Candy Canes & Mistletoe

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. If you have suggestions for gifts or notes Naruto could leave behind, feel free to let me know. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2

Sasuke was Sasuke. If there was one thing that Naruto definitely knew about his favorite, sexy bastard it was that the other man was always early for everything. A fact which had drove Kakashi crazy when the two of them had gone through orientation together.

"Naruto, calm down." Gaara shakes his head as the two of them head off to lunch together. "You're not going to be much of a secret admirer, if you give yourself away by bouncing up and down like you're riding a pogo stick."

That was a good point. Though the blonde was hoping to be playing with a certain Uchiha's candy cane instead of a pogo stick soon. That or vice versa. If there was one thing that you learned at the North Pole, it was variety was the spice of life. Both in Reindeer Games and every other kind of game. (Seriously, the reindeer should all design the Olympic Games or something because they were tremendously creative).

The blonde sighs as he heads into the cafeteria. "Yeah." He smiles at his friend, trying not to skip around merrily at the thought of hopefully finding a candy cane by Karin's desk soon. "It's just hard, you know?"

He had liked Sasuke for awhile. They drove each other crazy most of the time, but they also pushed each other to be their best. "I just hope that you two don't end up destroying your office desks in a fit of passion or something." The red head rolls his eyes. "I remember what happened to that pool table."

Right. The pool table. Gaara was never going to let him live that down. Naruto just knew it.

Damn. Sasuke was competitive. It was really hot. The way he was gripping that big cue stick and hunching over the table like that.

"Hate to say it, but you're not going to beat Naruto at this." Itachi chuckled at his brother. "I've never seen someone who can play pool like him."

Hopefully, naughty thoughts weren't actually enough to land him on the Naughty List. The blonde had been really grateful he wore loose pants that day that Itachi and Gaara asked him and Sasuke to shoot pool with them.

It was only natural. Itachi was Sasuke's brother and Naruto was Gaara's best friend. So sometimes they both got drug along on outings together. Not that Naruto minded. Damn that was a really great ass.

"Pft." Sasuke rolled his eyes at the other Uchiha. "We'll see about that and you're my brother. You're supposed to be on my side."

Uchihas had to be the most competitive people on the face of the Earth. Human or otherwise. Naruto knew what he was talking about because he personally knew Jack Frost. Now, that guy really needed to take a chill pill. Pun fully intended.

"Oh I'm always on your side." Itachi smirked at the other man. "It's just that doesn't mean I'm going to lie."

Naruto saw Sasuke twitch. That's when he knew it was on. This was now going to be a candy cane measuring contest and they both knew it at that moment.

"Don't egg him on." Gaara laughed as he kissed Itachi's cheek. "You know how they always get carried away about things like this."

Carried away was putting it mildly. That poor pool table had never stood a chance. Between Naruto's magical strength and Sasuke's righteous fury, well yeah that old pool table was always destined to snap. In their defense though, it was a really old pool table.

"Oh come on. That was months ago!" Naruto flails at his best friend. "It's time to let it go. Besides, we replaced it anyway."

Gaara snickers at that. "Mhm. Right. Well just don't break your desks or something." Well yeah. They'd go easy on the desk. People would definitely notice broken desks.

Still, that thought made Naruto smile. Gaara believed in him. The Human Resource Manager believed that he was going to win over Sasuke.

After all, it was only fair. Gaara already got his Uchiha. Now, it was Naruto's turn. Believe it!

Sasuke frowns as he shuts off his computer. It was time for lunch and that meant he might as well make a decision now. If he didn't, he'd likely agonize about it the rest of the night.

"I do prefer candy canes." He shakes his head. "I also know nothing about this guy." Well other than he was probably gay or maybe bisexual.

Of course, there were a few other possibilities as far as this guy's orientation went, but the main point didn't change. This was definitely a guy who was at least somewhat into guys. He couldn't see a woman writing a note like that.

He sighs as he grabs his wallet and heads out of his office. "That doesn't narrow it down too much though." This guy also had to work at Sharingan Corp.

That was the most likely explanation, Sasuke observes as he slowly trudges over the red carpet of the office building. His family had a strange sense of humor. They all liked to play up to that whole celebrity aspect to one sense or another.

"Come on, Sasuke." Itachi chuckled at him. "You know you want to."

This was utterly ridiculous. "It's not THE Red Carpet." Honestly, most of the time his brother was a complete professional. Then there were times like this. "It's stupid. I'm not doing it."

"Oh come on, Sassy." Suigetsu rolled his eyes at his friend. "This will be funny."

Yeah. Sasuke was sure that Suigetsu thought it would be funny. Probably funny to post on the Internet somewhere. He liked the white haired man, but he was really fond of playing his stupid pranks and Sasuke did not want his strutting down the hallway filmed for the entire world to see!

Kisame laughed and laughed. "Come on. It's time to do the catwalk." Great. Now, Kisame was getting in on it.

"Fine." He shook his head. "I'll do it."

Just as he was about to strut along the red carpet of their longest hallway, Naruto beat him to the punch. The idiot was really hamming it up. Those blue eyes were sparkling with mischief and he was waving to everyone who was in their offices.

It was Casual Friday, so the blonde was wearing a pair of blue jeans. Tight blue jeans. That were far more distracting than they should have been.

"Whatever." Sasuke shook his head as he strutted his stuff down the 'Red Carpet.' Much to everyone else's amusement. Hey, if Naruto could do it, he could definitely do it.

Right. Where was he before he got distracted by the red carpet? "There are plenty of men who are into men in this place." There were also plenty of women who were into women. Sharingan Corp. didn't really discriminate.

Granted, most of their workers were just straight. Still the rainbow side of things was well represented. They were a sizable minority in this building. Perhaps, even a third of their workers fall under that umbrella somehow.

"It had better not be Orochimaru." Sasuke shudders at that as he heads towards the reception desk. "That creep is older than my father."

He also had had a thing for Itachi before Gaara may have, possibly punched him in the face off of company property one day. Allegedly. Nothing had been proven.

Rather conveniently, no one seemed to have their cell phones handy during that night at a local bar. "Well at least one good thing came out of it." He chuckles to himself. "Gaara and Itachi finally confessed that night." What a night that had been.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sakura waves at him.

He nods at her. Sasuke didn't want to be rude, but he definitely wasn't in the mood to waste time chitchatting. He had an hour lunch and part of that was going to the candy cane thing.

The Marketing Director quickly slides towards the receptionist desk. Only to bump into Sai. "Good morning!" He grins at Sasuke. "Icicle Dick." He really should report this idiot to Human Resources.

Gaara wouldn't do anything though. No one could get Sai to actually conduct himself in a normal manner. He was in charge of their Design Department and as much as the freak annoyed him, Sasuke knew he was the best of the best at what he did.

"Good afternoon, Pervert." There was no point in trying to have a civil conversation with him. "Now, get the Hell out of my way." He was so not in the mood to deal with Sai's eccentricities. "I have important things to do."

"So you finally got a girlfriend?" Sai smirks at him. "I hope she doesn't mind the cold because you know the whole having an icicle down there might be a deal breaker for some women."

Sasuke clenches his fists. He was so tempted to punch him and he could now see Karin openly gaping at them. Not that he could blame her. The thing that Sai excelled at even more than art was causing scenes.

"Whatever." He shoves the candy cane into Karin's hand. "I know that you're not going to tell me what's going on, but take it." She obviously knew what was going on.

If she didn't, his secret admirer wouldn't have told him not to bother. Clearly, this guy was somehow close to the red headed woman. That didn't narrow it down much though.

Karin was the receptionist. She talked to basically everyone and as far as he knew, the only person she actually fought with was Suigetsu. Those two had been dancing around each other for a couple years though.

Karin actually laughs and smiles. "Wow. I got that one wrong." What the Hell? "I would have thought you preferred stockings."

Seriously, why was everyone betting on that? "Please tell me that you didn't actually join that betting pool?" This was really starting to get out of hand.

She shakes her head and Sasuke mentally sighs in relief. Thank goodness. Though now, he had another problem. Sai would probably want answers.

"What betting pool?" Sai beams at them pleasantly.

That pleasant smile was such a lie though. He used to have this super creepy smile, but apparently Ino had taught him how to smile like a normal person. The woman had far more patience than Sasuke did. That was for damn sure.

He glares at Sai. "Nevermind." Sasuke then turns his attention to Karin. "Tell this idiot nothing. I'm going to lunch." With that being said, Sasuke makes his way towards the cafeteria. After all, it was hard to focus on work when you were dealing with an empty stomach.

"Kushina, you know that's cheating." Minato shakes his head in amusement.

Contrary popular belief, there had been more than one Santa over the years. Far more than one. Santa wasn't really a person, so much as a title.

His wife raises an eyebrow. "Don't try to pretend that you weren't curious." Well, he was. Though for the sake of his sanity, Minato refused to check on Naruto's classification until it got closer to Christmas.

"I am, but I'm going to wait until I make the first list check." He always checked it twice though.

It was best to be on the safe side. When you were dealing with so many people, it was easy for a few mistakes to sneak in somewhere.

She shakes her head and smiles. "Well he's still on the Nice List." Of course, Naruto was.

He was a very good boy, Minato thinks to himself as he nibbles on a gingerbread man that had been lovingly prepared by his wife. His son might be mischievous, but it was never out of any sense of meanness.

"That's good." Hopefully, it would stay that way until Christmas came.

The idea of his son being on the Naughty List was rather embarrassing. "Still worried that he's going to end up on the Naughty List, eh?" Jiraiya strides into the kitchen and over to Minato.

"I'm not worried." He shakes his head as he notes a faint notation being added under his own name.

Minato Namikaze, aka the current Santa, lied on December 1st about being worried about his son, Naruto Uzumaki, making the Naughty List.

Great. His own list was tattling on him. He'd have to go back and change it later.

Minato Namikaze considered changing the list to hide evidence of his lie on December 1st, one minute after the first offense.

"What the Hell?!" That just wasn't fair.

Jirayia and Kushina were now both laughing at him. "Careful. I was on the Naughty List once, even though I used to be Santa." The white haired man shakes his head. "The elves never let me live it down."

Minato Namikaze said a mild curse word in frustration due to having his misdeeds placed on the List, one minute after the second offense. Three minutes after the first.

Minato groans and smacks his forehead. "I just can't win." This was utterly ridiculous.

Itachi chuckles as watches Sasuke scurry over to the back of the lunch line to get his food. That wasn't like him. Why was his foolish little brother late for lunch? They were probably out of tomatoes by now.

He had never met anyone who loved tomatoes as much as Sasuke did. "What's so amusing?" Naturally, Gaara caught him musing about his brother's unique taste in favorite foods and wanted to know what had caused him to laugh.

That was mildly embarrassing. "Oh don't worry about it." Itachi places his hand on Gaara's inner thigh under the table. "I was just imagining Sasuke's imminent sulking. They're probably out of tomatoes by now."

That's when Itachi notices that Naruto had grabbed a tomato salad. It damn sure wasn't for the blonde. He hated healthy foods with a passion.

"Don't worry." The sapphire eyed youth smiles at him. "I've got him covered."

How his foolish little brother didn't realize that Naruto had a thing for him was utterly beyond Itachi. Those two were absolutely hopeless. Then again, he supposed he couldn't judge them too harshly. It had taken him and Gaara quite awhile to come to terms with their own feelings for each other.

Gaara laughs as he sips from his drink. "I'm sure that Sasuke will appreciate it." Itachi was as well.

Naruto smiles at that. "Make sure he knows he can grab it." He stretches casually. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick." A bit too casually.

That was one Public Relations Specialist who was up to something. The Uchiha would bet his life on it. Now, he just had to figure out what it was because Itachi doubted this was just about the tomatoes.

"Right." Itachi nods as Gaara does the same.

Naruto was fast. The man probably could have been a professional runner, if he wanted to be. What he was doing in a corporation like this was a bit of a mystery. He certainly didn't seem like a 9 to 5er, but looks could be deceiving, Itachi supposed.

Damn it. This sucked, Naruto thinks to himself as he slides out of the cafeteria and towards Karin's Desk. He had hoped that he'd figure out if there was a candy cane or not without anyone about, but Sai was still there.

He was so not in the mood to deal with the artist's less than appropriate jokes. That were usually about a particular piece of the male anatomy. One that most people didn't discuss in public!

"Sai, what are you doing here?" Ino was now racing towards the artist. "Come on. You are eating lunch today, right?"

He had been saved by the Ino. Thank goodness though. The last person that Naruto wanted to find out about this was definitely Sai. It wasn't that he was a bad guy. It was just that he would blab to Sasuke and that would ruin all the fun.

"Of course." He smiles at her as the woman drags him off.

That was a close one. Too close really. Once Sai and Ino were firmly out of sight and earshot though, Naruto turns his attention right back to Karin. Knowing Sasuke, had probably already decided.

"So candy cane or no candy cane?" That was the question that was weighing so heavily on his mind at the moment.

Karin smiles at him as she shows him the candy cane. "I seriously would have guessed stockings, but I guess I was wrong." She shrugs and shakes her head in disbelief. "Suigetsu is going to be so damn smug now."

"Smug about what?" Kimimaro's voice makes them both jump about five feet in the air.

Shit! That guy was really creepy. He could move so damn silently. How did Jugo handle dating the stealth ninja. Well Kimimaro wasn't actually a ninja, but he sure was as quiet as one.

"Oh nothing." Karin smiles at the stunning enigma. "Suigetsu just said that candy canes were Sasuke's favorite holiday treat and well, I didn't believe him. Apparently, they are though."

"Oh." Kimimaro nods at that. "That does surprise me. I'm fond of fruitcake myself though." Seriously? "Have a nice day, I'm going to go see if Jugo wants to go get some seafood with me for lunch." No sooner had the words left the man's mouth than Kimimaro was already walking down the hall.

Naruto sighs in relief when the other man leaves and then he breaks out into a huge grin. "This is awesome!" Sasuke was into men. So that meant he had a chance to take him on a joyride in the sleigh at some point.

"Well for you it's awesome." Karin shakes her head. "I know a lot of women in this place who are going to be very disappointed when they find out he bats the other team." Yeah. That was true.

It might be naughty, but Naruto was more focused on doing his own internal happy dance. The girls would get over it. Eventually.

Gaara almost laughs as Sasuke comes over. He looked like a wet cat or something. He really was sulking over his precious tomatoes. Incredible, really.

"Relax." Itachi smiles slyly at him. "Naruto saved you a tomato salad."

Sasuke smirks at that. "Good." He sits down and immediately grabs the salad, much to Gaara's amusement.

These two were certainly going to ensure that things around the office were never boring. He knew that much for damn sure.

Of course, he had his own sexy Uchiha to keep him entertained. Naruto and Sasuke though were just an explosive combination. Maybe, he should prod Sasuke along though.

"So anything exciting happen today?" There was a chance that the raven haired man might just tell him outright.

Knowing Sasuke, he'd likely want to keep it himself though. Then again, the businessman could be extremely strategic and two (or three) heads were much better than one.

Sasuke finishes swallowing a mouthful of food and frowns. "Well I might have just done something stupid, but I guess curiosity got the better of me." Ah ha! So he was going to tell him what was going on.

That was good. This meant he could do some spying for Naruto and see if the other man was anywhere close in his guesses.

He'd have to play his cards right though. There was every chance that the Marketing Director might guess that the red head was a little too interested in his love life and put two and two together.

"What did you do this time?" Itachi quirks an eyebrow at him.

Sasuke shrugs and shows them the letter. "I got a Sexy Secret Santa for an admirer, I guess." Gaara was surprised that the other man was showing him the letter. Though that meant that Sasuke was well and truly stumped.

If he had any idea who his admirer was, the red head doubted that Sasuke would show them the letter. He was definitely an introvert by nature. Naruto was a different story though. That blonde was the very definition of an extravert.

"So you gave the receptionist a candy cane then?" Gaara glances at Sasuke hopefully.

He nods and shrugs. "I don't really see a reason to hide it. It's just I don't really tell my coworkers about my dating preferences." Ah. So that was it. Sasuke was against office romances.

Well at least for himself, anyway. He'd always been rather supportive of his relationship with Itachi. That probably meant there was a bit of wiggle room for Naruto to work with.

"Or anyone." Itachi laughs as he pokes Sasuke's forehead. "Like, I said Sasuke you really do need to find someone. Some people prefer to be on their own, but you aren't one of them."

This causes the other Uchiah to rub his forehead and grumble. "If I want a boyfriend, I'll find one." He glances at the letter. "Or I guess he might find me." So there was hope then. This truly was a Christmas Miracle.