Author Notes: Thank you reviewers, but for the people who keep putting favorite story in, would you mind ALSO reviewing so that I know specifically what you liked? Anyway, new chapter.
Kiba was busy at home picking out decent clothing. It was about an hour until he would go to meet Naruto, so he needed to find something quick. He needed something a little more formal than his everyday clothes, but he didn't want to be overly fancy either. His date didn't exactly have a huge wallet to make that big of a wardrobe. Since it was October, he opted for a lightweight, long sleeve shirt. Out of the ones he had, he decided on a midnight blue one. "I shouldn't just wear jeans," Kiba said to himself. He quirked his lips to the side trying to figure something out. There were his dress pants, sweatpants, khakis…where had he put his black slacks?
"Darn it," he spoke in irritation as he began scouring his room. They should've been hanging in his closet. After fifteen minutes, he found them buried in his dresser of all places. They were wrinkled, but hopefully that'd wear off as he walked.
"Where are you off to dressed like that?" His mother asked when he came out of his room. Kiba had been ready to answer that for some time though, so without even a hint of lying, he responded,
"I'm going to meet the guys at the restaurant uptown for dinner. You need semi-formal clothing." He went to the bathroom and grabbed a comb before quickly smoothening out his locks. When the brunette noticed the time he made a jet for the door.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" his mother asked. Kiba patted his pockets before realizing he hadn't gotten his wallet. Tsume handed it to him before saying, "no son of mine is gonna mooch. Give them a good tip."
"Alright, thanks Mom," the boy replied before heading out. He left Akamaru at home so that he wouldn't be nosing about and possibly telling his mother.
Naruto had had a similar wardrobe malfunction, but it was more because he didn't know what looked best. He settled on a dark-red turtleneck and black khakis. The blond boy brushed his teeth and ran some water through his hair before smoothing it with his fingers. When he heard a knock at the door, he called "come in."
"Hey Naruto," Kiba spoke with a smile. The blond smiled back when he saw that they were dressed similarly. "You look great." His date blushed and glanced around the room feeling a tad shy.
"So do you," he finally replied. When he found his date smiling lightly at him, Naruto found a little bit of confidence. "So where are we going?" he asked as they walked out of his apartment.
"I figured we'd go to Yao Meing Panda," the brunette replied. Naruto was a bit shaken. That place was known for being a romantic date sight. He was worried that people would be suspicious. "Don't worry. It's not like you have to kiss me in public." Naruto blushed before shushing him.
"You wanna say that louder? I don't think they heard you in SUNA!" the blond exclaimed. They made it out to the sidewalk and chatted as they made there way uptown. The night air was crisp and cool as dried leaves danced over the roadways. Hopefully if tonight went well, they'd be holding hands and snuggling in the colder months. It seemed that Naruto was still sorting out his emotions, so he tended to space out and not really say anything personal. Kiba wasn't angry though; he had expected as much, but hopefully by the end of the night, he'd be able to glean something from his date.
"We're here," the brunette spoke as they came to the restaurant, the frosted windows being well-lit from the inside. Naruto seemed nervous, but he walked in with a smile. "Party of two," Kiba told the waitress.
"Alright gentlemen I'll get you seated in a moment. I just need to find the menus," she told them. The woman walked over to her podium and began flicking through the stuff inside.
"I told ya it wouldn't be so bad," Kiba whispered toward his date. Naruto just rolled his eyes with a smile. When the woman came back she led them to an empty booth. There weren't too many in the restaurant that night. "I'll just have a water please," the brunette told her.
"I guess I'll have a Sprite," Naruto spoke as he looked over the menu. Fish, sandwiches, melts, pastas, soups, there was too much to choose from. "Anything really call out to you?"
"Well, I'm not in the mood for a heavy meal, although I know you eat like a horse," Kiba replied, irking his date on purpose.
"Well, we can't all have gourmet dog food for our meals every day now, can we?" Naruto asked blankly, managing not to laugh until the brunette across from him used his finger to bring the blond's menu to the table. His look made Naruto crack up, covering his mouth as he laughed. Kiba smiled lightly and shook his head.
"I think I'll go with the spicy sausage and vegetable soup," he said not long after.
"Well, I guess I'll try the steak au jus sandwich," the blond spoke. "Anything interesting happen lately?"
"Not much apart from this," Kiba replied, looking up to find his date blushing and hiding behind his menu.
"You really put me on the spot a lot you know that?" Naruto hissed.
"Yup," the brunette replied just before the waitress came up to them.
"Are you ready to order sirs?" she asked kindly as she gave them their drinks. Naruto and Kiba placed their orders before taking a drink.
"I know the Kyuubi Festival is kind of a bittersweet thing for you Naruto," Kiba began, "but did you at least have some fun?" The blond stared into the table with a small smile He had had fun, because of his friends. Sakura and the others had to get home early, leaving the two boys to watch the fireworks.
"Thanks for treating me Kiba," Naruto told him. Kiba fell in love with the look he received. It was slight blushing, soft but bright eyes, and a warm smile. For once in his life, he ended up blushing and smiling back. As they were stuck staring, the waitress started coming with their food, her flats clacking on the slate floor being enough to break them from their trance before anyone noticed.
"Mmm, smells delicious," Kiba spoke as the steaming items came to rest on their table. Naruto used the large cloth napkin as a bib, and the brunette did the same thing, stuffing one corner inside his shirt.
"Hope you enjoy," the waitress spoke before walking off.
"I never knew a sandwich could taste that good," Naruto sighed as he rested his head against the padding behind him. "I'm full." Kiba nearly choked on his soup, and he hacked for a couple seconds.
"You, full, after one serving?" he asked hoarsely. The blond lightly nodded without opening his eyes or looking at him, satisfaction written on his face. It wasn't long until Kiba finished and forked over about eighty Ryou.
"Sorry to eat a hole in your wallet," Naruto said meekly.
"I said I'd treat," Kiba replied reassuringly as they started walking away from the restaurant. Naruto smiled lightly, and it was then that Kiba noticed how he looked in the light of a full moon. "So, was tonight a good experience?" His date fumbled with his words for several moments.
"I, well…it was…." He stuttered. Kiba stopped and looked at him with a smirk. "It was fun." The tattooed adolescent gave Naruto a soft smile before taking one hand in his own. "What are you…"
"I assume you'd want to maybe go out again sometime?" Kiba asked almost slyly.
"I guess, but…" Naruto began, interrupted calmly once again by his date.
"Then we're officially boyfriends," Kiba told him definitely. "Which means holding hands is in order." Naruto awkwardly stepped alongside the brunette for a little while before just accepting it, lacing their fingers together. "Well, this is where I gotta go Naruto," he reported, pointing to the signs, their houses being in opposite directions.
"Alright," Naruto sighed as he let his hand drop, followed by his expression. It was unexpected, and Naruto gasped when the Inuzuka pulled him into a hug.
"I had fun with you tonight Naruto," he spoke softly. The blond was blushing intensely. Was this gonna become routine? It felt awkward just standing there, so he returned the hug.
"Thanks Kiba," Naruto spoke softly. They parted ways and walked home, Naruto much less confused than a few days previous. He undressed and showered before grabbing his pajamas and going to bed.
"I knew it!" Kyuubi exclaimed not long into the blond's slumber.
"Ugh, do you really have to wake me up so much fox?" the blond asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"No, but I do anyway," the redhead replied with a bright smile, irking his vessel greatly. "Naruto has a boyfriend. Naruto has a boyfriend. Naruto has a boyfriend," he sang.
"Shut up you insane demon," Naruto yelled.
"Aaaw, but I am happy for you," Kyuubi told him as he sat on his knees at the foot of his bed. "If you're lucky, Kiba will end up being your mate."
"What do you mean by that anyway?" the blond asked out of curiosity and annoyance.
"Well, it's kind of like when you're married, except, as a jinchuuriki, you have to follow demon tradition," the redhead explained.
"So I gotta go through some other type of convoluted ceremony?" Naruto asked as if this was torture.
"Yup, but I'll explain that if and when you two think you can happily spend the rest of your lives together. Oh, and no sex until after said ceremony," he added.
"You and the freaking sex," Naruto groaned. "Perverted fox demon."
"Well, it's bound to come up eventually," Kyuubi told him in all honesty. "EVERYONE'S nervous about the first time. Don't sweat it. It's actually for the most part just common sense. Anyway, goodnight," he ended abruptly.
"Wait wha…" Naruto began before Kyuubi's hand appeared in front of his face and he fell unconscious to a jutsu.
Kiba was thinking up plans for Naruto's and his second date. Maybe he would try a more open setting, say a night eating and talking under the stars. He just had to find a way to make the food and hide said food from his mother and sister.
"Welcome home little bro," Hana called as he came in the door. "Have fun with your friends."
"You could say that," the boy called back with a touch of humor. "I'm gonna hit the hay unless you or Mom need something."
"Nope," Hana replied.
"Nope," Tsume more yelled than called from the basement.
Yay chapter done. Review please. Also, I am officially available to beta anything you guys want to submit. Just please make sure you use DocX and do it correctly instead of pming me 23 pages that I have to separately paste into word and then copy paste to send it back in pieces.