Candy Canes & Mistletoe
Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews and all the great suggestions guys. I do try to incorporate them where I can and I appreciate them, even if I can't. Oh and for those, I have a new Sasuke x Naruto story up called Twisted. Anyway, happy reading.
Chapter Notation: Someone wondered if the Fugaku and Mikoto were going to be in this story. So I decided to add them in. They're always so happy when they actually get to live. Happy reading.
Chapter 7
It was December 9th and Mikoto Uchiha was determined to get her husband to actually enjoy some of the holiday season besides just Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years this time around.
"Fugaku Uchiha." She shakes her head. "Put those damn reports down, right now. You're already ahead of schedule." She sits on his desk. "They can wait."
She knew that he hated that, but Mikoto Uchiha also knew that her husband was very much a leg man. Which was why she had worn her festive red skirt today. Festive, but also a bit on the short side.
Not short enough to be improper or violate the dress code, of course. Just enough to drive the point home. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Mikoto, will you kindly get off my desk?" He sighs and shakes his head. "You know I love you, but I would hate to have to organize those stupid reports for the umpteenth time." Mikoto suspected that he hadn't needed to reorganize his papers that many times. "I really need a new secretary." Her husband was at least moderately obsessive compulsive in her opinion. "They just don't make them like they used to."
Speaking of that, she was going to have hit below the belt. "I would hope not." Mikoto glides her hand down her leg. "That was how we met, after all. I was your secretary." His face actually goes lightly pink at that. "Let the girl be. She does her job fine. You just worry too much."
That was right. She used to be Fugaku's secretary. Of course, that hadn't lasted too long. A year at most.
That wasn't due to her job performance though. "I guess you're right. She's fine." It was due to the fact that her husband could be extremely stubborn sometimes and it had taken him that long to finally ask her out (and to find her a job working at Mizukage Fashion).
"Good." She smiles at him. "Now, come on. They'll be bringing in the tree soon." Every year, Itachi and Mikoto insisted on having a Christmas tree and other holiday symbols in their workplace.
It was something of a Sharingan Corp. tradition. Speaking of which, they should probably find their sons right about now.
"Hmm. To go to their offices or to wait at the Christmas Tree?" In other words, to annoy them or to be patient?
Decisions, decisions. They both loved their children fiercely, but like all parents embarrassing their children was half of the fun of being a patient. Sasuke and Itachi would understand one day when they had children of their own.
"We should probably wait." Fugaku shakes his head in amusement. "Itachi might be in a compromising position with Gaara and Sasuke is probably still brooding over those letters and gifts."
Oh yes. The gifts. Sasuke was adorable sometimes. Really, he honestly didn't know that the two of them knew about his Secret Santa? Did he not know them at all or still not understand how quickly office gossip traveled? (Hint: It was at the speed of light).
"Of course." She nods at the CEO as the two of them make their way to the lobby. "Did you happen to join the betting pool?"
Fugaku nods sagely. Of course, he had. "I wouldn't dream of missing out on such entertainment." Her husband might be moderately obsessive compulsive, but he loved a good show just as much as the next person did.
"Did you bet on who it was or when he would find out?" She smiles at him.
Ah. There it was, Mikoto observes as a couple people set about the difficult task of carrying the tree inside. They could see it, even though they were still just outside of the lobby at this point.
The father of two smiles at that. "Both, of course." He laughs and warps his arm around her waist. "Though there is no need to bet which list you'll end up on for wearing that damn skirt of yours."
She giggles at him and smiles. "I've always been on the Naughty List ever since I met you." Mikoto's eyes shine with amusement as the two of them watch the tree be put up.
"So you're saying that your consistent placement on that list is all my fault?" He shakes his head at her.
Mikoto glances back at him and nods. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." To which he chuckles as the two of them wait for their sons to stumble down and join them. "Oh and I also voted on both categories as well."
Damn that had been a close one, Naruto thinks as he makes his way to the lobby. Thank goodness for Christmas Magic or else he would have gotten caught at least half a dozen times by now.
"He's nothing, if not extremely persistent." Naruto tries his best not to pant as he races down the hallway that leads to the lobby.
Well one of the hallways anyway. There were a lot of hallways in this place. That was mostly because it was huge.
"I should have known that you would be heading down to see the Christmas Tree as soon as they got it." Itachi chuckles as he and Gaara come out of the bathroom together.
Had they seriously been making out in there like a bunch of teenagers? Judging by their slightly messed up hair and flushed faces, the answer would be yes. Some seriously hardcore making out, by the way. Their lips were a bit puffy. Nice work, Naruto muses.
"What can I say?" Naruto grins at them. "It's my favorite holiday. Well that and Halloween."
Gaara laughs softly at that and nods. "Yes, he's pretty obsessed with Christmas." The three friends finish making their way to the lobby. "I'm sure that he's spent all year coming up with designs for this tree."
Naruto laughs and nods his head vigorously in agreement. "You know me." That was damn true. "I never miss out on the chance to decorate the tree. Have you guys seen Sasuke today?"
Itachi pauses as he considers it. "I think that he went to his office to try to get some work done." The elder Uchiha Brother chuckles lightly at the thought. "He knows that sooner or later, our parents are going to drag us down to decorate the tree and doesn't want to fall behind."
Yeah. That did sound like Sasuke. He could really be a workaholic sometimes. Naruto was definitely going to have to teach him the meaning of the holidays at some point.
Probably while they were having a joyride on a magical sleigh. There was almost nothing more romantic than that. Right? Even someone like Sasuke would have to enjoy that.
"Makes sense." Santa's son laughs. "At this rate, he's going to be an old man by the time, he's thirty."
Itachi twitches at that. "What is that supposed to mean?" Uh oh. Naruto had totally walked into that one.
Thankfully, it looked like Gaara was ready, willing, and able to save the day. He smiles and caresses Itachi's cheek before giving said cheek a light kiss.
"He didn't mean that thirty was old." The red head was now smiling at his lover brightly. "Naruto meant that one shouldn't be old at thirty."
Itachi had turned thirty last summer and well, like everything else Itachi excelled in midlife crises. So much in fact, that Naruto was half sure that the man was having one right now.
Which was utterly ridiculous because the man could easily live to be ninety or older. Thirty was not the time to be having a midlife crisis. Luckily, the elder Uchiha Brother had a Gaara to chase away the worst of that.
"Right." The Chief Operating Officer sighs. "Anyway, come on." He smiles. "I'm assuming that you both want to get at least some ornaments on that tree and competition to do so is fierce every year."
Yeah. Really fierce. Naruto was far from the only one who loved decorating that tree.
Hell, even Sasuke's parents got in on it. Well more specifically, Mikoto got in on it and she tended to drag Fugaku along for the ride. Not that the blonde could entirely blame the Uchiha Patriarch for falling for it. He was bisexual himself and it was easy to see where Sasuke had gotten his looks from.
Sasuke shakes his head as he sees another card and letter on his desk. It was annoying. He was almost a third of the way through the month and he still didn't have any real clue who his Secret Santa was.
"Most people love Halloween and Christmas." That those weren't exactly great clues to go by.
Oh well. For now, he'd just have a look at the newest gift. His admirer was nothing, if not endlessly creative and perverted.
Dear Sasuke,
I know that you're probably getting super frustrated by now. I'm sorry about that, but at least you're not bored. Hopefully, not anyway.
This time, I got you a star decoration for a Christmas Tree. Tis the season and all that. Plus, you remind me of the Moon in a lot of ways with that pretty skin of yours, those dark eyes and long eyelashes.
Unfortunately, Moons aren't really Christmas decorations. So I just decided to go with the next best thing. Hope you like it. I figured silver was more your color than gold.
Love, Your Secret Santa.
Sasuke blinks at that. "Well I guess it wasn't perverted this time." He looks down at the beautiful silver star and smiles. "Well mother will be happy about this addition to the tree, if nothing else."
There was just one thing that bothered him. Sasuke Uchiha did not have pretty skin or long eyelashes. He wasn't his mother! This Secret Santa was definitely in for a spanking when Sasuke got his hands on the guy. That much was for damn sure.
"I suppose that I probably should get going." If he didn't, his parents would come looking for him soon.
That would just be annoying. The Marketing Director could easily envision them trying to drag him down by his ear or something. Seriously, he was a grown man. He didn't need to be told to come downstairs to decorate a Christmas Tree.
With that thought in mind, the raven haired man steps foot outside his office and immediately bumps into someone. A very large someone.
"Sorry." He really needed to be more careful about that sort of thing.
Sharingan Corp. was a very busy place. It was only natural that there were going to be people coming and going in and out of the hallway at all hours. Sasuke needed to look both ways before crossing the street, so to speak.
The other man shakes his head. "It's fine." He was now smiling at him and Sasuke soon recognizes the gentle giant.
It was Jugo and he was carrying a bunch of yellow roses. That was sweet. He must have gotten them for Kimimaro. Jugo really could be a romantic at times.
"Hope, that I didn't crush your flowers." Sasuke nods at Jugo.
The mailman quickly shakes his head. "Don't worry." Oh that was good. So he hadn't accidentally ruined Jugo's little surprise for his lover. "They're fine and they're not mine anyway."
Really? "Oh. Who are they for then?" Wait. Was Jugo allowed to say that?
Apparently, he either was or the orange haired man didn't mind telling Sasuke. "They're for Naruto." What? "They're from his ex." His ex?!
That was so not fair. Naruto's ex had had their shot and clearly, they had fucked it up. Sasuke didn't even know if the blonde was into men yet. This just wasn't a level playing field.
"Who is his ex?" Had Sasuke known the woman?
Jugo was just a wealth of useful information today, it seemed. "His name was Haku." Hold up. HIS name was Haku?
His was a masculine pronoun. That implied that Haku was a guy. Which meant that Naruto was either gay, bisexual, or somehow at least sometimes attracted to men. That meant that Sasuke could actually have a chance with him.
Did he want that though? Naruto liked to banter with him and they knew each other well, but that didn't meant the sapphire eyed Public Relations Specialist was into Sasuke. The Secret Santa clearly was though.
"I see." Did he want to go after someone who might or might not be interested in him? "Well don't worry." Sasuke smiles at Jugo. "I'll make sure that these flowers get right where they belong."
He liked his Secret Admirer in theory. Sasuke liked Naruto in reality though. His Secret Santa could be anyone. For all he really knew, it could even be Orochimaru.
God, Sasuke hoped that wasn't the case. He feels himself get sick at the very thought. It couldn't be though. Orochimaru would never be that romantic or that clever. The man might be a business genius, but when it came to love the man was a complete creepy idiot.
"Really?" Jugo smiles at him as he hands Sasuke the yellow roses without any hesitation. "That'd be great. Thanks. One less stop on my list."
Sasuke couldn't help, but feel a little guilty at that. This guy really trusted Sasuke. He shouldn't violate that trust, but technically he hadn't lied.
"Yeah." The Uchiha nods at the other man. "Like I said, I'll make sure that they'll get where they belong."
Jugo nods at him gratefully and heads down the hall. No doubt, he was scurrying off to make the rest of his deliveries. After that, the mailman would probably makeout with his boyfriend in the janitor's closet or something.
Seriously, Sasuke was a bit annoyed at that. The janitor's closet was definitely getting more action than him these days. That had been by choice though.
"I wanted to focus on work first, anyway." Sasuke shakes his head as he heads towards the nearest trashcan. "Now, that I have a Secret Admirer though that's changed." If things didn't work out with his Secret Admirer, now there was at least a vague chance that something could happen with Naruto.
First things first though, he had to get rid of these roses. "He had his shot." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Really, I'm probably doing Naruto a favor by keeping this guy away from him." At least that's what he told himself as he threw the roses into the garbage and quickly heads downstairs to help decorate a Christmas Tree. One that would have a silver star on top of it this year.
Minato was still working diligently to ensure that everything would be ready for Christmas on time. A Santa's work was never really done. As soon as you got done with one Christmas, you knew that another one would be just around the corner.
"It looks like the elves finally caught up on the laptop quota." Kushina smiles at her husband. "Kids these days. They love their gadgets. Nothing like when we were kids."
That was true. Oh well. Whatever made them happy was what he and the elves would do. That was after all, their job. To bring the Christmas Spirit to girls and boys all over the world.
Oh and the minority of adults who would let them do so. Seriously, almost everyone was a cynic these days. It was maddening, really.
He might be blonde now, but if the cynics didn't knock it off…that would change far sooner than Minato would like. He wasn't quite ready to have the same hair color as his mentor just yet. Thank you, very much.
"That's good." Minato smiles. "Well I'm just starting my first official check on the list." He always had to check this thing twice.
It was best to be thorough. There were a few people whose destinations always changed last minute. It was just one of the things that went with the territory for jobs like this.
Not that there were any other jobs exactly like being Santa. Though Minato was sure that that there were at least a few that were vaguely similar. Maybe.
Now, where was he? Oh right. He was about to check on the list. Let's see. He had made it all the way to the U's.
Sasuke Uchiha has been demoted to the Naughty List as of December 9th.
The blonde blinks at that. Sure, Sasuke had been a cynic for awhile. That didn't necessarily mean a person was naughty. There were a lot of very nice cynics.
"Dear, do you see this?" What would Naruto say about this, Minato wonders to himself.
How would his son feel about loving someone who had made the Naughty List? Granted, almost everyone did at least once. Still though, that was a bit unusual.
"I see it." Kushina blinks in confusion as she stares down at the list. "What I don't understand is why. Does it list a reason?"
Of course, it would list a reason. That was just one of the most useful aspects of the list. It'd be very hard to tell if the list was accurate, if reasons weren't listed. Honestly, his wife should know that by now.
Wait. That was probably just the shock getting to her. Surely, Mrs. Clause already knew that much about the sacred list. The list that Christmas was built upon.
"Yes, I'm sure it does." He smiles at her, despite being slightly thrown off course. "Let's see here. There must be a good reason for this." Being demoted this close to Christmas was a fairly rare occurrence, but it did happen.
Sasuke Uchiha told Jugo that he would deliver a bouquet of yellow roses to Naruto Uzumaki. The flowers were from Naruto's ex. As of now, he is unaware that Sasuke did not keep the spirit of his promise.
Special Notation: Though technically, he views his statement to Jugo as being true because he said he would take the roses were they belonged. In Sasuke's view, that was the garbage.
"Oh dear." Kushina shakes her head. "This could get messy."
Minato nods as he frowns. "Well the principle of the thing tells me that we should tell Haku about the roses." As a practical matter though, Minato didn't want to go down that road. "Though I doubt that anything good would come of those two getting back together."
Kushina nods at that. "Yes, let's just leave it for now." She sighs as she wraps her arms around his neck. "Besides, if we meddled, we'd have to tell Naruto about the list and explain that Sasuke was the one who kept those roses from him."
Something that would either amuse or enrage Naruto. It was really hard to tell sometimes. Naruto certainly took after her. He could be rather unpredictable.
"Yes, for now we'll just leave it." Minato smiles as he kisses the top of her head. "I married such a smart woman. Why don't we go and have some more of those wonderful Christmas Cookies that you made this morning?"
Kushina laughs and nods as the two of them walk back to the kitchen. "That's a good idea. Everything always looks better on a full stomach." Hand in hand as they always did. One day soon, hopefully Naruto would have this too. Someone to walk next to him on the Journey of Life.
