Um. BIRTHDAY BASH...YAY!!!
You guys have NO idea how long I have been waiting/trying to write this chapter.
EDIT: I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I was lazy, and I have no excuse.
Randomness: E Nomine, 'Vater Unser'
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Suit Square
"Mmmh... I—Kabuto, go harder, I—harder, dammit..."
Kabuto buried his lips in Sasuke's hair, his hands keeping the boy still as he tried to thrust deeper, forced himself further--
They both groaned as the man slid further, harder in, and Kabuto's eyes slid shut as he tried to stop himself from screaming at the way that tight silkiness shifted and pulled at him.
He slowly opened them again, and stared down at the boy. Long pale thighs quivered around his hips, the warm soft skin behind the boy's knees sliding over his sides. Sasuke's head was thrown back and the pale smooth expanse of his throat was bared, the slim chest heaving. The flat, soft skin between the sharp hipbones was clenching and releasing rhythmically as the boy rose up to meet Kabuto's thrusts, muscles tensing and relaxing helplessly. Long fingers scrabbled for purchase on the tatami—they hadn't made it past the entrance area today.
Sasuke's chin rose, the soft spikes of his hair sighing over the smooth round tatami, and his half-lidded eyes, almost more spinning solid red than black, locked onto Kabuto's. "Move."
Kabuto bit back a moan at the pure urgency in the kid's icy voice, and complied.
He thrust deep into grasping heat, thrust again, again, again--
He watched, enraptured, as Sasuke's head fell back, and one hand reached out to support his neck, sliding into night black hair, just to see the way the crimson wheels spun so very quickly and beautifully.
They rocked into each other, Sasuke's skin gleaming with sweat. His hands reached up to smooth the hair from Kabuto's forehead, and then clenched in the locks, his eyes squeezing shut and his mouth opening in a shriek, as Kabuto thrust the last time and fell with a groan over the warm, heaving form of his lover.
Sasuke let out a strangled gasp, and warm moisture slid down their abdomens.
Kabuto sighed into soft black hair that smelled of nothing—Sasuke was never dirty in any way, and the day when he had greasy hair would be the Apocalypse. But whatever or however he washed, he didn't seem to use anything that left a scent.
Sasuke murmured, "Get off."
Kabuto grinned to himself and obeyed, pulling his pants up and stepping up onto the tatami. Sasuke did the same and then looked around for his T-shirt and sweater, black eyes flicking over the floor.
"It's all right," Kabuto said. "The kids won't be home for another hour at least."
The boy shrugged and said, "Found it anyway."
Kabuto watched him slide the black T-shirt over his head, and then the sweater, and couldn't help but feel a bit regretful about the way the white smooth skin was hidden so quickly.
Sasuke looked up at him, eyes flashing, and smiled.
Kabuto laughed under his breath. He knew that Sasuke knew him too well. But the irony was that Sasuke didn't know that Kabuto knew him exactly as well.
Kabuto wiped his glasses clean of the fog of sex, and put them back on. He saw the way Sasuke's eyes avoided his and the way the red was disappearing as the kid made tea for them and poured rice into the cooker. He got out the package of sponge cake.
Sasuke sat down and lit a cigarette.
"What's wrong?"
It was a Friday, early afternoon. Two tea mugs stood on the table between them, and Sasuke was chewing a bite of sponge cake in distant contemplation, his eyes pure light less black and his whole form tense.
"What's wrong?"
The teen seemed to wake up, his raven eyebrows furrowing. He looked at Kabuto, opened his mouth, then looked away again.
The cigarette in his left hand was smoking lazily, an off-white veil curling into the room. The dim light fell in over the cool tiles, and the clock on the oven was blinking a luminous red.
Kabuto drank some tea and continued looking at the kid. The pale, pale skin was tantalizingly displayed today, the T-shirt that Sasuke wore much too big for him and sliding down his shoulder on one side. The smooth shadowed dips of his collarbone and the indent where his shoulder began rounding out shifted with every movement. Sasuke's long pale neck looked tempting, soft and inviting. The thin lips were pressed in their usual grim line, and the inky dark eyes were trying hard to be expressionless.
But Sasuke's nervosity wasn't really visible in his expression anyway, not ever—Kabuto recognized it by the way that the cigarette was simply tucked between his fingers, left to burn itself down, the ash crumbling onto the black table. Sasuke's mind was somewhere else.
The teen's pale, slender fingers reached out and broke off another piece of sponge cake from the packet that lay between them. He raised the crumbly yellow sweet to his mouth and Kabuto wondered whether it was normal to get aroused at the sight of those fingers pushing the treat between pale sensuous lips.
Kabuto tried again. "Sasuke, you're wasting your cigarette."
The kid blinked slowly and looked at the pathetic remnant of a cigarette hanging from his fingers. He narrowed his eyes and tsked, grinding the butt out in the glass ashtray between them.
Kabuto chuckled softly and stood, stepping around the table and leaning over the teen. Soft black hair brushed against his forehead as he leaned down and said, "What's going on?"
A little flash of red gleamed in the kid's eyes. Anger. Kabuto just smiled.
Sasuke pushed him away, using what seemed to be all of his strength. Kabuto took a step back and stayed there, expectant.
Black eyes slid to the floor and the soft, smoke-roughened voice said, "Do you have time tomorrow night?"
Kabuto reached for his chair and pulled it over so that he could sit directly across from Sasuke. The metal feet of the chair scraped over the tiles. He sat down. "I probably do."
Sasuke nodded slightly. He looked annoyed. Probably with himself. "My... fr—colleag--friend is having his birthday party tomorrow. I won't be working so that I can go to it. And I was thinking..." he stopped, lighting a cigarette and blowing out a white plume of stinging smoke.
Kabuto smiled in amusement. He wasn't going to help out.
Sasuke's eyes flicked up to him in irritation. "Well, I--" he looked away again and a faint pink tinge appeared on his high cheekbones.
Kabuto laughed softly. "I can come, if you want me to."
The teen looked relieved and pleased for a second, and then his eyes shuttered and his face reverted to the usual cold mask.
But red spun in ebony orbs, and Kabuto was too good at reading him by now to be fooled. The cigarette was gone in five drags, and their silence was comfortable.
°
Ukon was humming an irritating song, some modtechno beat that was insanely catchy and popular. He dipped a slender finger into the small pot of sweet lemony icing, and raised the white-dripping digit to his lips, licking the sugary liquid off. The counter was flour-dusted and milk, butter, and a half-empty egg carton were scattered on the cheap plastic. The mixing bowl had already been licked clean and stood in the sink, warm water filling it to the rim.
Kankuro was lying on the couch and trying to concentrate on his book. He wasn't looking at the way Ukon's finger moved between green-painted lips, or at the way his mouth pursed, sucking at the digit--
"Ukon--"
The silver-haired man was wearing jeans that were more holes than cloth, the ripped fabric hugging his long legs. His flat stomach sloped down into the pants, and while the bottoms of the jeans were torn and cut short, they still hid his feet except for the big left toe, on which a silver ring sparkled in the warm light of the overhead lamp. He wore a very loose, stained white shirt that had been ripped to expose his belly, and his piercings rang with each of his movements.
He looked up from the icing and smiled innocently. "What?" His finger dipped into the yellowish fluid again, and slid into his mouth.
Kankuro groaned and covered his eyes with his book. "Shouldn't you be conserving the icing instead of eating it all?" he muttered, his voice muffled by the dusty pages of the tome.
Ukon's voice sounded sadistically amused. "Oh, there's more than enough left for Naru-chan's cake. What's wrong, Kankuro?--" he heard the soft footsteps of the man as he moved towards the couch-- "--Are you not feeling well?"
Kankuro dropped his book as a warm soft body settled on top of him, one leg tucked in between his hip and the back of the sofa and the other still on the floor. Ukon grinned down at him, rolling his hips seductively.
Kankuro shook his head despairingly and reached up to pull the silver-haired man in for a deep kiss.
Ukon laughed under his breath, his lips—cool and moist from the green lipstick—settling onto Kankuro's with that amazing jolt of pleasure that had shocked Kankuro so badly the first time they had ever kissed. His slender hips rocked against Kankuro's, and his hands were roaming the other man's chest, finding the hem of his T-shirt and sliding underneath it.
Kankuro growled into the hot, violent kiss as a cool hand pinched his nipple, teasing. He pushed the offending hand away—Ukon knew he didn't like that—and broke the kiss. "Get up."
Ukon snickered and obliged, letting Kankuro stand up. He pulled off his shirt, well aware of his lover's eyes hungrily following every one of his movements. Smiling, he let his hands slide down over his torso, palms flat on his skin, until he reached the frayed waistband of his jeans.
Kankuro watched him, standing a few steps away with his hands slipped into his pockets, trying to look at ease. Ukon loved knocking him off-balance, and Kankuro tried very hard not to give him the satisfaction of managing it. But when the pale thumbs hooked into the waistband of the jeans and began sliding them down over smooth thighs...
Ukon laughed breathlessly as Kankuro forced him down onto the couch, his jeans tangled around his calves and his arms flailing for purchase on the soft upholstery. The dark-haired man pulled his own T-shirt off and attacked Ukon's neck and chest with ferocity, kissing and licking at the soft skin. Ukon smiled lazily, his head falling backwards over the edge of the couch and his hips bucking up into Kankuro's firm, unyielding body.
Kankuro growled, his breath hot on Ukon's nipple, before catching it between his teeth. One hand was teasing Ukon's other nipple, while the free one was searching frantically in the crack between the sofa cushions for the... equipment... that they always ended up losing to the wilderness of the upholstery. Ukon's hands joined him in his search, and Kankuro chuckled around the hard bud in his teeth.
Ukon arched into his ministrations, and his hand closed around a vaguely tube-shaped object somewhere beneath him. He muttered raggedly, "I found it." At the same time, Kankuro's hand happened upon a cool plastic packet in the deepest recesses of the sofa's cushions. They offered up their discoveries, grinning challengingly at each other, chests heaving and aroused beyond sanity.
Kankuro snapped out of it first, his lips closing over Ukon's and tongue plundering the silver-haired man's mouth. Ukon moaned softly and Kankuro's hands busied themselves with the lube and the condom, one of his hands coating the fingers of the other with the cool cream and moving down between quivering thighs--
Ukon winced and made a strained noise as the first finger forced itself into him. The second finger had him panting heavily, trying to adjust, and the third finger made him bite his lip to keep from vocalizing the pain. He felt the digits move and press against him, and knew it wouldn't be long before-- "Kankuro!"
Kankuro grinned against his lover's lips and blessed the fact that they'd been together long enough for him to know exactly how to stimulate the man. He pressed down harder inside the tight yielding heat and Ukon groaned hoarsely. Green lips parted and the man whispered, his voice laced with irritation, "Just—fuck me, dammit..."
Kankuro laughed breathlessly and shifted between the slender man's legs, slowly sliding his fingers out of taut silk. Ukon winced and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck, grinding his hips up toward the other man. Kankuro caught his groan between his teeth, moving forward and thrusting with more care than usual.
Ukon noticed. After the first few moments of breathless, strained silence as Kankuro held himself back from pounding the slim man into next year and Ukon tried to adjust to the thick hardness splitting him apart, the silver-haired man muttered irritably, "What the fuck, Kankuro? I'm not a wimp, you kn—Oh my fucking... Ah!"
Kankuro grinned into the heaving, sweat-slicked skin of his lover's neck as he deepened his thrusts, gritting his teeth from the effort it took to keep his movements even and regular. Ukon writhed beneath him, gasping incoherent curses into Kankuro's hair.
The upholstery made an annoying squeaking sound beneath their convulsing bodies as Ukon spread his legs further and locked his ankles behind Kankuro's back. Kankuro grunted sharply as the movement shifted the tight silky heat around his shaft, the muscles rippling and tensing. He lost control of the difficult task of keeping himself from--
"Kankuro!"
--going insane. He growled under his breath as the muscles around him tightened again, and his hands clamped down on Ukon's shoulders, keeping him still as he drove himself deep into the silky heat, over and over again, deeper and faster and more and more--
Ukon moaned raggedly, his hands clutching at the skin of his shoulders. His eyes were half-closed, green glinting through his long lashes. The green lipstick was smeared, and the panting, kiss-swollen lips parted hungrily for air. A slight flush stained his cheeks and his whole body was glistening with sweat, muscles moving fluidly beneath white skin. The piercings chimed and winked in the light.
Ukon groaned hoarsely, his hands nearly painful on Kankuro's shoulder blades, and muttered, "I'm about to..."
Kankuro snarled as silky heat tensed around him, clamping down on him suddenly. Ukon gasped, "Oh hell, I—fucking love you, you know?" raggedly, his hips jerking up as he came.
Kankuro buried his face in the heaving sweaty silk of the other man's hair, and thrust a last time, his climax crashing over him.
They lay tangled together on the couch, chests heaving. Kankuro traced the outlines of Ukon's muscles lazily, his hand ghosting over the shadows of his ribs.
Ukon got up suddenly, cursing. Kankuro glared at him from his once-comfortable position, muttering, "What the fuck?"
Ukon ran to the oven. "The cake!"
°
The morning of Naruto's birthday was pretty much the same as those of all the days before it. Grey light glinted on the linoleum of Temari's kitchen floor, and the heaters were on as high as they could go without breaking the State energy conservation guidelines. A light drizzle pattered onto the window.
The heavy moist smell of dough hung in the room, and the virtvision was on in the living room, modtechno humming through the kitchen door. The kitchen door stood fully ajar, a bit of light spilling onto the carpet of the corridor between it and the half-open bedroom door.
"Hey, what comes next?"
"I dunno, just go with your instincts."
"This won't end well, Tenten... I can tell you that right now."
"Well, it's not my fault that Temari doesn't have a cookbook!" Tenten said, raising her voice so it would carry into the bedroom.
The two girls held their breath.
A disgruntled, sleepy voice called, "Oh, fuck off, Tenten! So I'm not a cook..."
The girls laughed. Tenten turned back to the cake she was decorating. "Hey, Ino, pass me that weird cloth thing?"
The blonde girl nodded, throwing Tenten the twist of cloth. Her silky golden hair had been bound back to a messy bun, and she had flour all over her baggy blue sweater. The tight jeans she was wearing scraped over the cold tiles as she moved her hips to the music from the living room, barely distinguishable over the discordant whine of the mixer.
Tenten sighed and put the finishing touches on the cake, before stepping back and looking at it critically. "There, all done."
She found some aluminum foil to wrap it in, and began covering it.
Ino chuckled over the loud mixer. "Hey, do you think Naruto'll like our presents?"
Tenten paused, before biting back a giggle that she wouldn't have wanted Temari to hear—a six-year old giggle. Her eyes gleamed black in the light. "Of course..."
They laughed again.
Tenten glanced up when a flash of movement registered in the corner of her eye. "Oh, you're up!"
"Gah, it's hard not to be, with this noise." Temari muttered irritably. "Is there coffee? Or tea?"
Tenten gave her a mug. "Here, have mine."
The woman chuckled dryly and took it. "Sure." Sipping at the hot brew, she looked Tenten up and down, eyes glowing with amusement.
The girl's hair was stained with flour, and the short blue T-shirt and lacy panties were covered with blotches of white. A dab of spilled batter stuck to the tip of her nose. Temari leaned down and licked it off.
Tenten made a face and pushed her away. "Come on, I want to get it packed up and all so that I can help Ino. I want to be able to finish all the baking before you leave for work."
Temari tsked in annoyance and looked at the blonde girl, who was trying very hard not to look at them, mixing the batter until it was almost frothing over the edges of the bowl. "Good morning."
Ino looked up, "Oh—good morning! Thanks for letting us use your kitchen."
Temari made a dismissive motion. "No problem, I don't bake at all, and this way I can act as though I actually contributed to Naruto's party."
Ino looked at her, trying to figure out whether she was serious, before trying a tentative laugh.
Temari bit back a chuckle and waved lazily, "I'm going to go shower."
Tenten nodded. "We might be finished before you're out. What time are you heading to Nar—to Gaara's place?"
"Well, Kankuro, Ukon and I are going together, I think we said at five. It starts at five-thirty, right?"
"Yeah," Ino confirmed.
"Well —see you two then, because I need a long shower to wake me up."
Ino laughed and said, "If it's warm, it'll just get you sleepy again."
The woman shrugged. "'Don't care." She walked slowly out of the kitchen and the girls listened to her footsteps across the living room and the click of the bathroom door closing before collapsing into giggles.
°
The key didn't seem to want to cooperate.
He tried to force it in, but of course that was no good. Then he forced himself to be calm, despite the fact that his heart was thumping madly—it had to be the smoking, not nervosity, because nervosity was impossible... right?--and slid it in slowly, turned it carefully in the icy wind, and the door clicked open.
He closed it behind himself with a loud slam—he'd had some of Kiba's rum before leaving the Konoha—and bent down to take off his shoes. Kabuto's stereotypical black leather suit shoes, the kid's colorful footwear, and the big round beige boots that belonged to Chouji stood on the dark wood of the entrance area already.
He walked into the kitchen—he was tipsy, but not drunk, and sounds registered slowly,but they did register, and he could hear the bass rumble of Chouji's voice from the living room—and found Kabuto nursing a cup of tea and poring over pages that were covered with long strings of Western letters and symbols, an indecipherable code that Sasuke had tried to understand often enough to know it was just not his thing.
Kabuto glanced up and gave him a small smile. His glasses glinted impenetrably. He was leaning over the kitchen table, one elbow one the papers and the other on the black glass, holding his mug and supporting his chin. His silver hair gleamed in the pale light, a few locks loose from the usual ponytail, falling over his forehead. His whole body—he was still in the same sort of suit that Sasuke had met him in, white shirt, elegant pants, black socks, dark blue tie—was tense, and Sasuke had the insane urge to greet him in old Eastern.
It was the rum.
Sasuke crossed to where the green teapot stood gleaming in the gray glow of the sky and poured himself tea. He glanced at the bottle of rum that stood next to it, and for appearances' sake—he usually always laced his tea as Kabuto did—splashed some in. He dropped into the seat across from the suit and watched him read silently over the pages of code.
After a few minutes, Kabuto looked up and adjusted his glasses just so that his eyes were visible, and smiled again.
Sasuke nodded back and said calmly, "We should leave at around four—I want to be there early." At least, he hoped it was calm.
"All right."
He fumbled for his cigarettes and lit one. The morning at the Konoha had been strange, excitement running high—Tenten and Ino had forced themselves to get up way early and had been gone by the time Iruka came around with a tub of ramen to say hi and give Kakashi the usual morning make-out session before hurrying for his bus. Kiba had produced the rum, and Shino had sat with Shikamaru discussing possible presents in monosyllabic sentences.
The guy Lee was together with and his silent relative had passed the Konoha around the time the bottle was two-thirds empty, and Kiba had assaulted them with loud greetings and questions that the guy had fended off with short silent answers and the girl had blushed and stuttered answers to. Lee had turned up later, bouncy and happy and monologuing about what he'd do before the party and how wide the cake he'd baked with Gai was...
"Are you hungry?"
Sasuke started slightly and looked up at Kabuto. "Sort of. Are you?"
Kabuto nodded. "I don't think the kids have eaten either."
Sasuke got up and opened the refrigerator. The rice from yesterday was still there—they hadn't eaten much of it—and Kabuto somehow always had lots and lots of vegetables.
The light patter of small feet on tatami sounded from the corridor, and Sasuke put the rice and peppers down on the counter, watching the door.
Tsume ran in first, wrapping herself around Sasuke's leg and grinning brightly up at him. "Sasuke! Tsume won against Aki in hide and seek! And today Chouji took us into town and we had fried jelly!"
Aki stood a bit farther behind her, shy, and Chouji took a seat at the table. Sasuke smiled a little and said, "Really? Well, are you hungry?"
"Yes!" they chorused, and Sasuke had to bite back a laugh, the rum warm and roiling in his abdomen. He turned around with difficulty, Tsume's death-grip on his leg complicating matters, and began to take out the pans and spices he needed.
°
"We should get going soon," Sasuke said, sliding the last of the plates into the dishwasher. Kabuto was at the sink, scrubbing the grease from the pans, and Chouji was wiping down the counter. The kids were sitting at the table, engrossed in the pages of nonsense that Kabuto had been busy with before. The clock on the oven said 3:45.
"Yes, we will." Kabuto said.
Chouji looked at them curiously, and the red wine and the rum had warmed Sasuke so much that he said, "Are you coming?"
"Where?" the babysitter asked, and Sasuke ignored Kabuto's amused grin at his expense.
"My friend is having a birthday party."
Chouji smiled and said, "It's nice of you to ask, but I have to watch the children."
There was silence for a few moments as Sasuke bent to drop the cutlery in the right compartments, and then Kabuto broke it, wiping the pan dry-- "They could come with."
Sasuke looked up and had to laugh. "They could."
Kabuto smiled. "Well then it's settled. Everyone's going."
They settled into silence, and Sasuke closed the dishwasher.
"But—I don't have a present!" Chouji said, looking heartbroken.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. I'm responsible for buying the food, and if we get a lot I don't think he'll care about the presents."
He looked down as a familiar grip clamped on his leg. "What?"
Tsume giggled and said, "We made you a picture."
Aki, standing close behind her, held up a squiggly, colorful painting. Chouji came to peer at it, and said, "So that's Kabuto... that's me... and that's Sasuke—and those are you two?"
Tsume nodded and grinned. "Forever and ever!"
Warm arms draped themselves around Sasuke's waist, and Kabuto murmured, "Forever?" amusedly.
Sasuke just leaned back into him and said, "Maybe later."
°
Kankuro rang Temari's doorbell, shivering a little in the icy cold. Ukon was sitting in the car at the curb. Temari's red sports car stood a bit farther back.
Temari came breezing out a few minutes later, holding a big white shopping bag and a six pack of vodka. Kankuro took the six pack and asked, "What's up?"
Temari shrugged. "Nothing much. Having a nice time actually. Yamanaka was sick today, so I didn't have someone staring over my shoulder the whole time."
The gray weather and keening wind followed them to Kankuro's car. Temari slid in the back, and Kankuro hurried into the driver's seat. The doors slammed shut over the sound of Temari and Ukon's cool greetings.
"We're already a bit late—I forgot the time." Kankuro admitted.
Temari laughed. "I doubt it'll be the end of the world if we come ten minutes late."
Ukon grinned. He was wearing those incredibly sexy red checkered pants that were such a nuisance to get off, and a wrinkled and torn, creamy silk dress shirt over a black T-shirt short enough to show the flat white skin of his belly. His piercings gleamed and chimed in the gloomy light. "So what'd you get him, blondie?"
Temari winked. "Not telling."
Kankuro chuckled. "Hey, which way was it again?"
"Right at the next crossroads, and then left. Dude, to think that the Sandman lives in a dead-normal family-block... I mean... where's the coolness factor in that?"
Temari reached out to slap Ukon lightly on the back of the head. "Nonexistent, obviously."
Kankuro laughed softly, busily maneuvering his very illegal way through a traffic jam, as they began an argument about whether gray or blue-gray described the color of the sky better.
°
Tenten looked up from the teapot as the doorbell rang shrilly. "I'll get it," she said.
Naruto nodded and grinned at her. He was filling one of the myriad bags of chips that Kiba had brought into a wide bowl. The kitchen window was open, and a few abandoned cigarettes smoldered forlornly in a small bowl on the counter. The small table was hidden by at least six different cakes, each one in a more original container than the last—Lee had proudly offered up a frightening masterpiece that he'd baked in an ancient Tupperware form, and the plastic had fallen in on itself and melted into the cake in a very disturbing way—and the chairs were filled with bags of chips and other salty snacks. An impressive collection of bottles—vodka, rum, wine, a bottle of sherry, one of that really expensive Western import...tekila?, and a few of soda and juice—stood underneath the table, gleaming in the cold light.
Tenten went out into the warm, dark corridor and stepped down form the tatami onto the stone of the entrance area, stumbling over shoes and coats. She pressed the button on the intercom and said, "Hello?"
"Hey, it's Kankuro. Are we late?"
Tenten laughed and pressed the buzzer. "Well, you're not the last, if that's what you're asking."
Leaving the door slightly ajar, she returned to the kitchen just as a swell of loud laughter exploded from the living room. Naruto met her eyes and laughed. "They've had too much wine, looks like."
She chuckled and returned to making tea.
The blonde was wearing his usual ripped and scuffed jeans and orange T-shirt, and his eyes were bright, bright sapphires. The tawny gold of his skin glowed even in the weak light of the cold evening.
Tenten fished the teabags out of the kettle and got herself a mug from the ones she'd collected to take into the living room. After hunting down sugar, she sweetened the hot brew and drank slowly, watching and waiting for Naruto to finish transferring all the greasy, salty snacks from their shiny packages to the bowls.
The sound of shoes scuffing over stone and crackling bags, the swish of shed coats and a murmur of breathless voices came from the corridor. Naruto looked up and went to the kitchen door, calling brightly, "Hey!"
Tenten followed him and peered over one bared, skinny shoulder.
Temari, Kankuro and Kankuro's weird boyfriend were dropping the last of their outside wear. Temari stepped up onto the tatami first, smiling at Naruto and pressing a big plastic bag into his arms. "Happy Birthday, kid."
Naruto grinned. "Thanks! What is this?"
"Your present, moron," Tenten laughed.
Naruto feigned an indignant pout before smiling again and saying, "Everyone else is in the living room, we're just getting snacks finished and stuff."
Temari nodded and glanced at Tenten shortly, giving her a secret smile. Then she turned and moved towards the living room, and Tenten followed the sway of her hips—she was wearing a miniskirt under a mesh minidress and lavender top, and her tights were lace-patterned—until she stepped out of sight.
God she was hot.
Tenten started as Naruto was jostled against her, pressing her into the door frame. Ukon had draped himself over the blonde, and was grinning wickedly, piercings glinting in the light, lips gleaming green, and now he said with a laugh, "Happy Birthday, kid."
"Why're you all calling me a kid? Fuckers." But of course Naruto was grinning, and he accepted the round box that Kankuro pressed into his hands with an anticipative gleam in his eyes. Kankuro squeezed his shoulders shortly, and then he grabbed Ukon and dragged him down towards the living room.
The two teens went back in the kitchen and began gathering up the things they wanted to serve in the living room. Naruto managed to hold onto four bowls and the presents he'd just gotten, and Tenten maneuvered two bowls, the teapot and her mug into some possible carrying position.
Chuckling and laughing, they managed the short way to the living room and dropped the stuff on the floor. Tenten found Temari and took her mug to go sit next to her, wrapping herself around the woman. Temari laughed softly and dryly, and one arm wrapped around Tenten's shoulders and fingers stroked through her hair.
"You look utterly sexy," Tenten muttered.
Temari laughed again.
Tenten snuggled a bit deeper into her, and looked around the room. Naruto was already in the center of everything, as usual—the card game from before was restarting so he could join in. His eyes were bright and wide and he sunk down to the tatami with a sort of childish abandon, sitting cross legged and watching Shikamaru shuffle the cards avidly.
Kiba was passing a bottle of red wine around, and three empty ones stood behind him already. Shino was sitting beside him, a slight flush in his pale cheeks—Tenten had realized after the first bottle had gone empty that tonight would be the first time they'd see a few people that usually wouldn't touch alcohol very, very drunk—and one hand on Kiba's thigh. Akamaru was curled up between their bodies. Ino was lying on her belly, jeans tight and T-shirt short, with her hair open and falling over her shoulders in a beautiful silky curtain, and she was smoking the cigarettes that both girls loved, long and pink.
Lee was bouncy and bright, grinning his head off, beside the end of the couch. His tall boyfriend had the same light flush that Shino did, and his pale disconcerting eyes were focused on the cards in Shikamaru's hands. And at the very end of the half-circle, leaned up against the couch, too beautiful to be true, was Naruto's friend Haku, who everyone had greeted with slight discomfort because it was logical to think that he worked on Slum Street... and it was just as logical to suppose that the tall, dangerous-looking man with him was his owner.
The kid's huge dark eyes were watching Naruto with a smile, and his back was against the dark, scarred man's knees. He was smoking with a natural flair.
Kankuro had sat down on the couch next to the man and was watching Ukon hog the wine bottle. His face paint was swirly today, and the black sweater and black jeans contrasted sharply with his bronze skin.
The only other person in the room was Neji's silent, stuttering cousin, who'd been dragged along by Lee. She was sitting on a chair at the window and shyly declined each offer of alcohol, snacks or cigarettes. Inviting her to the game actually got her face red as a tomato.
Tenten watched as Naruto took his cards and the game started again. The man on the couch passed the wine bottle on to Kankuro, and Kankuro introduced himself. Tenten bit back a laugh at the monosyllabic conversation that followed, and then looked back at Naruto, a little worried.
Temari muttered, "Hey—where's Gaara?"
Tenten sighed. "I don't know. Seems he's been gone for quite a while. I was the first one here, and he was out by then."
The woman tsked. "He'll be coming."
"Let's hope so." Tenten murmured.
"Is anyone else missing?"
"Yeah, Sasuke."
"Oh, right... the one Tayuya hates. Well, they still have time to get here."
Tenten laughed softly. "Yeah. Wanna join in on the next round?"
Temari accepted the bottle from Shino, eyed the contents and label critically, took a long swig, pressed into Tenten's hand, and then said, "Sure."
°
Naruto liked his birthdays. There'd been a time when he'd hated them, times when all they meant was a longer time in bed with his father and more pain, but now he liked them. A lot.
Though he'd like this one much better if Gaara were here...
He realized everyone was waiting for him to end his turn, and quickly laid down his cards. Shikamaru grunted something and peered at his hand before laying down another few, and Naruto wondered for the thousandth time where the redhead was.
The bottle was empty when it came to him, and he called, "Hey Kiba, a new bottle!"
Kiba reached behind himself and opened a new one expertly, reaching over to hand it to him. Akamaru yipped excitedly. Haku chuckled beside him and leaned over to murmur, "Having fun?"
Naruto nodded and took a gulp of the wine, handing it to Shikamaru. Kankuro and Zabuza were deep in conversation about cars, and Zabuza's hand was tangled in the fall of Haku's beautiful hair. Ukon had settled on Kankuro's lap and was poring critically over his cards.
Haku smiled at him and lit a new cigarette, saying, "I'm sure your icicle'll be here in a sec."
Naruto grinned and agreed with a nod, reaching over to take a handful of chips. His presents were lying in a pile by the room door, next to the tangle of limbs and silky and mesh that was Tenten and Temari, and he had enough cake to last him a lifetime in the kitchen.
The sky was darkening outside, heralding rain, and wind was keening against the windows.
Lee took the pile, and everyone laughed because it was what he did every time and each time they especially loaded it full of junk cards like fours and fives. Shino was tipsy enough to be actually cuddling into Kiba, and Neji got up suddenly, drawing everyone's eyes to himself. He crossed over to where his relative was sitting on her lonely chair and said, "Come on, Hinata, play with us, it's fun."
Naruto laughed and called, "Yeah, come on!"
Everyone fell silent, watching for the girl's reaction. She blushed and stammered, "W-well... all r-right."
Kiba grinned widely and raised a wine bottle Naruto hadn't even noticed he'd opened, yelling, "A toast to... Hinata... joining us!"
Everyone clapped and Hinata sat down on Haku's other side, next to Neji, blushing deeply. Haku pressed the wine bottle into her hands, smiling, and said, "I'm Haku, and you're going to drink at least three gulps of that now."
A burst of laughter sounded, and then a chorus of, "Drink, drink, drink!"
Hinata looked from the bottle to Neji, then around the circle, then at Haku, then at Neji again, and slowly raised it to her lips, drinking slowly.
The chorus continued, and when she lowered the bottle she was smiling and a deeper flush had spread over her round cheeks. She giggled and handed the bottle back to Haku, who passed it to Naruto. Shikamaru muttered dryly, "Oh look! It's a lightweight."
More laughter, and Haku draped an arm over the girl's shoulders. "No problem, I bet everyone here was a lightweight once."
"I never was!" Naruto and Kiba protested in unison, and everyone laughed again. Ino reached out lazily, placing her cards, and Kiba concentrated on his hand petting Akamaru absently. Haku offered Hinata his cigarette and everyone was treated to the sight of her grimace and coughing.
Ukon stood up and peered down at her. "I like you." He declared. "You're corruptible. Everyone else here is too messed up for me to fuck with, but you..."
She blushed and accepted the wine bottle, taking a reckless gulp, and murmured. "I-Is that really a good thing? To b-be corruptible, I mean."
Ukon giggled and said, "Of course it is! Everything fun is more fun then. Because it's fun."
"Okay, enough wine for you, piercing-boy," Kiba laughed.
Ukon flipped him off and settled back into Kankuro's lap.
Another round of laughs, and then Lee was taking the pile again and the joke was on him.
Naruto was wondering what to do with his cards—too few of anything to start a new Canasta—when he realized everyone had fallen silent. He looked up, curious, and his eyes found the door. A wide grin spread over his face and he jumped up, cards forgotten. "Gaara!"
The redhead looked around the room, nodded briefly, and crossed to Naruto's side, collapsing on the tatami with easy grace. He hooked a finger in Naruto's belt loops and dragged him down to the floor, and tucked his chin over his shoulder. His free hand cupped the blonde's hip.
Naruto leaned back into him and said, "You're late."
Everyone was watching them.
Gaara laughed under his breath and squeezed his hip in apology, then murmured coldly, "Play on."
Kiba shook his head. "Naruto, the idiot, dropped his cards. We'll start over. You joining in?"
Gaara's answering nod broke the tension, and the wine bottle traveled again. Shikamaru collected the cards and began shuffling. Hinata got another cough attack from Haku's cigarette.
Laughter again.
°
"Okay, you take the groceries, I'll get the drinks."
Sasuke nodded and leaned into the trunk of Kabuto's cards, snagging the bags of food they'd just finished buying. Hefting them, he stepped back to let Kabuto grab the crate of beer. Kabuto tossed Chouji his keys and said, "Lock the car, please."
Chouji obliged.
Aki and Tsume were laughing, playing on the ragged lawn of the family-block. It was freezing.
They'd gotten caught in utterly blocked traffic, and then the store had had a power outage and they had to wait a half an hour for the cashier to finally let them pay. So now they were an hour late.
Sasuke moved over the lawn. Chouji collected the kids, and Kabuto caught up with the teen, saying, "So who is this person whose birthday it is, anyway?"
Sasuke smiled slightly. "His name is Naruto. He's the one who moved in with the Sandman."
Kabuto laughed shortly. "Oh, him."
"He's a moron."
Kabuto grinned and said. "I know you're lying."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's my first love, too."
Oh no no no. He hadn't just said that, had he?
Kabuto was silent for a few seconds, and then said, smiling, his glasses glinting in the cold, "Well, he's got to be beyond perfect, then."
Sasuke chuckled and wanted a cigarette. "Why, because you're so perfect?"
The man grinned. "Yes."
Sasuke laughed. They reached the entrance of the family-block, and he found the sign that said 'Sabaku'. He rang the doorbell and waited.
Chouji, Aki and Tsume caught up with them just as the intercom crackled to life. "Sasuke, you bastard, that had better be you!"
"Yes, it is me, moron."
Tsume latched onto Sasuke's leg and he barely caught his balance. "Sasuke, where are you taking Tsume and Aki?" she cried, grinning.
The intercom crackled for a bit, then Naruto laughed through the system and said, "Sasuke? What the he—whatever, I'll see when you get up here."
The door buzzed, the intercom died, and Kabuto laughed, a real belly laugh. "This is going to be interesting."
Chouji looked worried. "Am I really not imposing? That sounded pretty hostile."
Sasuke sighed exasperatedly. "That's just the moron. It'll be fine."
°
Naruto appeared in the living room doorway and said, eyes wide, "Sasuke's got a kid with him!"
"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, confused.
"I mean, Sasuke's got a little girl with him!"
"Why would he do that?" Ino asked.
Haku said calmly, "Why don't we just wait till he's up here? And anyway, what's so bad about it?"
"It's not bad," Naruto said. "It's just... Sasuke... with a kid..."
"Yeah," Ino said. "Sasuke. Kids. Doesn't work."
Lee proclaimed loudly, "Perhaps Sasuke has discovered his parenting skills! His fatherly love!"
"More like motherly love," Kiba snickered.
Naruto bent over double with laughter. "M—motherly love! Ahahahaha!"
"What the hell's going on?" a familiar cold voice cut in.
Everyone's eyes snapped to the door. Sasuke was dressed all in black and his eyes were swirling with stark red. He was lighting a cigarette. Everything normal there.
Or not.
A little girl was glued to his hip, hand hooked in the waistband of his jeans. She was grinning around the room, and as they watched a boy joined her, looking around with the most frightened and heartbreakingly shy expression ever.
A tall man stepped through the door then, silver-haired and slender. His face was coolly expressionless. "Hello." he said, and smiled a little. Then he crossed to the couch and sat down next to Kankuro, introducing himself.
Sasuke said, "Happy Birthday, moron." Then he gestured behind himself, where a shy-looking teen stood. "That's Chouji, this is Tsume, this is Aki, and that's Kabuto. What game're you playing?"
He dropped a packet onto the growing pile of presents and folded into a sitting position in a feline tangle of limbs.
Naruto snapped out of it first, watching the kids snuggle into the dark-haired boy's side, and said, "Canasta. Should we restart?"
Sasuke nodded. "Sure."
Ino was next leaning over and saying hi to the kids. She offered Sasuke the wine bottle.
On the couch, Kabuto was already deep in the same conversation about extermination companies that Kankuro and Zabuza had been having before his arrival.
Kiba said, "Okay... that's the last wine bottle. What now?"
"Vodka!" Naruto, Ino and Ukon chorused.
Naruto settled back down into Gaara's cold embrace, chuckling under his breath.
Sasuke with kids... man oh man.
What was wrong with the world?
Gaara collected Naruto's cards and handed them to Shikamaru, who began shuffling again. The shy teen who'd come with Sasuke's entourage stood awkwardly outside the circle, and Shino, whose cheeks were well on the way to pink, said softly, "Come on, play with us."
Kiba seconded that loudly, as did Naruto and Lee, and Hinata, by now puffing away comfortably at one of Haku's cigarettes—Ukon was watching her proudly—raised the wine bottle and cried, slurring her words, "Y-yeah! Play wish us, Shouji!"
Chouji smiled and nodded, sitting down next to Shikamaru, and the long-awaited vodka bottles came in on Kiba's arm.
Everyone cheered.
°
"Ah, shit, Tenten, could you make some tea? Wine and vodka aren'T a good mix."
"Sure," Tenten managed, stumbling over a kitchen chair on her way to the kettle. It was dark outside and the oven clock said 20:00. Everyone had decided it was time for dinner, so Sasuke, Tenten and Naruto had weaved their way to the kitchen.
Sasuke was chopping vegetables, and Naruto was opening cans of tuna. The rice cooker was boiling away.
Naruto reached over and nudged Sasuke. Well, he tried to—it came out as more of a push. "So, Kabuto's the guy who's been making you all happy?"
Sasuke nodded. He was probably the least drunk of all of them—which was why he had been entrusted with the cutting. "Yeah."
"And those're his kids? With that pink-haired thing?" Tenten asked, clicking the kettle on and reaching more or less steadily for the teabags.
Sasuke nodded again. "Yeah."
Aforementioned kids had fallen asleep about half an hour ago, and were lying on Gaara's futon. The redhead had offered with a short jerk of his head towards the bedroom, and Chouji had carried them over as steadily as possible.
They'd been through half of the vodka six-pack.
Naruto laughed to himself suddenly, and the other two looked at him curiously.
"What?" Tenten asked.
"Oh, just that Iruka'll be pissed as hell when he and Kakashi get here and we're all drunk out of our minds."
Tenten laughed and Sasuke chuckled a little. "They should be here pretty soon, actually," Tenten said.
Naruto nodded.
The cooker pinged that it was done, and Naruto took out the steaming white rice, pouring into the waiting wok. Peanut oil was already sizzling in the black pan, and Sasuke dropped his vegetables in as well.
They waited for it to be done, Tenten finishing the tea.
Ino stuck her head in. "Hey, how's it going?"
"Great!" Tenten and Naruto said, and Sasuke hn-ed in agreement.
The blonde girl grinned at Sasuke and said, "I like that guy—Chouji?--you brought with. He's funny."
"...when he's drunk." Naruto laughed.
Tenten giggled. Sasuke cracked a smile. "I like Shino drunk," he said.
That got them all laughing. Shino had been trying to fuck Kiba in front of everyone all evening long, and Akamaru had barked his head off each time the pale teen had managed to get Kiba's shirt off. Kiba loved it, of course.
They transferred the rice and vegetables to a big bowl and poured the oily tuna fillets into a smaller one, collecting bowls and cutlery and the teapot as well as mugs, and made their swaying way back to the living room.
Gaara had joined the row of monosyllabic men on the couch, and Kabuto, Kankuro and Zabuza had welcomed him into their weird conversations—they were still on the topic of what to do when the heater broke down. Ukon had switched on the stereo and was dancing with Haku, a bottle of vodka passing between them and a glowing cigarette in the dark-haired teen's hand. It was a beautiful sight, the modtechno thrumming and their bodies undulating in the gloom—they'd turned the tall lamp on, but only enough to be able to see the cards.
Temari was playing cards with Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji and Hinata, and they were laughing uncontrollably at each other's drunken mistakes. Shino had gotten Kiba out of his pants and they were sequestered in the corner of the room farthest from the light, an indistinct lump of moving flesh. Akamaru was curled up asleep half under the couch.
"Okay, everyone, here's the food. Kakashi, Iruka and Gai should be coming soon, and then we'll do the present thing and get out the cakes... and then..." Tenten looked to Naruto fir support.
"Then... then... we'll get even more drunk!" the blonde proclaimed triumphantly.
Haku laughed and Ukon giggled, "I like that idea... we can all have an orgy!"
Hinata, of all people, looked up from her cards and slurred, "Yesh! If it'sh Ukon'sh idea, it hash to be fun!"
Neji announced solemnly—though the effect was slightly ruined by the way his shirt was unbuttoned halfway and Lee was licking his way down his chest-- "No orgies, Hinata. Orgies are bad for your health."
Kankuro laughed loudly. "Oh shit—look at him! HAHAHAHA!"
Zabuza grinned and laughed, too, and even Gaara managed a soft laugh. Tenten and Naruto gaped at them, and then began chuckling too.
Everyone got themselves a bowl of food, even Shino and Kiba crawling out of their corner and showing off their hickies and messy hair before returning to their dark niche to eat and do... well, fun things.
Ukon was showing Haku his piercings, even unbuttoning his pants to display some things that looked very painful and disturbing, until Kabkuro reached over and declared him off-limits.
Haku pouted and said he'd just want him for a little bit. Kankuro stayed adamant, and then Ukon winked at Haku and said slowly, slyly, "Not even if you get to watch?"
Kankuro's eyes widened and he looked like a fish, opening and closing his mouth, glancing back and forth between the two. "...M-maybe..." he stammered.
Zabuza laughed again and pointed at Naruto. "You, ice queen, have very fun friends."
Naruto grinned. "Of course I do! This is me we're talking about, after all!"
In the midst of all this, the doorbell rang.
"Ah, that's them!" Tenten said, and jumped up. They heard her greet them through the intercom, heard the door open and then she came back in. "Gai sounds very happy," she said gravely. "Be careful, Naruto."
Naruto grimaced. "Oh no."
Lee unglued himself from Neji long enough to proclaim gleefully, "Master Gai has a very nice present for you, Naruto!"
Shikamaru groaned audibly and muttered, "Doesn't sound good."
Hinata pushed her bowl away and held up the deck, smiling wildly. "New game?"
"Sure," Temari said.
"NARUTO! WHERE ARE YOU, OH FLAME OF YOUTH PERSONIFIED?"
Silence fell, until Ino muttered, dread lacing her voice, "Is he...drunk?"
Gai lurched in a few moments later, waving a green rag around. "Ah, NARUTO! See, this is your present! Is it not bursting with YOUTH? IS IT NOT?"
Naruto looked the green jumpsuit up and down, and murmured shakily, "Certainly, whatever you say, Gai."
Gaara stood and crossed over to him, muttering into his ear, "Wear that, waif, and you are dead."
Naruto nodded carefully. "No worries, Gaara. No worries."
Kakashi and Iruka came in next. Iruka had a big box tucked under one arm, and he smiled down at Naruto warmly. "Happy Birthday, Naruto."
Naruto grinned. "Hey, Iruka! And you too, Kakashi!"
The shopkeeper nodded and grinned, peering around.
Iruka looked, too, and took in the empty bottles, the writhing mass of flesh in the far corner, Lee and Neji's meke out fest, Gaara on the couch... "How drunk are you?" he asked despairingly.
"Very," Tenten grinned.
Ukon jumped up from where he and Haku had been discussing blowjob techniques to both Kankuro and Zabuza's despair, and cried, "Finally! Presents! And... CAKE!"
°
"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"
Chouji lowered the bottle and groaned, passing it on.
"Okay, Hinata, you have to say it louder than Neji did, because Chouji lost, okay?"
The girl nodded, drew a deep breath, and screamed, "PENIS!"
Tenten whistled lowly. "Wow. Am I going to have to yell it louder than that?"
Naruto grinned. "Yeah."
She drew a deep breath as well, and cried, "Penis!"
Kiba shook his head. "Nope, sorry." He pressed the vodka into her hands, and the chorus started again--"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"
Tenten grimaced and lowered the bottle, wiping her mouth. "Ugh... am... drunk..."
"Iruka! Your turn!"
The man moaned weakly and nodded. "P-PEANUTS!"
Tenten exploded into laughter first, then Kakashi, then everyone else.
Zabuza gasped, "B-but... it was louder..."
"Yeah," Neji agreed. "So you're clear."
Iruka smiled weakly and collapsed back into Kakashi.
And so it continued, on and on. Shino was asleep around Kiba, and Gaara was curled around Naruto, biting and kissing his neck distractingly. Tenten and Ino were a tangle of laughing limbs and Temari was watching them amusedly. Shikamaru was listening to Chouji ramble on and on about maggots. Haku and Ukon had gone all out and were grinding into each other in the doorway, half-naked and gasping and taking breaks only to play the game.
Neji and Lee had disappeared into the bathroom for half an hour a short while ago, and now they were back and drunk out of their minds. Kakashi was laughing and enjoying himself, and Iruka had stopped counting or paying attention to how many bottles they were going through. Gai was beating everyone at shouting obscenities. Kabuto and Sasuke... Kabuto and Sasuke?
"Hey, where's the bastard?" Naruto asked loudly.
Ino looked up from tickling Tenten to tears(A/N: TONGUETWISTER!!) and said, laughing, "In the kitchen... having fun..."
A round of laughter.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Okaaaaaaaaay... how was that?
Next chapter will be the Morning after... °rubs hands gleefully° Hehehehe... I know something you don't know... and then after that should be the last chapter.
Shi.no.Tenshi.desu(sorry if I got the name wrong, can't check it up atm) brought up the possibility of a sequel... it'd be a trilogy then, HAHAHA!!! Well, yes or no? I could always bring in Itachi and the Akatsuki people and stuff... well anyway, REVIEW!!!
Again, sorry for the long wait!