Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the storyline and situations are mine.

"Ah! A welcoming committee!" Deidara cried with a grin, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but members of the welcoming committee should look…I don't know, cheerful, right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Be happy there's a welcoming committee at all. We're ridiculously short-handed today." He took the money for the tickets and handed out three to Deidara and the two people with him.

"Sasuke, this is my best friend, Sasori and my sister, Kurotsuchi." Deidara said, pointing to the red-headed man and the dark-haired girl in turn, "Guys, this is Itachi's little brother."

"I kind of guessed." Sasori said, flashing Sasuke a smile, "Uchiha genes are fairly distinctive."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Kurotsuchi said, "Big bro has been talking about all of you non-stop for the last few weeks. Where's your boyfriend…Naruto, right?"

Sasuke shot Deidara an arched look to which the blond just shrugged and he rolled his eyes, "He's in there somewhere." He said gesturing back to the grounds, "He's the overenthusiastic blond; very hard to miss."

Sasori chuckled, "We'll go on ahead, Dei."

"Ooh! Akimichi's has a stall here!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed, grabbing Sasori's hand and dragging him to where Choji was standing, greeting customers and taking orders.

Sasuke tried to ignore Deidara standing off to the side staring at him as he worked but after the tenth person had gone past and the blond showed no signs of moving, he cracked. "What?"

"Big night planned, huh?"

Dark eyes narrowed, "Itachi needs to learn to shut his mouth."

Deidara chuckled, "Now, now, Sasuke. Weren't you the one who told him to be more honest with me?"

"About his feelings, not about my life!" Sasuke said, shaking his head, "You two are like gossipy old women."

"Hey, you got me involved when you asked Itachi to get out of your place and come stay at mine. Obviously he needed to tell me the reason." Deidara explained evenly.

"Obviously." Sasuke said dryly, "Whatever. So you know. Why are you here talking to me about it?"

"Well, Itachi wasn't very forthcoming about the details." Deidara leaned his elbows on the table, pale blue eyes trained on Sasuke's face, "He said you were going to be romantic, but couldn't tell me how."

"That's because he doesn't know."

"I want to know though." Deidara said pleadingly, "I'm a romantic at heart. And I love you guys. Come on, tell me!"

Sasuke glanced at the next person in line and flushed when he saw a group of juniors from school listening intently to their conversation. He glared at them, making them stiffen and hand over the money quickly before scampering into the midst of the fair.

"Sai, I'll be right back." He told the boy who was selling tickets with him, and when he received a nod he walked off, stopping only when he was out of earshot of the people in line.

Deidara followed him sheepishly, "I guess I was a bit loud."

"No kidding." Sasuke grumbled, "Anyway, why do you want to know? Whatever I have planned is between me and that idiot."

"Aren't you nervous though? I'm sure you are! And knowing you, you wouldn't have talked to anyone about it. So here I am! Come on, you can tell me." Deidara urged, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and squeezing reassuringly.

The Uchiha eyed him warily then sighed, "You won't tell Itachi?"

"Not a word." Deidara promised, blue eyes serious.

Sasuke searched his face then sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I don't know what to do."

Deidara frowned, "What?"

Dark eyes, wide with panic and fear, darted up to meet Deidara's befuddled gaze, "I don't know what to do!" Sasuke repeated, letting all the stress that had been building up over the last ten days burst forth, "I've been looking things up and thinking about it all week, but nothing seems right! I don't want it to be too cliché but I'm not able to come up with anything else. And now, Naruto is expecting something brilliant, and I'm going to look like a complete idiot because I have absolutely nothing!" Deidara watched with wide eyes as Sasuke Uchiha had a complete and total freakout by the ticketing booth for the Halloween Fair. "I wanted to do this because Naruto deserves it, and I wanted to make sure he had no doubt about how I felt. Now, he's going to think this is all one big joke and it wasn't, I swear. I really thought I could come up with something."

"Okay, whoa!" Deidara placed both his hands on Sasuke's shoulders and shook him hard, "Slow down and take a deep breath for me, yeah?"

Sasuke tried to look annoyed, but he couldn't manage it as he doubled over and worked on controlling his breathing. Once he was breathing steadily he straightened and sighed, "I don't know what I was thinking, trying to plan this. This isn't me. Naruto deserves romance and stuff, but I'm not ever going to be able to give it to him."

"Hey, all Naruto wants is you. Anyone who's ever seen him around you can tell. Maybe you're trying to approach this the wrong way. You're trying to be someone you're not, but the person Naruto fell in love with was you. Not some romantic guy who spews poetry and gives flowers." Deidara said meeting and holding that dark gaze.

Sasuke frowned, more than a little disheartened, "I promised him though. I told him there'd be candles and music and all the mushy stuff."

"Candles and music, huh?"

Sasuke eyed Deidara's suddenly calculating expression, "What? Do you have an idea?"

A wide grin split his handsome face as the blond nodded, "Oh yeah, I think I do."

"Thanks for participating! The judges are going to come around now and take a look before making a final decision." Naruto announced, just as Nagato and Yahiko, the two alumni they had asked to judge the event, got up and made their way around the cordoned off section of pumpkin-carvers.

Arms slipped around Naruto's waist and he let out a pleased hum as lips pressed a kiss just below his left ear, "You're supposed to be done by now."

Naruto tilted his head back to rest it on Sasuke's shoulder so he could kiss his Uchiha's lips in greeting, "They all looked like they were having so much fun, so I gave them an extra ten minutes."

"Of course you did." Sasuke said, nuzzling his usuratonkachi's neck. He wondered idly how long Deidara needed to finish setting up, how long he needed to wait before he could drag Naruto back home where there was a bed accessible.

"Bastard?" Sasuke blinked, focusing on furrowed golden brows and confused blue eyes, "Hey, what were you thinking about? I've been calling you for the last five minutes."

"Oh." Sasuke frowned, "Sorry. What were you saying, usuratonkachi?"

Naruto grinned, stepping up and pulling Sasuke forward into him, "I was saying that I'm ready to get this date started."

"Well, that makes two of us." Sasuke said, smiling slightly as he bent down to brush a kiss to his blond's forehead before pulling away, keeping their hands linked, "Lunch first?"

Naruto let himself be led to Akimichi's as he talked a mile a minute about what he'd been up to since the morning. As he spoke, his blue eyes studied Sasuke's relaxed face and body language, inwardly heaving a sigh of relief. When Sasuke had painted the picture of what he had planned for the night ahead while they'd been at Uchiha Corp., Naruto had been absolutely floored and overwhelmed; so much so that it didn't occur to him till later to wonder how Sasuke was going to manage to put everything together. Love and grand gestures were definitely outside Sasuke's comfort-zone, so would he ask for help? No, that wasn't his bastard; help was out of the question; but then how was he going to do this?

With those questions in mind, he'd observed Sasuke all week, watching as the Uchiha's demeanour got more and more tense with each passing day. He knew Sasuke would never talk to him about it because he was too damn proud. He'd told Naruto he'd give him the perfect first time and he would mentally torture himself trying to come up with a way to make it happen. Yesterday, when Naruto had finally gotten Sasuke alone, he had made an attempt to derail this evening, but Sasuke had been stubborn, not taking the bait.

So of course, Naruto had called Itachi.

"You've noticed as well."

"I'm worried about him. He's putting so much pressure on himself, and he's not talking to me about it at all." Naruto said, picking at the ends of his comforter as he spoke to Itachi on his cell.

"My little brother is under the impression that he needs to do something special so you know how he feels about you, blondie." Itachi revealed softly.

"What?" Naruto frowned, "But I already know how he feels! There's no need for all this."

"Sasuke believes his shows of affection so far have been inadequate in comparison to yours. He wants to do something special for you, yes, but I believe that through this evening he's also telling himself that he can give you everything you deserve. My brother isn't the best with being open about his feelings, and he sees this as a fault given how you are the complete opposite." Itachi sighed, "I'm afraid he's going to be very upset with himself if he doesn't figure something out."

"He's such a fucking bastard. Working himself up all on his own like this." Naruto muttered, rubbing a hand over his forehead as he tried to soothe his nerves, "He needs to talk to someone, but he won't talk to me. Not about this. Can you speak to him, Itachi?"

"He won't speak to me either." Itachi dismissed, but his tone was thoughtful, "I think I know who he will talk to though."

Naruto immediately knew who he was talking about and he grinned, a little relieved, "Of course. Deidara."

The fact that Sasuke was relaxed meant one of two things; either he'd figured something out on his own, or Deidara had found him and eased his fears. Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto glanced up from his third bowl of ramen to meet Sasuke's serene gaze as the Uchiha sat across from him, listening to his chatter and watching him eat. He'd finished his own meal half an hour ago.

"Um, so, did you see Deidara today?" He asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Sasuke's eyes immediately narrowed, but he kept his tone casual as he nodded, "He came in with his sister and his best friend. You didn't see them?"

"Oh, yeah! I did, but well, I was just wondering if you did, you know?" Naruto said, shooting furtive glances at his boyfriend as he ate.

Subtlety was not Naruto's strong-suit, and Sasuke immediately saw through his attempt to dig for information. His calculating mind made the right jumps in logic, and he scowled at the blond, "You asked him to talk to me, didn't you?"

The way those blue eyes widened as Naruto's mouth dropped open was almost comical, but Sasuke didn't feel like laughing. "What? No! Why would I do that? I mean, I didn't have anything to do with anything. Really!" The blond insisted, laughing nervously.

Sasuke shot him a cool glare before throwing some money on their table and getting up to stalk out of the small seating area outside the food stall. Naruto quickly abandoned his food, chasing after his boyfriend, "Sasuke! Come on, don't be mad."

"I'm not mad." The Uchiha's voice was tight with fury as he spoke, but Naruto didn't think it prudent to point that out.

"I was just worried about you. You've been working yourself up over this stupid evening and keeping it all bottled up inside!" Naruto said, sprinting so he was ahead of Sasuke before turning and standing in his way. They were just inside the forest now, away from prying eyes and ears.

"Move, Naruto." Sasuke's tone was deadly, but the blond didn't budge, knowing that the fact that his lover was actually calling him by his name meant he was really upset.

"Sasuke, come on, please. We're on a date, and we've not spent time alone in ages." Naruto pleaded, his eyes holding that dark gaze.

The Uchiha's jaw tightened as he looked away, every line of his body which had been relaxed a few minutes before was now completely rigid. There was complete silence for a while before Sasuke spoke, his voice low, "So you've known this whole time that I was struggling."

Naruto hesitated, before sighing and nodding, "I know you, bastard. I know when something is bothering you, and even though you did your best to fucking avoid me, I figured it out."

Sasuke ran a hand over his face, his shoulders slumping, his expression weary, "I'm sorry. You deserve better than someone who can't even figure out how to show you he lo—cares about you." He flinched as he spoke. He couldn't even say the words without mentally preparing himself for them.

Naruto wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, nuzzling his jaw, "I deserve to be with who I want to be with, and I want someone who loves me despite the fact that they never thought they'd ever be able to love anyone. I want someone who has every reason to run at the very mention of love but still gives me their whole heart." Blue eyes held black, "I deserve you, bastard. Don't try to tell me I'm wrong, because I won't believe it."

Sasuke couldn't help his small smile and Naruto surged forward, kissing him, his arms wrapped tightly around the Uchiha. Sasuke slowly thawed, humming into the kiss. One hand of his hands moving to grip the back of his blond's head and angling it so he could dominate the kiss, while the other moved down to cup his ass. Naruto moaned into Sasuke's lips, moving closer so he could feel Sasuke's arousal against his hip.

"Can we go home now?" Naruto asked hopefully as Sasuke's lips kissed and nipped their way down his neck.

"Mmm, no." Sasuke murmured, biting particularly hard at the junction of Naruto's neck and shoulder.

"Why not?" Naruto couldn't help but whine, "We don't need to do the whole big thing anymore. I know you love me, so let's just go."

"Deidara actually helped me come up with something. I'm not letting it go to waste." Sasuke said firmly, smirking when he saw the intrigue lighting those blue eyes.

"What did you come up with?"

The Uchiha chuckled, "Patience, usuratonkachi. Let's finish our date first."

Naruto looked like he was ready to argue some more, but then sighed, "Fine. Let's go back to Akimichi's, I didn't finish my ramen."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he followed his boyfriend back to the food stall.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. Naruto dragged Sasuke to each of their friends' stalls, forcing the Uchiha to spend money every time. Sasuke went along with it until they came to Kiba's and Naruto's eyes went large and wistful at the sight of the baby animals.

"No." Sasuke said firmly before Naruto could even ask him.

The blond pouted, "They're so cute. Please? Let's get one."

"Are you crazy, usuratonkachi? I can barely look after you. We don't need a pet." Sasuke argued, scowling, before turning to glare at Kiba.

The Inuzuka threw up his hands, "Hey, I didn't put him up to this. Besides, I'd never encourage impulse pet shoppers. Owning a pet is a big decision; they take a lot of time and need a lot of love. You can't just get one for the sake of it."

"I know that!" Naruto cried indignantly, "I'd take care of it properly and I'd give it lots and lots of love." His eyes zeroed in on an orange tabby kitten with wide brown eyes and he gently picked it up, "Ohh, you're so adorable!" He cooed, holding it to his chest and giving Sasuke a pleading look.

Sasuke pursed his lips, "We have another eight months of school, idiot. And then I'll start work with Itachi and you'll be busy with either work or college. Who's going to take care of it then?"

"He'd be all grown up by then. Cats don't need constant supervision, right Kiba?" Naruto asked, throwing the Inuzuka an inquiring look.

Kiba felt Sasuke's narrowed gaze on him as he sighed, "Well, no. Cats are fairly self-sufficient once they're older. They do get lonely though, so Uchiha has a point."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully, "We definitely can't let Kyuubi get lonely. We'll just have to get two."

Sasuke looked heavenward, pinching the bridge of his nose as he fought to keep hold of his temper, "We'll just get two? Usuratonkachi, we're not getting any. And don't name the bloody thing, it's not yours."

Completely ignoring him, Naruto grinned at his bemused friend manning the stall, "Hey, Kiba, could you just take the black kitten and put it in Sasuke's hands?"

"No." Sasuke protested, "Don't you dare, Inuzuka. I will drop the damn thing if I have to." The Uchiha tried backing away, but Kiba's sister (who was finding the whole thing incredibly amusing) was holding him still with surprising strength for a girl. "I said don't—!" Kiba gently set the black kitten in Sasuke's hands and little red eyes blinked up at him innocently. He groaned, "Goddamn it."

They left the stall with a basket lined with soft sheets and two kittens curled up inside, wide eyes open and blinking up at their new humans. Naruto was carrying a plastic bag with two bowls, a litter box, a bag of kitty litter and a few toys for their new pets.

"Sasuke, don't walk so fast! They could fall out." Naruto scolded, chasing after his pissed off lover.

"How are we going to take care of them? We don't even live in the same house yet!" Sasuke pointed out sharply, dark gaze narrowed on his blond.

"You keep them at yours. I don't want them to get too used to Mom and Dad, since they won't be at the new house." Naruto said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Given that you are so calm about it, I'm assuming you have some kind of a plan as to what they're going to do while we're in school." Sasuke said coolly, jaw tight.

"Mom will take care of them; she gets lonely when all of us are gone. They'll spend the night in your room, and I'll sleepover the first few days so they get used to both of us. We'll be like their parents!" Naruto said, chuckling.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Cats." He muttered, "Did you plan this?"

Naruto's smile was a bit guilty, "I saw them last time I visited Kiba, and I swear, Sasuke they adopted me. I had nothing to do with it."

Pink lips twitched as the Uchiha fought a smile, trying to keep hold of his annoyance, "So Inuzuka was in on this too. You were never going to leave without both of these fluff-balls."

Naruto grinned, knowing his boyfriend was more resigned now than angry, "They are fluff-balls, aren't they?" He bent over the basket, cooing happily at the two little creatures, "What are you going to name yours?"

"Mine?" Sasuke arched a single brow, "I thought they were both ours."

"They are, but I named Kyuubi. It's only fair that you name this little guy." Naruto said, fondling a silky black ear.

Sasuke frowned down at the little kitten as it mewled and blinked up at him, red eyes standing out against its dark fur, "Sharingan."

"What?" Naruto blinked, looking up at the Uchiha.

"It's the name of the Uchiha unit of the Land of Fire's defense forces." Sasuke shrugged, "At least it used to be. The insignia was a red iris; inside was a black pupil surrounded by three commas." Almost involuntarily, his foot drew out the symbol in the dirt, and Naruto looked down at it.

"Sharingan." He repeated, his voice low, before bending to scoop up the little black kitten and nuzzling its face, "He looks like he'd live up to the name, doesn't he?"

Sasuke scoffed, but he was smiling as he began walking once more. The kitten left in the basket cried out plaintively, and Sasuke sighed before scooping it out into his hand as well, where it immediately settled down, purring. "You're going to be a spoilt brat, I can already tell." Sasuke chided, looking down at the orange ball of fur.

Brown eyes blinked innocently up at him.

God, so sorry guys! This update is ridiculously late. Hope you enjoyed it though! Leave a review :)

~Living to Laugh and Love