Happy Sunday my darlings,

Figured It'd take advantage of the fact that I feel semi-alive to get this edited and updated for you. I had a lot of fun writing this one so hopefully, you'll enjoy!

Ummm we have...maybe two chapters left? Three might be pushing it...so if you feel like there is anything I should address before I wrap this up now is the time to bring it up~

Also if I forgot to mention it earlier but I have taken quite a few liberties re-arranging the Uchiha family tree if you haven't noticed („• ᴗ •„)

Rating: M (Explicit): plot has kind of taken over a little, hope you all don't mind.

Disclaimer 1: The following songs are mentioned in this chapter I don't own them: It wasn't me-Shaggy, Bye Bye Bey & I Want You Back- NSYNC

Disclaimer 2: They are not mine ok? Any characters portrayed in this fic belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I just use my writing powers to right his wrongs...mainly the fact that he never made Sasuke and Naru Canon.

Gateway Exposed

Chapter 6: The Holidays

The articles changed.

Naruto was looking down at his phone feeling…so many mixed emotions.

Wow, like–I want someone to look at me like that.

The article itself was just talking about the last restaurant they had visited, but the comments…for once the comments were mixed.

Naruto knew he didn't need other people to acknowledge them or to confirm or deny what Sasuke felt for him, but somehow the look Sasuke was giving him in the picture…it just, bled through.

Gosh, Naruto was so lost in this man.

His phone rang with a notification and he looked down to see Tsunade had sent him the same article he'd been looking at

A man in love if I've ever seen one, the text message read below the attachment.

The blonde laughed

"It's nice to see you laughing down at your phone for a change," Sasuke said as he walked into the house. His mood instantly brightened by the sound of the blonde's laughter. Naruto looked surprised, it was sort of early for Sasuke to be home.

He stood walking over the raven and standing on his tiptoes to land a kiss on the raven's lips "I love you"

Sasuke's hands fell on his waist "Ok noted, get home earlier" He muttered against the blonde's lips. Naruto's fingers played with the button of Sasuke's slacks and the raven let out a dark purr "Oh love, I'd love to but Tenma will be right behind me" Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's again as he tilted his head to the side.

"You're going to keep working from home?"

Sasuke tried to take a step back "Sorry, maybe you were just being polite to Tenma, I should have texted"

He'd really taken up on his offer, he took a step forward and pulled the raven into a hug "No! It's ok, better than ok, anything that gets you home earlier, I mean it"

He took a step back walking over to the kitchen excitedly "I'll make us all dinner! Anything you're craving?" He opened the fridge to see what they had in stock and stopped "Wait, maybe I should text Itachi to see if he's had dinner yet?"

Itachi looked sideways at his brother to see him gripping the steering wheel a little too tight,

"Is this your first time meeting them or what?" He asked.

"No, it isn't but still, I never know how to act around them"

"I don't think Naruto wants you to act any particular way," The eldest raven said kindly.

Feeling nervous wasn't really in Sasuke's character, he always figured out a way to be around people, to be likable and charming. But it's exactly like Itachi said Naruto wasn't expecting him to act any particular way. He had no issue being himself in front of the blonde, but he hadn't expected to be so guarded in front of his family…it was because they already knew who he was, he kept trying to be his 'public' self and at the same time Naruto would give him that look that read 'you don't have to impress anyone here'

"Tell me honestly, did you ask me to come over because you wanted some support from your big brother?" Itachi said with a smug smirk.

Sasuke rolled his eyes "I asked you to come over because Naruto invited you, I should just not have said anything" It was true Naruto had invited Itachi, but it was also true that Sasuke could just have pretended he said no.

Shizune had parked right behind them "Sasuke!" She called out as the raven exited the car, he turned around and walked over to her, Itachi following next to him "You mind?" She said as she reached inside the car.

She hadn't spotted Itachi leaving the car and catching up to Sasuke. She turned around holding two brown bags in her arms and blinked as the flush reached her cheeks.

"I haven't had anything to drink yet, why are there two of you?" Sasuke grabbed one of the bags as the smirk settled on his lips, and Itachi reached over to grab the second one "Here let me help with that one" He said, once he'd grabbed the bag he reached over with his free hand "Itachi Uchiha, nice to meet you"

Shizune shook the raven's hand "Do all of you look like this?" She asked

"Like how?" Itachi asked, Shizune laughed "Let's get inside" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Like how?" Itachi asked again curious as the brothers fell in step next to Shizune, she smirked "Stunningly handsome" She said at last "Can't wait for Naruto to meet the rest of your family, he's going to short-circuit in a room full of you"

Itachi actually laughed, imagining the blonde blushing and sputtering, completely overwhelmed by a room full of Uchiha's.

Shizune didn't even bother to knock, she waltzed in like it was her own home, both ravens followed behind her, and Sasuke's eyes instantly fell on the blonde, his hands tightening around the brown bag he'd been carrying when he saw how carefree he was around Gaara. Everyone was at the table already, the food seemed untouched but the wine glasses were being well cared for.

Maybe Gaara wasn't actively trying to get Naruto anymore, but whenever Sasuke saw them together all he could see was the image of the redhead leaning in to steal the blonde's lips.

"Anybody here misplace two supermodels? I found them wandering outside" Shizune called with a smile, which had Naruto's head snapping away from where he'd been talking to Gaara animatedly his hands flying all over the place, to spot the trio, he rolled his eyes as Shizune continued "If they continue to go unclaimed I'll have no option but to keep them all to myself"

Naruto walked up and leaned up to kiss Sasuke's lips "This one is mine, Itachi's up for grabs though" He winked at Shizune, who wasn't expecting that at all, and blushed lightly as her eyes fell on the handsome man.

"Very sweet but can you all take a seat, Tsunade won't let us eat until everyone's at the table" Kakashi called from where he had been staring at the roasted potatoes for the last twenty minutes.

"Here we'll put the wine in the fridge," Naruto said as he grabbed the bag from Itachi and nudged Sasuke to follow him "You two can take a seat"

"Naruto is it me or you're trying to hook my brother up with your therapist?" Sasuke asked amused.

"Sasuke she's awesome, " Naruto muttered as they put the bags down on the peninsula "Look at them" the pair turned over to see Itachi had ended up sitting between Shizune and Gaara "Tell me they don't look good together"

Sasuke rolled his eyes "Shizuen and Itachi or Gaara and Itachi?" He asked as Naruto and giggled, he might or might not have unintentionally made sure those were the only seats available.

"Stop rolling your eyes at me, I want him to see he has options" Sasuke smiled softly at the blonde as he reached for Naruto's hand and nudged him over "You're a cute matchmaker you know" He leaned down and kissed the blonde's lips.

"Kid! There is a perfectly cooked Turkey waiting to be carved over here!" Naruto laughed, stepped away from the raven, and over to the table. Itachi had taken the time to introduce himself while the pair had been whispering.

" Finally," Kakashi said from his seat

"Something gives me the impression you're just here for the food," Gaara said amused.

"Tell me Gaara, have you ever had Naruto's roasted potatoes?" Kakashi retorted.

Gaara's eyes fell on the blonde and Sasuke threw daggers at the redhead "I guess I haven't"

"Well, they are the most delicious part of this meal" Tsunade threw a cloth napkin at the silver-haired man "I spend hours on the turkey you ingrate" But there was no bite to the insult.

"Plus Naruto really technically cooked everything this time" Jiraya snickered next to Tsunade as she swatted him in the arm "snitch!" She said accusingly.

"Is it always like this?" Itachi asked and Shizune turned, smiling softly "Pretty much" It was comforting to the raven, there was banter in his family every once in a while but not quite like this. There was a special warmth around the room and he truly did feel blessed to have been invited, as he looked up at his brother he could tell Sasuke felt the same.

As the plates filled with food Tsunade smiled at everyone at the table "Who wants to start?"

Kakashi groaned "Do we have to?"

"You do if you want to eat the potatoes" She snapped at him.

"We're all going to say the same thing" He rolled his eyes

Sasuke turned to Naruto questioningly "We have to say we what are thankful for this year, or she won't let us eat"

"Particularly this year" Tsunade started "I'm thankful for such a great new beginning, and that my husband has not yet wandered to one of Gaara's consults," She said with a pointed glare at Jiraya, laughter erupted around the table "and for being able to keep our little family together"

Jiraya smiled lovingly at his lady wife as he reached out for her hand bringing it up to his lips and kissing it softly "Every single year I'm thankful for my beautiful wife" Tsunade's gaze softened as she smiled and leaned down to kiss her husband. Ignoring the mix of 'awss' and 'eww's' that filtered through the table.

"This year I'm thankful for new friendships," Gaara said as he raised his wine glass, his eyes falling on Naruto.

"Itachi?" Naruto nudged with a smile "I'm thankful our own family has grown this year" He said as his eyes landed on the blonde sitting across from his brother "And to be allowed to join yours today" He finished.

"You're always welcome here," Tsunade smiled.

"This year I'm still thankful for Tusnade's persistence in getting me to switch practices," Shizune said with a little smile, and Gaara raised an eyebrow "That's a story I haven't heard"

"Objection that didn't happen this year!" Jiraya said

"Well, she's sort of praising me so I'll allow it" Tsunade smirked

Kakashi rolled his eyes before he looked at Gaara "Let me give you the summarized version, Shizune initially worked for another practice, but then she started seeing our little blonde boy wonder and after looking further into her qualifications Tsunade stole her–much like she did you" Kakashi told Gaara, who remembered how awfully persistent Tsunade could be when she wanted something.

"Is this whole practice made up of stolen talent?" Gaara chuckled, and Tsunade laughed "Naruto came to us all by himself"

All eyes fell on Sasuke "I'm thankful Itachi dragged me on that cruise" Naruto smiled lovingly at the raven.

"He's not joking, you know," Itachi said "He sulked the whole way there, insisted he was being kidnapped" The room filled with laughter again as a slight blush settled on Sasuke's face.

"Then I'm equally if not more thankful for your treachery," Naruto said with a smile as he leaned over and kissed Sasuke on the cheek "I'm thankful for you," he said before he looked around the table "For all of you really, always"

"I'm thankful to finally eat these roasted potatoes," Kakashi said as he grabbed his fork

"And?" Tsunade prodded, there was a mix of giggles and laughter as Kakashi audibly groaned "For all the women that fall right on my lap when they realize Gaara's gay" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him "And our private practice family" he finished.

She smiled contentedly "Ok dig in everyone!"

Later after dinner, the party moved to the living area "Does your family not gather for thanksgiving?" Gaara asked Itachi, as Jiraya's and Kakashi's voices filtered through as they sang It Wasn't Me quite disastrously.

"Mostly everyone is always scattered in different parts of the world, but we all gather for our annual Holiday Party in December" This caught Naruto's attention as he looked over at Sasuke.

"Holiday Party?"

But she caught me on the counter

(It wasn't me)

"Yeah we have one every year," Itachi said

I even had her in the shower

(It wasn't me)

Naruto opened his mouth but then closed it, unable to actually concentrate on the conversation with Kakashi and Jiraya singing behind him

She even caught me on camera

(It wasn't me)

"Seriously you guys, that's the wholesome music you pick for Thanksgiving?" He laughed as he turned over to see both men performing to the music. Kakashi walked over and dragged Gaara so he could join them in their performance.

"Did they learn it from you? Or did you learn it from them?" Sasuke asked amused next to Naruto.

"We have enough men on the house this time to get an NSYNC performance!" Tsunade yelled from her spot, Shizune giggling next to her "Do Bye, Bye, Bye"

"Nope it's gotta be I Want You Back"

The raven was staring, he thought for a second he wouldn't be able to stop himself from undressing the blonde. He himself was wearing a deep burgundy ensemble, meanwhile, he'd had a deep forest green suit tailored to fit the blonde perfectly. He had done it on purpose, almost mimicking what Naruto had been wearing to the gala a couple of months ago. Except this time he was wearing a half-turtleneck underneath which made his eyes pop out even more.

He was going to walk in with Naruto, and the reporters would snap their pictures and it would be him next to Naruto this time. There were plenty of pictures of them together out there at this point, he'd made sure of it, but he knew arriving at the Uchiha holiday party with the blonde would speak volumes.

"You look…" He walked over and nudged the blonde to turn, Naruto blushed but still did it, he still wasn't used to wearing such high-end clothes but his repertoire had been steadily growing.

He didn't mind, he sometimes didn't even recognize himself when he dressed in the outfits Sasuke put together for him, and the way the raven's eyes trailed him every time made it completely worth it.

"Stunning love, now I feel like I can't bear to have my vulture cousins take a look at you"

"We can always just stay," Naruto said softly while biting his lip, Sasuke walked over and lifted the blonde's chin so they could make eye contact "Do you want to stay in?" He asked sincerely

Naruto let out a breath "No, not really it's just I really wish I would have gotten to meet them a little more privately instead of at a party like this one" Sasuke's parents that is, this would be Naruto's first time meeting either of them.

Sasuke had told him the Uchiha holiday party was hosted each year and wasn't only open to the Uchiha family but to many other families that owned important businesses, everything the Uchihas did was calculated. This holiday celebration was but another excuse to make connections and plant seeds on potential deals.

However, the whole Uchiha family was typically in attendance, a rare occurrence to see nuclear and extended family all in one place. Sasuke had told Naruto that if he didn't want to go he didn't have to, but this is exactly what Naruto had asked for, to be part of Sasuke's life, all of it, not just the convenient bits.

"You don't have to impress anyone tonight, love" The blonde leaned up to kiss the raven "I know, the only opinion that matters is yours"

But it would still be nice to have a good relationship with Sasuke's parents if possible.

The party wasn't being hosted at a venue, but at a huge Uchiha property about 45 minutes away from town, and still the entrance to the event was swarmed with reporters when they arrived. Sasuke handed the keys to the valet and walked over to open the door for the blonde.

"Sasuke, are you here by yourself?"

"Is Naruto with you?"

"Do you know who else is in attendance?" What a stupid question, who else might be in attendance at an Uchiha holiday party?

Sasuke reached in and Naruto took his hand allowing the raven to guide him out of the car, as it was custom now Sasuke's hand fell on Naruto's waist as he pulled the blonde close.

"Naruto this is your first year attending, are you excited?"

"Who are you wearing?"

"You two look stunning!"

"Do you know who is in attendance?" There it was that question again which had Sasuke losing himself in his thoughts for a second, was there something he wasn't privy to after all?

Once they stepped inside the house and towards the ballroom, Naruto gasped at the greenery and the sheer number of red poinsettias adorning the room "It's beautiful in here" He muttered.

"Mom does have great taste, always tries to outdo herself," Sasuke said with a small smile. Naruto smiled in return, it looks like Sasuke's mom was the reason for both her sons' taste in fashion.

The blonde looked around as they waded through the crowd and felt a little overwhelmed as he realized that he could tell perfectly who was an Uchiha and who wasn't, he definitely felt the air catch in his throat as they neared a specific crowd.

Boy the Uchiha blood ran thick, there was a man in there that looked so much like Sasuke, his hair just a little wilder and he was obviously older. Next to him was another older man with even longer spikier hair, yet he managed to look perfectly groomed.

Naruto recognized Mikoto from the article that had been printed from Brussels, she was wearing a stunning white gown, brave choice, he'd be terrified of dirtying any white attire five minutes after sliding it on.

And if he hadn't known better and seen pictures he would have thought either of the two men he'd spotted earlier to be Sasuke's dad rather than his actual dad. His hair looked more like a deep dark brown and chin length, slightly less pale than Sasuke or Itachi.

Itachi himself was wearing an onyx black suit, looking ridiculously handsome. This had to be it…the Uchiha inner circle.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto exclaimed with a smile, as she saw them walking up stepping away from her husband and pulling Sasuke into a hug "Oh darling you look so handsome, my two boys" She outstretched her hand to Itachi so she could bear hug both her sons.

Then she took a step back and her eyes landed on Naruto "It's nice to finally meet you, Naruto right?" She said with a pleasant smile, but Naruto could feel the tension in the corner of her eyes. He tried to let his own tension slide as he smiled at the beautiful lady "Yes Mrs. Uchiha it's a pleasure to finally meet you as well"

"Are you finally done hiding your darling, nephew? He wouldn't let any of us see him in Beijing" The man with the longest hair spoke loudly, and Sasuke offered his uncle a smile.

"Uncle Madara, I can't be blamed for keeping him all to myself now, can I?" Sasuke said easily as his arm fell back on Naruto's waist pulling him close.

"Naruto, My uncle's Izuna, and Madara," Izuna was the man that looked eerily like Sasuke. Naruto nodded his head at both men as he let out an 'it's a pleasure'

Before he stepped forward and outstretched his hand towards Fugaku "Mr. Uchiha" Naruto said and Itachi's and Sasuke's gaze lingered on their father, as he shook Naruto's hand "Welcome, this must all be quite glamorous for you" Fugaku said with an unreadable expression.

"Oh everything looks stunning, Sasuke says it's all Mikoto, I was just thinking both Sasuke and Itachi must take after her when it comes to fashion and style"

A soft smile settled on Mikoto at the words "Much smoother than anticipated" Izuna let out and Naruto tried not to show annoyance on his face as he stepped back and right next to Sasuke again. He was not going to make a fool out of himself tonight.

But once again he spoke too soon, he looked up to see Haku walking up to the small gathered family crowd, other guests still feigning interest in their own conversations, when the reality was that they were all trying to eavesdrop. Haku was wearing a gorgeous crimson-red gown and carrying two flutes of champagne.

"Everything good with the caterer?" Mikoto asked Haku nodded as he handed her the champagne. Naruto was stunned into silence for a second.

"It is my vision out here tonight, but I couldn't have put it together in time if Haku hadn't offered some of his time to help me," Mikoto said

Fuck. Sasuke had said Haku and his mom were friendly but Naruto hadn't thought they were this close. The woman was technically spelling: you're not as good for my son as he can be.

Sasuke could sense Naruto was slowly losing his composure and slipped his hand through the blonde's, intertwining their fingers and squeezing 'it's ok, you're doing ok, it doesn't matter that he's here'

Well, that's what he surmised the squeeze meant.

Haku's eyes lingered on Sasuke's hand squeezing Naruto's…he hated to admit it but Itachi had been right, one look at the way Sasuke looked and touched the blonde and you could tell how he felt. Slipping on his best dress wasn't going to sway Sasuke...but old habits die hard, and he really did have a soft spot for Mikoto, that's why he was here. Though he would never admit it out loud, Naruto had some fight in him, it took guts not to shrink before an Uchiha crowd.

Fugaku looked up and spotted someone coming through the entrance "Ah, there's Mr. Inabi, Sasuke you and I should approach him now" Sasuke looked sideways at Naruto "C'mon I'm sure there is plenty going on that Naruto could entertain himself with" It was the blonde's turn to squeeze Sasuke's hand back.

"Stick with Itachi" Sasuke whispered in the blonde's ear before he kissed his cheek and followed his dad down the room. The blonde shifted so he could stand next to Itachi.

Another individual joined their group and everyone addressed him as Obito, he looked amused, as if he knew something everyone else didn't. He kept sneaking glances toward the entrance, which made Naruto scan the room frequently. It was sort of impossible for him to hang on to all the business talk and jargon that was being used, so instead, he tried his best to look pleasant and snatched a flute of champagne the first chance he got. Trying not to roll his eyes at how Haku seemed perfectly able to follow and partake in the conversation.

"We must be boring Naruto with all this business talk," Madara said "Tell us Naruto, how did you and Sasuke meet? You're quite an…unusual match"

"Wouldn't be the first time an unusual match is made" Obito said, it sounded conversational but Naruto could tell the asshole was directing that comment at Itachi.

"Actually we met at a Gateway cruise, Itachi and Sasuke had boarded to gather some quality control data, but no one knew who they were" Naruto summarized for the crowd leaving out the part where he technically had boarded with his boyfriend at the time, broken up with him and then used Sasuke as a rebound…

Mikoto laughed "Itachi always did love playing secret agent"

"So you didn't know who they were? Who Sasuke was?" Izuna asked incredulously

Naruto shook his head "I had no idea, Sasuke didn't tell me until the day before we docked back in LA"

A smirk settled on Obito's face as he looked at the entrance, and Naruto turned over to see what he'd been looking at.

He looked up to see a beautiful woman, her hair dyed a deep blue, she was wearing a frosty blue gown peppered with small white flowers, it almost looked like it was littered with fresh snow. The man next to her held her hand tightly as they walked their way. Realization dawned on Naruto, this was Konan, so that must be Shisui next to her…He turned to Itachi in time to see a couple of well-masked emotions flash through his eyes.

"Actually, I think we should wait for Sasuke to return so we can tell that story together, Itachi you mind helping me hunt down another drink?" He waved his empty flute at the raven.

Itachi turned and gave the blonde a thankful smile "I'd be happy to" He offered his arm and Naruto hooked his own around it allowing Itachi to take the lead before Konan and Shisui could reach them.

"I see what he did there" Madara murmured as he smirked looking after Naruto and Itachi, Fugaku and Mikoto might not want to approve but the blonde looked like he could stand his own.

Itachi walked them out through a set of French doors, to a huge balcony area. The raven leaned against the rail, letting out a breath "Thank you" He let out, Naruto leaned his head on Itachi's shoulder "Honestly I needed a breather too"

"You've got a hard crowd out there," Itachi said "But you're seriously impressive Naruto, Sasuke's lucky"

"Please do keep feeding my ego, I desperately need it" They both chuckled.

"Are you doing ok?" Naruto asked softly, then almost smacked his forehead, who would ever be ok with their ex-fiancee walking around the family Christmas party as their cousin's wife...gosh this family was kind of fucked.

"How about I go steal us a couple of Champagne bottles and we get wasted so Sasuke can chastise us both when he finds us" Naruto laughed "I'm down"

"Ok wait here," Itachi said conspiratorially as he walked towards the French doors to slip back inside.

The blonde turned over to look at the beautiful garden, wondering how long they would be able to stay out there, it was cold. The house was huge, surely they could find a place to hide. Sasuke had told him he would possibly be dragged away at some point in the evening, but Fugaku hadn't even given them thirty minutes together before he stole his date.

The French door opened softly behind him again "What? Do you need help jacking the alcohol? I guess I could dive back in among wolves–" But the banter died on his lips as he realized it wasn't Itachi walking back out to the balcony.

Naruto felt like a bucketful of cold water had been dumped on him as his eyes fell on the long-haired brunette. But this one was taller than Haku, well built, with big chocolate eyes sporting a black and green plaid suit.

"I don't think I'm the person you were expecting to see," He said in a dark melodic voice.

Me finishing this chapter: (」°ロ°)」Whaaaaaa?

Gosh, I can't wait for you all to go nuts in the comments 😂 thoughts, comments, suggestions?

Until next time my darlings,

Chio~