaara smile like that, but he was so glad that he finally got the chance to. This feeling of joy and pleasure washed over him, and nothing else mattered in that moment. He just couldn't help but beam back when Gaara-of-all-people was smiling at him like that. He'd come so far, and he treasured Naruto for it.

Naruto murmured his name, pulling him into a light embrace and sliding his hand slowly up and down Gaara's back. Gaara buried his face into Naruto's shoulder and closed his eyes, still surging with warmth. They eventually split apart, but Naruto quickly grabbed Gaara's hand again, to remind him that none of these feelings were trivial.

Sakura was the one to notice what time it had gotten to be, and everyone settled into their sleeping bags. Gaara tensed when he turned and saw that Naruto had moved his sleeping bag in order to be right next to him. He rolled over to return the gesture, completely facing him. Naruto rested his hand on top of Gaara's, which was peeking out of the sleeping bag, and leaned over to kiss him. He scooted his body closer still, partly unzipped their blankets, and wrapped his arms around him. He snuck another kiss, short but filled with affection, and when he pulled back he saw that Gaara was wearing that bright smile again. The two stayed like that for a while as Naruto fought sleep. He just wanted to see it again and again. It brought such pleasurable warmth to him… Gaara's smile.