Taiikusai Chapter 11: Long Kiss Goodnight, a naruto fanfic

Taiikusai Ch. 12

Long Kiss Goodnight

The last remaining shimmers of light faded against the stars. Naruto let out a sigh and removed his hand from his boyfriend's.

"So I guess that's it. The matsuri is over."

Gaara nodded.

"Shall I escort you back to the station?"

Gaara sent him a glare. "I know how to get there."

"I know! Sheesh! Just though I'd try to be a gentleman. Who knows how many pervs are out there waiting to prey on young innocent girls. Heck, I traveled with one of them!"

"I'm not a girl."

"But you're pretty enough to look like one. OW! That's the second time tonight!"

Gaara quietly rose and gathered all his belongings.

"Gaara! Hey, wait!" Naruto leaped up and grabbed the other boy's arm, only to be met with a fierce glare.

"I may be the so called girl tonight, but don't think it will be a habit."

Naruto sulked a bit. "Yeah, I know. It's just… I thought you looked really nice tonight so I wanted to compliment you. And who knows how many girls will try to take your picture or flirt with you while I'm gone?"

Gaara let out a small sigh. He tugged at Naruto's chin to direct his attention at him. "As I said, I can take care of myself." Naruto gave a little smile and Gaara let go. As Gaara turned to walk back towards the station, Naruto felt a moment of sadness that the night had already come to an end.

"Gaara, wait." The red head turned around. Naruto felt his heart swell at the beauty of his skin in the lantern's light. "It's still pretty early. You want to get a drink or something? There's a Mr. Donuts by the station."

Gaara paused to consider, checked the clock on his cell phone and then nodded.

Naruto jogged to catch up with him before holding out a hand. "After you my lady."

This time he remembered to dodge.

Neji cleared the dishes, putting the last remaining bowl in the sink. Temari let out a satisfied sigh as she rubbed her stomach. Wearing what was practically a mini skirt, the gesture seemed a bit incongruous. Neji smirked and turned on the hot water.

"How'd you learn to make omelet rice?"

"Iron chef." Neji nearly burst out in giggles at her look of horror. "Kidding. I grew up in a household with a mother who couldn't cook and two female cousins that could. We children fended for ourselves. I admit I'm not as skilled as my female cousins, but I'm not completely uncomfortable in the kitchen."

"I'm surprised they let you anywhere near the stove with that hair of yours. Ever singed anything?"

"Thankfully, no." Neji pulled out his ponytail. "I am smart enough to pull it back when I cook."

"That's right. You always were a smarty pants."

"I believe my pants are quite unrelated, but yes, I did always possess no small intellectual prowess."

Temari chucked a wadded up napkin at him. It bounced harmlessly off of his back and fell to the floor.

"Now you're just trying to show off. Your smart ass mumbo jumbo won't impress me."

"Oh? And pray tell, what will?"

Temari seemed to think for a moment. "How good are you at giving a massage?"

Neji tried to smile innocently. "That all depends on where."

Naruto dropped a glazed donut and a pon de ring onto the bright orange tray before turning to Gaara. "Would you like any?" Gaara looked at the sugary confection and couldn't imagine how Naruto could even contemplate food after all they ate. He gave a simple shake of the head, prompting Naruto to skip ahead to the cashier.

Naruto ordered Gaara a cup of hot lemon tea and a cup of ice cocoa for himself. After being handed a tray laden with goodies, the two boys found an empty table only to notice that a few chairs down was Umino-sensei… accompanied by a silver haired man that looked a lot like Naruto's homeroom teacher.

"Kakashi-sensei!?" The blond seemed to jump out of his skin upon discovering that it was indeed his homeroom teacher.

"Oh, Uzumaki-kun. Enjoy the festival?"

"What are yo..yo.. YOU doing here?"

"I was supposed to help out with the festival too. But then I found this lost little kitten and I had to find its owner so I went, Ow." Kakashi rubbed the spot where Iruka-sensei had hit him on the head with his book.

"No excuses. I manned the booth the WHOLE night by mySELF." He shook his head in disappointment. "What a bad role model you are." Kakashi-sensei seemed to blush a little at this which Gaara didn't quite realize was even possible.

"In short, I remembered about the festival when I saw the fireworks overhead."

Naruto snorted.

"Aren't you kids out a bit late?" Iruka-sensei attempted to change the topic. "Don't you have to hurry home soon?"

Naruto pouted. "But it's still early. And I wanted a snack."

"Well don't get into any trouble. I should be sending you off, but since it's a festival night, I'll pretend I didn't see you." Iruka-sensei winked and rose to his feet. "Come on Hatake. You're not getting out of helping me transport everything back."

Kakashi-sensei grinned sheepishly and waved to the boys. "Good night. Be careful on your way back."

Both boys waved and watched them depart.

"Just my luck." Naruto crammed a piece of pon de ring into his mouth. "I run into the disciplinarian AND my homeroom teacher on my FIRST date."

Gaara chuckled. "But you found out a secret about them in return."

"Hrm?"

Gaara smiled at Naruto's obliviousness. "He called him Hatake-san, minus the honorific. I'd say they get along more than the average co-workers."

Naruto seemed to ponder this for awhile before the meaning fully sunk in. "Those two? Really? No way! Kakashi-sensei is always reading those perverted books!"

"And you would turn down good porn?"

Naruto pursed his lips and scratched the back of his head. "I guess you're right. Still, that's so weird."

"Try to think of it more as potential allies. Should the need ever arise."

"Ew! I'm not asking them for advice!"

Gaara sighed. "You perv, not that kind of ally. It's just… you already know how popular I am with the board."

Naruto shot Gaara a surprised look before sobering into something darker.

"It shouldn't matter who you love or who you're loved by. Just so long as you are."

"It shouldn't, but it does."

Naruto took a particularly vicious bite out of his donut. "It's just not fair."

"Life seldom is. We both know that better than most of our classmates."

Gaara raised the cup of steaming tea to his lips, tasting the familiar bitterness flow over his tongue. For once, Naruto chewed in silence.

He felt a slight guilt for putting such a damper on the other boy's usually high spirits, but he knew the issue had to arise sooner or later. Naruto had never had to deal with coming out, and Gaara knew just how hard it was.

Gaara glanced furtively at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. It wasn't yet 9 o'clock and yet he wondered at how wise it was to stay out much longer while the Hyuuga ran around unsupervised in his home, alone, with his older sister.

"Gaara?" He was yanked out of his musings by Naruto's unusually quite voice. He fixed his gaze on the other boy. A half eaten donut was still neglected on his tray. "I hope you know I wouldn't bail on you." He seemed to hesitate. "I won't do anything you feel uncomfortable with, but I won't hide my relationship with you either."

Gaara smiled. "I know. Besides… you couldn't hide your emotions if your life depended on it."

"Hey!"

Gaara reached over and brushed the tan fingers resting on the table. "It's part of your charm." Gaara watched a deep blush spread across Naruto's cheeks and laughed. "Case in point." Naruto pouted. If Gaara could have died from laughing, he would have.

"Oh god yes, right there." Temari let out a deep moan of appreciation. "Consider me impressed Hyuuga. Consider me deeply impressed." Neji pushed his thumbs firmly into the arch of her foot, trying to keep her still as she wiggled the other way.

"Does your wiggling in the opposite direction mean I'm finished?"

"Oh no. Most definitely not. You still have the other foot to do." She held up her left foot, toes wriggling to emphasize her point.

Neji smirked, running one finger gently down the edge of her foot. She squirmed and tried to roll away, but he held her firmly in place. "Ahahaha, that tickles! Stop it!"

"That's for being bossy."

"Ahahaha! Alright, I'm sorry. Hyuuga, massage my other foot NOW."

Neji sighed. It had been worth a shot.

Naruto handed his orange tray to the workers while Gaara gathered his collection of objects once more. Ushering Gaara into the warm summer air, Naruto still felt that the night wasn't quite complete. Looking at the slightly shorter boy next to him, he realized that he hadn't touched any more than his hand the whole night.

Caught up in his realization, he turned the pale skinned boy towards him and stole a kiss on the lips.

Gaara looked up at him in surprise.

"I couldn't let you go without a kiss goodnight."

Gaara looked around quickly, but there were few people out and no one seemed to be paying any attention to them.

"Still paranoid? Should I find someplace a little more private next time?" Gaara's cheeks turned pink. "You can always come back to my place. I'm sure we'd have plenty of privacy there."

"Are you implying I'm the type of person that goes home with someone on the first date?"

"Of course not. You're the type that drags unsuspecting innocents into bathroom stalls to have your way with them."

Gaara's cheeks could nearly compete with his tattoo.

"Come on sexy. You know you wanna."

"But my sister will be waiting for me. Someone has to kick out Hyuuga."

"Awww, give the guy a break. If you get lucky, why can't he? Ow! That's my shin!"

"That's my sister he's so called getting lucky with."

"And she's a big girl. Besides, between the two of us, I'd say it's Hyuuga's virtue that needs protection. Ow! What's with the abuse?" Gaara grimaced and set off for the station. "Oh come on! It was a joke! Besides," Naruto wrapped his arms around the other boy from behind, "it's just that I've had so much fun tonight and I don't want it to end. It doesn't have to mean anything perverted. We can play video games, watch movies or play thumb war till we pass out on my futon. It's just,… it will feel so lonely going home alone after this."

Gaara seemed to relax a bit in his arms. Naruto never was one to lie. "I suppose we do only have a week before I leave."

Naruto smiled and gave him a squeeze. "I hope you're good at Mario Kart!"

Neji had made it all the way to Temari's shoulders when he heard a ringing coming from the kitchen table.

Temari jumped up and made a mad dash for the phone. "Hey chibi. Uh huh. Nope. Yep. Of course not! Okay. Have fun. Good night." Beep.

"Who was that?"

"Gaara. Who else? He's enjoying his date so much, he's going home with Uzumaki and won't be back until tomorrow."

"Remind me to send Uzumaki a thank you card."

Temari chuckled. "Guess no one will be here to enforce your curfew."

"Yeah, I guess not."

"Guess I'll be getting a pretty good massage tonight."

"Guess I might actually get my turn."

"That has yet to be decided." She grinned. "Back to work pretty boy. Keep up the good work and I may just start to feel generous."

She always was a playful one. "As you wish, my lady."

"Noooo! Not lightning!! OhMyGawd! You just squished me like a bug! Ah, the horror! Just when I was SO close to beating you."

"You fail again Uzumaki."

"Oh come on! Best of 7?"

"You said best of 3. I've beat you 3 times. Accept it. Next date is my treat."

"Fine, fine, but I'm not wearing a dress!"

"I would hope not. I can't imagine your hairy legs poking out of a frilly skirt."

Naruto stuck out his tongue.

"Nope, not even that will entice me out of my winnings." Gaara grinned evilly.

"Perv."

"You would know. You didn't even attempt to hide your porn"

"Mou! Let's play another game."

Gaara waited for it.

"Thumb war!"

"Gave up on video games entirely? I believe both require thumb skills." Naruto seemed to pout.

"Go fish? Old maid? I must have a deck of cards here somewhere."

Gaara smiled. "It's okay. We can try thumb war."

"Hehehe. Get ready to lose. I won't go easy on you."

Gaara was hoping that was the case.

Both boys assumed the position, fingers hooked together and thumbs held up straight. Naruto began the opening chant and soon both boys were strategically trying to trap the other's thumb. Gaara kept a tight grip on the other boy's fingers. Naruto was one of those people that seemed to move his whole arm each time he moved his thumb in a different direction. If Gaara wasn't careful, he'd be dragged along with it.

The boy was pretty strong. He'd give him that much. Stronger than he remembered. But maybe that was due to the extra height and weight he had acquired in the past few years.

Naruto gave a sudden twist forward and Gaara found himself overbalanced and falling forward. His left hand darted out, grabbing a fist full of Naruto's yukata and tugged down.

So much for his earlier work. The fabric pulled free of one of the strings tying it in place and hung loosely, exposing his chest. Gaara sighed, thumping his forehead against Naruto's chest.

"Does that mean I win?" Naruto chuckled.

"Sorry. I'll help you fix it again."

Naruto released Gaara's imprisoned thumb and wrapped an arm around him. "No need. I don't exactly plan on wearing it to sleep."

Gaara freed the arms trapped between the two of them and wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist. Naruto rubbed his back. "Are you sleepy at all? I can lend you some PJs if you want. It's only a little after 10, but I don't know what time you normally go to sleep."

"I'll be up for awhile."

Naruto's hand wandered up to stroke his red hair. "Should I let you go then?"

Gaara clung just a little bit tighter.

"I'll take that as a no." Naruto chuckled and pulled him just a little bit closer.

Neji slid his hands over her shoulder blades, kneaded the knotted muscles in her back and nearly lost his grip when she hunched forward. "That's the spot."

Neji let out a small sigh. "You know what might make it a little easier? If I had more space to work with."

She craned her neck to look back at him enquiringly.

"Like… a bed, perhaps?"

Temari grinned. "Sure. Follow me."

Neji smiled. Easy as pie.

After some moments of restful respite, Gaara started to feel a little uncomfortable. Disentangling himself, he tried to straighten out his own yukata, which was less than perfect at the moment.

Naruto grabbed one of his hands, the other brushing his cheek. "Leave it. I can lend you something to change into if you want. Not that you don't look totally hot in it, but any longer and I may have to take back my statement about being a gentleman."

Gaara fingered the hem of Naruto's yukata. "Guess I should slip into something a little more… comfortable for the both of us." Naruto's fingers closed over his own. He could feel the tremble behind them.

"I'll just take a look through my closet." Naruto stood up, yukata barely held in place and wandered over to the small closet. Gaara found himself on the receiving end of a pair of blue shorts and a repeating pattern of … narutos, his boyfriend's name sake. He eyed the pink and white swirls with little enthusiasm before his vision went dark under the orange shirt that landed on his head.

"You've got to be kidding me. This is what you wear?"

"Better at home than out in public." He grinned foxily. "The shorts were a gift from Tsunade-hag. She thought they were funny."

Gaara smiled. It made perfect sense to him now. Still… he wasn't too enthused about wearing it.

"I usually sleep in my boxers, but I can put on a shirt if you want."

"Nothing I haven't seen before." Gaara smirked.

"Yes, but I said I'd be a gentleman." Gaara smiled. To be honest, he felt deeply touched at how seriously the other boy was taking it. Not once had Uzumaki attempted to take advantage of him. At least… not yet…

"Uzumaki"

"Hrm?"

"Help me take off my yukata."

Naruto seemed to take a deep gulp before wordlessly nodding. "What should I do?"

A whisper of a smile graced his lips. "Come here and I'll tell you."

At last his turn had come. Neji sighed as fingers pressed harshly into his back. Whether to apologize for her roughness, or simply be a tease, each rough touch was followed by a subtle brush of lips. Her hands slid down his back and wrapped around the front of his waist. "Is it my turn yet?" She nipped the back of his neck.

"You just had your turn. I thought it was mine."

Her fingers began to unzip his pants.

"How about we share?"

"Now you're just being greedy."

Her fingers slid inside. "Is that a no?"

For once, Neji didn't have a smart response.

Naruto tried to keep some distance between them. But Gaara was being stern and pointed out that he couldn't see anything without looking over his shoulder.

So Naruto carefully unwound the obi, trying not to let it fall on the floor. Gaara held his arms out like a doll, refusing to help him out. The fabric was long and had been wrapped around the slim waist nearly three times. Carefully, he folded it up and waited for more orders.

"The first tie is knotted in the back. My sister did it for me. You should be able to see it."

Naruto looked down and noticed it right away. No wonder his yukata had fallen apart so quickly. He forgot a step.

It took some time, but he worked out the knot and it too had to be unwound a few times from Gaara's slim waist. As soon as it was free, the material fell open, exposing a pale chest. The black seemed to emphasize just how pale he was. It didn't help that Naruto had the perfect vantage point and he kept trying not to stare down the pale expanse, at the subtle muscle tone making ripples in his skin.

"Do you have a hanger?"

Naruto nodded over Gaara's shoulder.

"Just point the way. I'll get it."

Naruto nodded stupidly and Gaara slipped away to the closet. With just one tie holding it together, the material split with each step, revealing a bit of inner thigh.

"Yabai. I think you're gonna have to finish dressing on your own. I'll be in the shower."

He was contemplating the remedial powers of a cold shower when Gaara's voice interrupted.

"Can I join?"

Naruto turned around so quickly, he nearly had whiplash. "Wha..wha. . .Huh?"

Gaara stalked over like a cat eying its prey. One sleeve nearly fell off his shoulder, carelessly exposing a dusky nipple.

Gaara fingered the hem of his blue yukata. "You helped me take off my yukata. I haven't yet extended the same courtesy."

"That's not necessary." Naruto chuckled nervously. "I'm a big boy! Really!"

Gaara ran a hand over his chest. Naruto gulped when fingers dipped dangerously low towards his belly button.

"I know." He smiled like a cat.

"Well, this gentleman would love to stay, but this gentleman must be taking a shower now or he won't be a gentleman for much longer!"

Naruto grabbed Gaara's hands but found his palm quickly pressed to soft lips.

"But you forget. I never said I was one."

Before Naruto could protest he soon found himself having the daylights kissed out of him by his sexy, obviously not so innocent nor passive date.

Guess he stopped worrying about his sister. Naruto relaxed into the kiss, pulling Gaara in closer.

"Now that's a good night kiss." He smiled.

Gaara didn't comment but walked straight towards the bathroom. Untying the last knot, he let the yukata slip from his shoulders onto the floor. He looked over his shoulder at the slightly flabbergasted blond and quirked a brow. "Plan on coming sometime tonight?" He slipped out of his briefs, confident that his boyfriend's gaze was exactly where he expected it to be. Uzumaki may have been a little oblivious, but Gaara was sure even hecould figure it out.

The Morning After

Kankuro stumbled in through the doorway and kicked off his shoes. Working on autopilot, he walked past the living room, threw his bag onto the couch and went straight for the kitchen.

He stopped in his tracks when the couch started groaning.

Bleary eyes glanced over at the lump moving under a light blanket… a lump with long, dark hair spilling out at the tail end.

Neji woke up to the sensation of being slightly suffocated. A heavy weight pressed down on his chest and his immediate reaction was to groan at the unexpected pain and find out its source.

Pulling the light sheet down, he discovered a large black bag. Carefully, he tried to push it aside and sit up.

"YOU!" Neji's head whipped around to the opposite direction and immediately realized that his morning had gone from bad to worse. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Neji brought one hand up to his forehead and sighed. "Isn't it a bit early for yelling?"

"Where's Temari?!"

"Most likely in her room, sleeping. Isn't that what she normally does?"

"Oh I am so kicking your ass."

Neji didn't like the way Kankuro was smiling at him. He really had no desire to hurt anyone related to Temari. He was sure she would frown upon him trespassing on her territory.

"Oi, Kankuro, do you have to be so fuckin loud?"

A bleary eyed Temari appeared at the doorway, clasped arms holding her robe closed.

"What the hell is he doing here? You should know better than to let a guy stay over! And where's Gaara? How come he didn't throw him out? Oh boy… wait til dad hears about this one."

Temari walked up to her brother and promptly hit up upside the head. "It's too early in the morning to be starting shit. I KNOW you just got home right now so be a good boy and just go to bed will ya." Briefly, her expression softened and turned to look at Neji. "Hyuuga, be a dear and start some coffee."

Neji understood perfectly and quickly made his way to the kitchen.

Kankuro let out a big grin. "Hell if I let this slide. You know the rules." Kankuro chuckled. "You're so gonna get it. I think I'll go call dad now."

Temari grabbed him by the collar and pushed him onto the couch.

"First of all, Gaara is at Naruto's place, second, high school students aren't supposed to be out on the town until 6am. And third, if you call dad and tell him about this incident, I'll take the phone from you and make sure he knows exactly what you spend your allowance on." Temari let out a devious chuckle. "Dolls, indeed."

Kankuro turned an interesting shade of red. "You don't have any proof!" he sputtered.

Temari grinned and it was almost as frightening as Gaara's. "Ah, but you're not the one who does the laundry." Kankuro gulped. "Lose any receipts lately?"

Kankuro sighed, and, defeated, walked quietly to the kitchen. "Do you like your coffee black or with cream?"

Gaara had been awake for hours. Rather than risk waking up the sleeping boy next to him, he lay quietly on his side, contemplating the list of things he had to do in the upcoming week. Though he would never admit it, it was going to be tough not seeing Naruto for a few weeks. He had to use this week to its full advantage…

Naruto stirred, inhaling deeply before shifting underneath the sheet. A warm arm draped itself around Gaara's waist. Though their bodies weren't touching, he could feel the warmth radiating from behind through their close proximity. Should he scoot back just an inch he was sure he'd feel the press of a smooth chest against his skin.

Spooning. There was something they hadn't yet tried. Circumstances had never quite allowed such intimacies before.

Gaara wiggled backwards a bit, trying to press himself against the body behind him. It was mid-wiggle that he felt Naruto stir again. The arm around his waist pulled him closer, the curve of his legs and back seeming to fit like a puzzle piece against the other boy.

For once, Gaara was glad that Naruto was taller.

He could feel Naruto's breath warm against his hair. Little puffs of air ruffled his curls in time with the rise and fall of the blond's chest. Gaara could feel his steady heartbeat thrumming against his back. Gaara closed his eyes, allowing himself to be drawn into the steady pace.

Naruto took a deep breath that somehow evolved into a yawn. A few mumbles were murmured as he rubbed his cheek against Gaara's hair.

One leg wrapped itself around Gaara's and before he knew it, his intimate moment was ruined. Being a human pillow wasn't quite what he had in mind. Gaara tried to wiggle out of it, but Naruto clung to him a little tighter. Gaara pulled his arms up and tried to pry the sleeping boy's arm away from him, but that only provoked the long tan leg to grip him a little harder.

"Be a good pillow and stop moving."

Gaara sighed.

"If you're awake, then would you please let me go?"

Naruto nuzzled him some more. "Mm, you smell good. Good smelling pillow."

Is he talking in his sleep?

Naruto grew quiet again; his breathing grew steady with sleep. Gaara sighed and tried to wiggle away. With escape clearly on his mind, he failed to take their positions into account. Mid-wiggle, Naruto let out a low moan and Gaara was greeted with a growing hardness pressing against his backside.

Gaara grinned. His escape route was suddenly clear.

Despite the awkwardness of his position, Gaara did his best to keep wiggling, focusing particularly on the bit of anatomy that would notice it most. Naruto let out a particularly breathy sigh while his leg slid up Gaara's just a little.

Naruto moaned just a little more, his hand tightened around Gaara's waist.

Naruto awoke, gripping Gaara and painfully hard against his boyfriend's teasing hips. Naruto moaned in response to a well placed roll against him.

"Tease." Naruto pushed up Gaara's shirt, sliding a hand up his torso. "Couldn't, ahh, you let me, mmm, sleep just fi… aah..ive more minutes?"

He imagined the smile on Gaara's lips. "Not with me as a pillow."

Naruto bucked against his boyfriend's backside. His hand slid back down to the waistband adorned with uzumaki spirals. "FINE!" Naruto tugged the waistband down, exposing the pale curve of Gaara's hips. "Two can play at this game."

Gaara tried to squirm away, but Naruto help him tightly in place. He tried to feel his way up Gaara's torso, but when stubborn arms blocked his way, his fingers slid south instead. Naruto raised himself onto one elbow in order to reach a particularly desirable earlobe. The resulting hiss was worth the discomfort.

Gaara's movements gradually became less coordinated. Instead, his hips seemed to be straining in the opposite direction. Perhaps it was because of the way Naruto rubbed circles over his belly, or slid along his inner thigh. Or perhaps it was because he was touching everywhere except the one place he knew Gaara would want it.

"Fucking tease."

Naruto chuckled. "It's called payback." He tugged the boxers just a little lower, touching the exposed flesh. "Maybe next time you'll let me sleep in."

"I'm not a pillow."

"No, but you're sure cuddly." Gaara tried to elbow him. "Hey! Watch it! You can hurt someone!"

"Your point?"

"Sheesh, alright." Naruto disentangled himself from his boyfriend's body and sat up. "Guess I should get up since you're not going to let me sleep in. Besides, this is starting to hurt." He gestured down.

"And you think mine doesn't?"

"Guess we both need cold showers then," Naruto waggled his eyebrows.

Gaara glared.

Naruto stood up and shimmied out of his boxers. He couldn't help notice Gaara's eyes checking him out. "You gonna sit there or are you joining me?" Gaara didn't move. "What? You gonna make me put on a show like you did?" A small grin slid across his face.

"You think you're capable of it?"

Naruto flashed a grin. He put a little more sway into his hips as he padded over to the bathroom. "Join me and find out."

Gaara smiled. Uzumaki may have been unpredictable at times, but there was always one thing he could rely on: he was never one to turn down a challenge.