Sasuke was winning.
And Naruto was pissed.
And scared.
Terrified, actually, that he was about to lose the best thing that he'd ever had in his life. Which didn't make any sense at all because he'd never had Sasuke to begin with, but emotions, he knew, defied logic.
Panic, like witches brew, was bursting over him in random little bubbles that were rising to the surface faster with every passing second, threatening to boil and spill over his throat in a scalding, ragged scream of rage and frustration.
He watched as another small tower of chips was dragged across the table and away from him when their fourth hand ended like the first two.
Bastard!
Blue eyes flicked to the figure across the table, drinking in the sight of ivory and midnight once more.
Fucking beautiful bastard…
He was a tableau of contrasts. Cream on black in stark relief. Sharp angles and soft lips. Strength masked behind pianist's hands.
Hands that were making his breath catch at the moment.
Sasuke could feel the blond staring at him again. He'd been staring since they'd started playing. Staring at him in that way that made him feel all vulnerable and exposed.
And he'd made the mistake of looking up to glare at the idiot blonde only to be paralyzed by the look in those piercing cerulean eyes. There was such longing and awe in the look, as if he were staring at something he'd just realized was precious and important…
It left him temporarily stunned to see that look in Naruto's eyes directed at him. The 'baka, what are you staring at?' comment never made it past his lips.
And in that instant his body betrayed him, making his breath hitch and kicking his heart into double time for no reason. What the hell?
Sasuke thought maybe he was getting sick. Yes. That had to be it.
He'd been studiously avoiding eye contact with blond since. But that left everything else in the room victim to his vicious glare.
Currently it was fixed on the tower of chips he was dragging over to add to his pile.
But the dobe hadn't stopped staring yet. Sasuke could feel that piercing gaze, like a physical caress, on his hands. He felt his heartbeat skip.
Damn it. He hoped it was just one of those 24 hour bugs. He hated being sick.
He scowled harder.
Naruto watched, fascinated, as agile fingers slid up and over the column slowly, before gliding back down to the base and…falling away. He fought back a whimper.
Stupid, lucky, fucking chips.
And obviously, he was going off the deep end as he realized he was jealous of poker chips.
He remembered high school English class and having to read Romeo and Juliet. O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!
He remembered snickering in the back of the room, thinking that Romeo guy was such a weirdo, cause who'd ever want to be a glove?
Right. He totally sympathized with the fictional love-struck man now.
Oh man, did he.
He'd watched those hands non stop since they'd started. He'd seen them move to push an errant bang away, in an unconscious gesture and flip cards over with practiced ease. He'd watched as they fingered the chips multiplying before them.
And he'd fervently wondered what those dexterous hands would do if they were let loose on his body.
Oh kami…he fought not to groan at the very vivid picture that blossomed in his mind's eye of all that pale skin sliding over his darker, tanner body, mimicking the way the bastard was handling the little towers of plastic money. He felt a bead of sweat slide down the back of his neck at the effort.
Oh yeah, he wanted those hands on him badly. Everywhere. He could gladly spend the rest of his life letting them discover his secrets.
Yeah. He had it bad. He definitely sympathized.
And it was definitely fucking up his concentration.
How could the damn bastard expect him to play decent poker when he'd just come to the conclusion that he might actually be falling, seriously falling for someone, for the first time in his life? And he was about to lose him just as quick.
Fuck.
He was screwed.
And that pissed him off, because Naruto Uzumaki did NOT give up. Ever. Especially not when it counted. And in the end, he almost always got what he wanted. Believe it. Exactly.
The thought settled the blonde somewhat. He could do this. He was only about half way down and he'd won countless of games before where the odds were worse.
He just had to calm down. To breathe. And to really avoid thinking about the consequences of not winning.
Okay. Now…
A small, mischievous and wicked grin danced on his lips.
To win an Uchiha…
Ibiki and Itachi, who'd returned to see how the game was progressing, shared a look across the table as the sixth hand was dealt. The tension between the blond and the raven was palpable and thick enough that a knife would never be enough to cut through it. Maybe a machete. Or a chainsaw.
In a move classically Uchiha, a single, black eyebrow arched questioningly.
Itachi was…intrigued.
Sure the blond was sexy in a careless-just-tumbled-out-bed-way, but there had been some divinely beautiful and amazingly hot people interested in Sasuke and his otouto hadn't so much as blinked in their direction. Whatever impossibly high bar Sasuke set as his standards hadn't ever been met before. And he wasn't sure how the blond had managed to do anything remotely interesting enough playing poker to interest his brother.
Hmmm…he really was going to have to review those tapes.
As he walked off assured that everything was fine and Naruto was being properly pampered he wondered if he'd find anything that would make his foolish little brother blush.
He watched Itachi's retreating back, scowling.
Did he have to touch the dobe every time he came back to the table? Weren't the first three handshakes enough?
Not that it mattered or anything. His brother could do what he wanted. He just didn't think a host had to be that friendly. It could give people the wrong impression. Like he liked the blond, or something. Of course, Sasuke could care less. It's not like he had dibs on the dobe. No. Of course not.
He didn't even notice the white knuckled grip he had on the edge of the table.
Naruto thought it was a good thing Itachi had his back to the table, considering the intensity of death glare his brother was shooting at him. He scratched his cheek absently, wondering what Itachi had done to piss Sasuke off. Whatever it was, it must have been bad.
Sasuke was still winning.
And now it was very clear that the blonde was sinking and sinking fast.
He was happy. Naturally. He hated to lose. Thus he had to be happy to be slowly but surely annihilating the dobe.
So he wondered briefly why his stupid scowl refused to turn into the condescending smirk it was supposed to be at the thought of winning.
Ibiki was…amused.
He'd found that people's playing style said a lot about them.
Sasuke played skillfully, methodically. His risks and betting were calculated to maximize gain and minimize loss. His face showed nothing. It was like watching a master pianist at work.
Naruto on the other hand, was an impulsive better and seemed to rely on luck more than skill. His face was open, smiling, eyes filling with emotions chasing each other. No one would have called it a poker face, but it seemed to work for the blond. His emotions and thoughts were so random that no pattern could be discerned. He was like a Pollock painting.
Even so, Ibiki missed nothing.
He'd watched the blond stare at the younger Uchiha, hunger and curiosity written plainly on his face. He'd watched Sasuke avoid looking at the blond at all cost, but sneaking peeks beneath his lashes anyway.
Something was definitely going on between those two, even though they had barely said ten words to each other not related to poker since he'd arrived. And even those had only been insults.
What had him narrowing his eyes and watching closer was the way Sasuke seemed to grow angrier the more he won. Usually by now he should have been gloating in that silent, patronizing way that seemed to be genetically inbred to the Uchiha's.
It was mystery. Mysteries always needed to be solved. He decided to solve it before the game ended. It would give him something to do.
Ibiki looked at them closely for more clues.
Naruto had watched the raven the last hour or so and noticed the bastard glared more at the cards right before he would inevitably sweep the pot into his growing pile. It seemed winning didn't agree with him.
Golden brows drew together.
And they called him an idiot? At least he wasn't standing in the way of his happiness.
If falling for irritating raven-haired enigmas that pissed you off so much you wanted to jump across the table and throttle them until they saw reason could be called happiness.
It could. He did. And what that said about his own mental state, was potentially worrisome.
Still, he wasn't the one that needed saving from himself.
Annoyed, he reached for the Jack.
"Teme" was mumbled softly as he knocked back his drink.
Sasuke wondered briefly if the baka actually was throwing the game—felt his chest tighten painfully—and dismissed the idea immediately. The dobe wasn't losing fast enough for that.
He really thought he was starting to come down with something. Heart palpitations and shortness of breath just weren't normal.
Hn.
Still, Naruto wasn't winning like he'd been earlier. There was none of that annoying bragging and cheerful name calling going on.
Sasuke estimated the blond had enough chips left for roughly two hands. He was trying not to think past that. He'd noticed his slacks became much more constrictive when he did.
He shook off the images clamoring for attention in his brain and rained in his icy, Uchiha control.
So much for winning, dobe.
Sasuke almost caught himself sighing and went rigid. What the hell was wrong with him?
He was definitely going call for the Resort's staff physician to come check him out after the game.
He couldn't handle it anymore. Win or lose, this had to end now. The suspense, the waiting, was killing him.
He had a plan. Sort of. If one can call relying blindly on luck and instinct a plan.
When his pocket cards were dealt, he didn't even look at them.
Naruto had the button and placed his bet, going over the big blind.
Sasuke called. Raised. He matched.
Ibiki burned a card.
The flop was beautiful. A queen and ten of spades nestled an Ace of hearts.
Sasuke bet. He called.
Burn.
The turn. The 2 of hearts.
Naruto took it as a sign. It seemed to fit the situation. Hearts and daggers.
Sasuke bet and raised once more.
So he did the only thing he could think of.
Before the river run of the seventh hand of the poker game that had been going on for almost an hour and a half, Naruto went all in.
His pile of white, red and black chips toppled onto the black velvet clothed table as he shoved them all into the middle. He watched as three black chips danced around a red one, spinning wildly in dizzying circles, before tiring out.
Black eyes snapped up at as the chips fell. "Baka, what…?"
Cerulean met obsidian, studying, weighing his next words, willing the brunette to understand.
"And I raise you a date." There, now he had bet everything
The onyx pools swirled. What was the idiot doing? He hadn't even looked at his cards yet! And he was betting…that?
"What?"
"I raise you a date, teme" Naruto repeated with a calm he did not feel. No, inside the panic was spreading at an alarming rate. He was on the verge of shaking.
But he trusted his instincts. Even if they went against everything he knew about playing poker.
The hypnotic eyes assessed him, guardedly, for a long moment.
He stared back, raising his own golden brow, a parody of the Uchiha's move.
Scared, Sasuke?
He knew the raven would interpret the taunt.
Sasuke did. And he wasn't going to let the idiot blond one up him. Even if the thought of going all in panicked him, maybe, just a tiny little bit.
He looked at his cards, looked at the pot. His eyes narrowed and the pretty pink lips thinned into a small, tight line.
"Fine," he spit out, voice clipped and cold, "I call. Including the night."
And that was as much as Sasuke was willing to reveal of their bet in front of Ibiki. Because what Ibiki heard, Itachi heard. And what Itachi heard, he used to torment Sasuke.
And while normally he would just ignore his aniki's subtle and not so subtle teasing, this night was one thing Sasuke just didn't relegated to veiled innuendos, because he was certain it would end with him winning. And why that was bittersweet—the idiot was kind of easy on the eyes, after all—was something he didn't want to think about.
He felt a headache coming on.
Ibiki stared from the blond to the raven impassively watching the exchange. And then the pieces fell into place and he had to admire the blond. He was brave. Or foolish.
Time would tell.
"Burn."
And then the river was dealt. The Jack of spades stared up at them with one dark eye.
Fuck me.
Ibiki's voice. "Sasuke? It's your call…"
Yeah. He knew that. He closed his eyes briefly as he flipped his cards.
The 8 and 9 of spades stared up at the table.
Dark lashes like thick lace slid slowly up as he forced himself to meet the blond's blue eyes. He saw shock there. And a little panic. He let himself sigh, just a little. He was right. Bittersweet.
"Straight flush." A voice intruded.
Maybe, in some tiny corner of his mind, he was disappointed. Maybe. But he'd had the last hour and half to steel himself for this result. And as expected, he'd won. Of course he had. He was an Uchiha. Uchiha's didn't lose. Hn. Why had he forgotten that?
"Tch. Way to win, dobe..."
His voice was soft, words sarcastic, tone almost bland. It looked like he was going to have a blond in his bed tonight. He could work with that. It wasn't like the idiot wasn't, well, nice to look at or anything.
He eyed said blond. He was probably even nicer to look at out of that horrid excuse for a shirt. Visions of that shirt being ripped of tanned muscle to lay forgotten as skin and sheets slid and tangled, hands running over slick skin, tracing, teasing, as their bodies moved against each other flooded him suddenly. His body reacted hard and fast, forcing to suck in a breath as his body's entire supply of blood rerouted south.
He hissed. Fuck. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so aroused. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember ever feeling so aroused.
What the hell had that idiot done to him?
Naruto looked away from Sasuke to the table. He still hadn't looked at his cards. The chances of beating the teme's flush were infinitesimally small though.
He wondered, as he flipped his cards over, if there was some way to salvage the relationship past tonight. Maybe if he showed Sasuke a really gre—
"Holy shit"
It was so soft, so shocked, and he was so absorbed in trying to figure out how to fix everything in his head, that Naruto almost didn't hear it.
He looked at Sasuke, wondering what happened, but Sasuke wasn't looking at him. He was looking down. At his hand. Holding his cards.
His eyes started sliding down, on auto pilot, until they too were staring at his cards.
They didn't make sense at first. It took a second to sink in. It hit him just as Ibiki spoke.
"Royal flush. Mr. Uzumaki wins."
"YEESSS!!!"
The King and Ace of spades fell from his hands, discarded as Naruto shot up from the table, knocking back the chair, pointing at Sasuke who looked paler than usual, if there were possible.
The dark clouds lifted instantly, as if they'd never been there.
"Ha! I told you, I'd beat you, Sasuke-teme!"
Man, he loved his instincts. He was buying them ramen, first thing!
And then that slow, cat ate the canary grin started spreading over his face, lighting it up with a sexy, predatory light as he stared at Sasuke.
He. Had. Won.
He leaned over the table, bringing his face close to the Uchiha's, very much invading his personal space. "Ne, teme?"
Obsidian, shocked still, met his gaze.
"What, dobe?"
Mmm…This was going to be fun.
"Well…since you matched my bet…and I won…You owe me two dates now…"
As expected those eyes flashed in anger.
"What?! What are you talking about? Don't be an idiot! No! No. Just no."
The blush spreading on those ivory cheeks really was damn cute, he thought. He tried not to snicker too hard at how flustered the Uchiha seemed to be now that the reality of the result had hit him.
"Heh, don't worry so much, Sasuke."
The voice was back. That melt-in-your-mouth voice saying his name like that again….he'd almost had that in his bed…damn…
What had they been talking about? Oh yeah…No.
Although Sasuke could admit he was protesting more on principle than anything else. He had started looking forward to what he'd thought the evening would bring. Just a little. Out of curiosity of course.
"… even let you arrange the first one, if you want?"
And Naruto finally let his laughter bubble up as the eyebrow raised and obsidian eyes flashed in anticipation at his words.
Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.
TBC
