IMPORTANT: This chapter has been reposted after being betaed and proofread. There's no new content, but I do hope that this time it reads a little smoother.
A/N: Doesn't it seem like I apologize for my lateness/slackerness every Author's Note? Meh. I won't bother to tell you guys that I'm sorry. You all ready know that. But hey, I was really sick for a week and didn't go near my computer, then I had to catch up on all of my work, I was commissioned for a fan comic that being a pain-in-the-ass, I've been collaborating with a few of my fellow band members on some songs for our upcoming concert, AND to top it all off, I've been gradually moving all of my shit into the new house that my parents just bought. Moving is a pain in the ass because not only do you have to move all of the crap you've collected throughout the years, but you also have to clean every damn inch of BOTH houses! Oh well. We move a lot, so it's not like I have that much. I think that's a damn good excuse though. Man.
I'm actually kind of surprised no one's guessed Naruto's gift to Sasuke yet… I left hints all through the story…
Well, actually, one person has come very close! But only one! Muwhahaaaaa…
And no one shall ever guess what Sasuke got Naruto! NEVER! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!
phew
… And BTW, this chapter ends before the day is out for a reason. That reason being that the Christmas party runs well past midnight and into the next day, and I'm pretty sure you all want a great big finale, so I'll grant you one. Chapter Twelve with include the entire Christmas party, plus everything that happens the following day. Sounds good? I thought so.
Onwards!
Day Eleven –
The sun was up, the people were awake, and it was another peaceful morning in the village of Konoha.
…Until the loudest of the rookie nine decided to live up to his nickname.
CRASH! BOOM! BANG! SMASH!
"SHIT!" A scream punctuated the din, and just like that, this Konoha morning was no longer peaceful at all.
"Owwww…" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. He was sitting on the floor leaning up against his bottom cupboards. Pots and pans were haphazardly strewn all over his kitchen floor.
"Stupid cupboards…" Naruto grumbled, picking up a particularly large wok, only to get hit again by a stray lid.
"Goddamnit!" He hissed, rubbing the back of his head again. "They're out to get me, I swear!" He muttered, casting a mock-paranoid glance over his shoulder.
Grumbling out curses involving a clicky pen, a lighter, and a mutated pickle, he shoved all of his kitchenware back where it belonged – in his cupboards.
A good twenty minutes of cleaning later, all of his pots were picked up, his dishes were done, and the spilled ramen from yesterday was scraped off of the floor.
"Ha! Done cleaning! Now to make a mess!" Naruto stated with pride and glee, hands on hips and admiring his handiwork. He strode over to the now-clean-counter and whipped out the only cookbook he had – An all-purpose Betty Crocker Cookbook that old Obaa-san down at Ichiraku's Barbeque (a very successful off-shoot of Ichiraku's Ramen Shop) had been kind enough to lend him for the occasion. Eager, he flipped to the index in the back.
"Lessee… ham... ham... Ah-HA! Found you!" Naruto exclaimed, finger pressed firmly into the pages of the book were it indeed said:
Ham
and scalloped potatoes, 421-22
baked, 417
with glazes for, 417
carving, 418-19
creamed eggs with, 291
fresh, with stuffing, 407
loaf, 422
macaroni and cheese, 298-99
pancakes, 45
phyllo rolls, 15-16 …
And the list went on.
Not really knowing what was what, Naruto turned to the one that looked easiest: the baked ham on page 417. The passage about baked ham told him to turn to page 418 for the Timetable for cooking the meat, and he did so.
"Waaahh! Cool! It even shows how to carve it!" He said with excitement.
"Now, lessee… Smoked Loin, Smoked Arm picnic… what the hell? Uh… Smoked shoulder, Smoked ham… Canadian style… bacon? Whaaa? Whatever. I dunno what kind of ham I got… I'll just try Smoked… now how much does it weigh…?" Naruto felt his head spin. He never knew there was so much to cooking just a simple dinner.
But hey, if Sasuke knew how much trouble it was to cook something like this, maybe he would appreciate it a lot more.
"Heeheeheeheehee…!" Naruto chuckled to himself with a look of mischief on his features.
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Halfway across Konoha, two bubbling kunoichis were busy decorating the expansive basement of the Hokage tower.
"Hey Ino, can you hand me those rolls of streamers?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, sure thing." Ino responded.
"Thanks." The other responded, streamers in hand.
Sakura was currently standing on the ceiling, feet griping the surface with chakra. Her party was only a few hours away, and there was still a LOT of decorating and other such things that needed to get done.
BOOOM!
A large gust of wind exploded into the room so forcefully, Sakura was knocked from the ceiling and onto the floor.
"Owwwww… What was that!" She asked, rubbing her back. Ino groaned, rolling onto her back. Sakura ran over to her friends side.
"Ino! Ino! Are you all right?" She asked worriedly. Ino opened an icy colored eye and managed a small smile.
"Yeah…"
"What happened?" Ino smiled rather sheepishly.
"Don't let exploding tags get close to helium tanks. Bad idea." Ino's voice rose in pitch until it matched that of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Sakura stared at her friend in disbelief. Well, so much for the balloons. She took a quick survey of the entire room.
Chairs were up-turned, streamers were strewn haphazardly, coating the room in what looked to be giant confetti. The grocery bags full of snacks were empty, and their contents (though still unopened themselves) were littered everywhere. Sakura groaned, then slapped a hand over her mouth when she heard the unintentional impression of Marvin the Martian. Ino laughed, squeaking out a cartoon-like giggle. That was enough to get Sakura going, and before they knew it, the helium had them busting their guts with peels of laughter that were rather unjustified.
Shikamaru picked that moment to walk in on the two friends. He froze at the sight of the trashed room and hysterical girls rolling around the floor. He stood there in the doorway, his eyebrow arched high-enough to be considered suicidal, and his mouth an open invitation to any passing fly. After a few moments, he shook his head rather violently and walked away from the slightly odd scene.
"Women." He muttered with another shake of his head.
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Sasuke wasn't faring any better than he had been yesterday. As a matter of fact, he was faring worse.
Much worse.
It appeared that his fan club hadn't taken him seriously when he told them about his preferred sex and they were glomping, groping, and ogling more violently than ever.
"Sasuke-kuuuuunnnnn! Come with me to my Christmas party?"
"Would you like to spend Christmas with my family? I'm sure they won't mind."
"Sasuke-kun! What did you get me for Christmas?"
"Would you like to open your gift now, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Christmas, fucking Sasuke-kun again...! Sasuke ground his teeth together, straining his facial muscles to remain still.
I swear to whatever god may be listening that if I hear another girl say 'Sasuke-kun' again, I'm gonna…. He thought viciously to himself before his thoughts were roughly interrupted by an auburn-haired girl hugging his arm tightly and squealing the dreaded phrase:
"SASUKE-KUUUN!" His eye twitched as his stoic mask cracked revealing a furious visage beneath.
He wrenched his arm out of her grasp so suddenly and forcefully that she was thrown carelessly to the cobblestone street.
"Don't touch me." He hissed. The girls around him gasped, their movement temporarily stolen by his bloodthirsty gaze. Soon, another girl moved towards him, lust in her eyes.
"Can I touch you then?" She cooed, placing his arm in-between her breasts and rubbing against it. Sasuke thought he was going to be sick. He yanked his arm away from her and tore off to the nearest building…
Which just so happened to be the residence of his beloved little fox.
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Naruto hummed to himself as he sliced and diced assorted vegetables with a thin kunai. Next to him, a wok sizzled with steam and small pieces of red pepper and mushrooms. He sniffed the air quizzically. His stir-fry was coming along nicely.
He was about to drop the freshly cut greens on his cutting board into his wok, when he was rudely interrupted.
SLAM!
Naruto yelped, the contents on his cutting board flying through the air and landing randomly on his kitchen floor.
"Shit!" He swore under his breath. His head shot up from the floor, and he glared in the general direction of his entryway.
"Whoever the hell you are, I hope you have a good reason for—" Naruto shouted, stomping out the kitchen, but stopping short when he saw his unannounced visitor.
"Sasuke?" He asked, thoroughly confused.
The Uchiha was leaning with his back against his rival's door, hand clutching the doorknob, and his gaze thrown over his shoulder. His chest rose and fell heavily with uneven breaths. Sasuke looked up and froze as he realized whose house he was in. He gulped down his oncoming nervousness and was about to speak when Naruto did instead.
"'The hell are you doing here?" Naruto could feel the onslaught of anxious thrumming begin in his stomach as he tried to maintain his composure.
"Fangirls." Sasuke was never one to beat around the bush. Naruto cocked his head, studying Sasuke's stoic face.
"Eh? But I thought they gave up on you since you told them you were ga—" He slapped a hand over his mouth in shock. He wasn't supposed to know about that! It had only happened yesterday.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"How the hell do you know about that?" He asked, his voice frighteningly low and steady. Naruto thought he would spontaneously combust from embarrassment. He quickly fabricated the best lie he could come up with in such conditions, complete with a vixen's chuckle.
"I... uh… heard Sakura and Ino talking about it! They were one of the first to know, ya know? They, uh, were you're number one fans at one point you know…" Naruto swallowed hard and did his best to hold Sasuke's studious stare.
The raven wasn't sure if he should believe his friend. It seemed plausible enough. Sakura was his friend as well as Naruto's, and Ino was the biggest gossip Konoha had ever seen (or heard in her case). He shook his head inwardly. He'd buy Naruto's alibi…
For now.
Damn! I should have known this would be awkward… what the hell was I gonna do during dinner? Hell, I can't even think of what to do now! Naruto began to fidget with his white "Let's do it!" apron. It was then that Sasuke took note of a particularly appealing scent upon the air.
"Dobe…are you… cooking?" He asked. Naruto's eyes widened as he thought up another quick story.
"Ha haa! Of course not! Me? Cooking? Are you nuts? Why would I cook? I only like Ramen, remember? Ramen is king! All hail the—" Naruto's rant was cut short by a pale hand covering his mouth.
"All right, all right, I get it. You're not cooking. You just like walking around in an apron." Sasuke almost blushed at the dirty thoughts that entered his head from the garment's catchphrase.
"Let's do it!"
Man, today is NOT my day! Naruto cursed inwardly. He feigned annoyance and put both hands upon his hips.
"So what if I like this apron, huh? It's very – Hey! Where're you goin' teme?" He shouted after the Uchiha who had brushed past him and entered his modest kitchen.
Oh shit. Naruto hurriedly followed his friend trying to think up some sort of excuse for the meal on the stove. With any luck he won't notice the ham in the oven… I just might be able to pull this off.
Sasuke looked upon the diced zucchini littered all over the floor, accompanied by a kunai jutting out of the linoleum, and a cutting board that had squished a few pieces of the squash. He glanced over his shoulder at Naruto and smirked.
"So if you're not cooking, then what's this?" Sasuke asked in a cocky manner. Naruto huffed, rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms, all in one swift motion.
"Fine. I was trying something new for lunch, and you startled me when you came in. Jackass." He threw in the insult just for good measure. Sasuke simply shrugged.
"Hn. Well it's ruined now." He said, motioning to the thick black smoke billowing out from the wok on the stove.
"FUCK!" The fox boy darted forward, abruptly turned off the stove, and practically threw the charred wok into the sink. The cold tap water threw an enormous amount of steam into the air when it hit the hot metal. Naruto furrowed his brow in frustration. He'd been doing so well too! Now he'd have to start all over.
"Well, since you won't be eating that, why don't we go get something downtown? I'm hungry." Sasuke offered on the fly. Naruto whipped around and stared at him. All ready he could feel his heart rate speed up at the thought of this being a –
Lunch date! He swallowed hard.
Sasuke fought down a blush. Why the hell had he just asked that? Naruto was going to think that Sasuke was hitting on him! …And he was, but that, he told himself, was beside the point.
Naruto opened and closed his mouth in several unsuccessful attempts to speak. He best try was a clicking croak in the back of his throat. Sasuke looked into those blueberry eyes and somehow, wordlessly and subconsciously convinced Naruto to answer.
"…sure…" The blond managed to breath. Sasuke blinked a few times, unsure that he'd heard right.
"Ah… We'll go after you change." Naruto managed a quick nod before scuttling off down his short hallway and into his room. The Uchiha let out a shuddery, yet relieved breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Things were looking up.
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It was blissful, walking down the streets with Naruto.
It wasn't just because he was walking calmly, side-by-side with the love of his life, though that was amazing in itself. It was truly peaceful because no one dared come near them.
And there was a multitude of reasons for this, the number one probably being that his fans didn't take kindly to Naruto. But neither did the rest of the town even though the young blond was so kind and forgiving. And the fact that, while both ninja's were strong separately, they were nearly ten times stronger together. That didn't help matters, but Sasuke found that he really couldn't care any less than he did at that point. The only annoyance he needed was bundled up in a bright orange and gold package with a bounce in its step.
"Ne, Sasuke… 'you like Okonomiyaki?" Naruto asked, glancing over at a restaurant to his right. Sasuke nodded.
"Nice change from ramen. Shall we go in? My treat." He said casually. Naruto wasn't sure how to respond at first, so he just grinned, and skipped over to the storefront.
The waitress who seated them was an avid Sasuke fan, so it went without saying that she lead them over to the best seat in the entire place. It was a red vinyl booth located at the far wall of an attached sun room off the side of the main dining area. There was a wide variety of frying oils, and the table was immaculately clean.
"Thank you." Sasuke said, nodding to the woman who squealed herself close to swooning at the subtle sign of acknowledgement. Sasuke turned to Naruto who looked slightly confused.
"Have you ever cooked Okonomiyaki before?" He asked gently.
"Kinda. I made it once with Iruka sensei, but I've never been in a restaurant before…" His friend raised an eyebrow at that statement.
"You've never been in a restaurant before?" He asked.
"Ah, I meant one that serves Okonomiyaki." Naruto said.
The waitress who seated them popped back up by the tableside with a large tray with a bowl of batter, and an assortment of smaller bowls full of a variety of toppings.
"Here you go! Enjoy!" She said with a blinding smile and a low bow. Both Jounins nodded to her as she left. Sasuke selected a bottle oil from the selection along the wall and poured a modest amount on the grill. He then grabbed a spoon and scooped an ample amount of batter, slapping it down on the greased spot. He tapped it lightly with a spatula for shape.
"What do want on it?" Sasuke asked Naruto who looked surprised at being put in first priority. He grinned and licked his lips.
"Meat!" Sasuke blushed at the seemingly innocent statement.
How the hell am I going to last this meal without jumping him…? Sasuke could feel himself break out in a metaphorical cold sweat.
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"Arigato, teme!" Naruto exclaimed, patting his completely sated belly.
"Don't mention it, dobe." Sasuke said with a small smirk. Normally, Naruto would have violently retorted at the insult, but he couldn't seem to respond to it even half-heartedly. He sighed smiling and rolling his eyes. That was when he got another surprise.
"I'll walk you home." The stoic Jounin said. Naruto blushed furiously. He was determined to keep his eyes locked with the cobblestones on the street.
"I-I'd like that." Though Sasuke hadn't expected to be rejected after their comfortable and fun "date", he hadn't anticipated that answer either. He could feel a warm bubble of happiness swell in his chest.
"Hn…" He said with a small smile that ached to stretch across his pale face.
As they neared the heart of the marketplace, Sasuke noticed an abnormally large congregation of fangirls. He also took note of Naruto's sudden stiffness. It was almost like he was nervous of those women. Sasuke frowned, thoughts rather muddled. He was suddenly struck with an idea that would not only help to keep the fans away from them, but also… to test the water with Naruto before he jumped in. He took a quick, deep breath, and reached for a chilled, tan hand.
Naruto gasped at the skin on skin contact that had so unexpectedly engrossed his hand. Fingers interlaced with fingers, and palms were drawn taught against each other. He felt his cheeks heat up and a tingling sensation spread rapidly throughout his body, quickly and effectively chasing any possible amount of cold that the chilly winter air had given him.
"S-sasuke?" Naruto asked in a timid, almost Hinata-like manner.
"Hn?" Sasuke looked at him with as normal expression as he could muster, though his eyes held a sparkle of… affection? Yes, Naruto was almost certain that that' what the spark was called.
"…Never mind." He smiled warmly.
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The villagers didn't hesitate to toss their curious glances towards the odd couple, but still, no one dared approach them. Sasuke felt as though he had been thoroughly drenched with a heavy-duty fan girl repellent, and Naruto, for once, wasn't afraid of being hit by a rogue tomato while walking down the street.
But their animosity was an after-thought to the current feelings coursing through their blood. Naruto couldn't keep his goofy grin from splitting his face in two. Every time he tried to repress it, it came right back with a deep blush and an inaudible silent chuckle.
Sasuke could hear every drop of blood rush through his entire body, heating up his cheeks and causing his palms to sweat. But it seemed that Naruto either didn't mind, or hadn't noticed, so he proceeded to ignore it and instead focus his energy into maintaining his stoic mask. He had been doing well until he heard an impromptu chuckle from Naruto, and since then he hadn't been able to keep that ghost of a smile from his lips.
Naruto's apartment building came into view and the couple slowed to a halt. Naruto's smile slowly faded and he bit his bottom lip as a fresh bout of nervousness was sent shivering through his system. Sasuke, however, was staring at Naruto's kitchen window.
…The same window that had a monumental amount of smoke pouring out of it.
"Dobe…?" Sasuke said with a touch of urgency.
"…Yeah?" Naruto asked. Sasuke turned and faced him.
"Your kitchen's on fire." He said blatantly.
"My WHAT!" Naruto shrieked, eyes following Sasuke's finger towards his smoky window.
Oh shit! The ham! I forgot all about it! Without hesitation, he dashed inside. Sasuke stared after him with an incredulous look of disbelief.
"That idiot…" He grumbled before hurriedly following him inside.
Naruto coughed roughly as he tried to navigate through his apartment to his kitchen. His eyes burned with smoke, and even his Kyuubi vision blurred with tears with every step he took.
"Naruto? Cough, cough! What are you doing?" Sasuke shouted with what little air he had. Naruto didn't bother to reply. He simply stumbled towards his oven, turned it off and opened the door. A fresh cloud of smoke poured out at him, earning a few more hacking coughs before the blonde managed to open a few windows.
By the time Sasuke reached him, the smoke had cleared. The Uchiha smacked his resilient friend on the back of the head.
"You idiot," He hissed. "What were you thinking, running into your apartment like that? What if there was a fire?" Naruto didn't respond, vocally or physically. He just sat in the middle of the kitchen floor with a downtrodden stare aimed at his open oven and the lump of charcoal sitting on the oven grate.
"Oi, dobe!" Sasuke said, kneeling down and placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. This finally got him a reply.
"…I'm sorry, Sasuke." The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" The younger Jounin turned to face him with a sad smile.
"I can't give you your Christmas present." The raven boy could only stare in bewilderment and confusion. Naruto drew a shuddery breath and spoke.
"You know how I invited you to Iruka's for dinner?" Sasuke nodded. "Well, Kakashi took him on a trip he won… and they weren't gonna be here to have dinner with." Suddenly, everything clicked in Sasuke. He found himself speechless, so Naruto continued, his pace increasing with every word spoken. "So I tried to find another present, and I was talking to Chouji and HE said that when all else fails go with food so I borrowed a cookbook and I was gonna invite you over here for dinner instead, but then you came in when I was making stir-fry and I forgot about the ham and nowHMPH!" Naruto found himself quiet, and it dawned on him two seconds after the fact why.
Sasuke had kissed him. Again.
Naruto felt his cheeks heat up in an unmistakable blush as his eyes met Sasuke's, their faces mere inches apart.
"…Thank you." The older Jounin said softly. Naruto gulped.
"Ah... a-a ano…" The blonde boy attempted to speak, eyes darting to and fro as if searching for inspiration, but again he was cut short with another soft kiss.
Naruto swore his heart was swelling to the size of a hot air balloon. He couldn't help but feel a little sad when Sasuke stood up and turned to leave, but he couldn't complain. He had just been kissed.
Twice.
"You're… going to Sakura's party tonight, right?" Naruto nodded, not trusting his voice to answer. He then realized that Sasuke wasn't looking at him, and used his vocals anyway.
"Yea." He squeaked.
"Seven then." It was Naruto's turn to be confused.
"Huh?" Sasuke turned and locked gazes with his dobe.
"We'll go together. I'll pick you up at seven. Be ready." And without waiting for a reply, he turned and left a stunned Naruto sitting seiza on his linoleum floor.
"Did… I just… get myself a boyfriend?" He croaked.
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Sasuke thought his legs were going to give out. They were trembling so horribly that they could easily be compared to jiggly jello on a porcelain plate carried by a peg-legged old women on a cobblestone street. Though his mouth felt dry, he swallowed, trying to focus and calm himself before tearing off for home.
It didn't help matters to have both of those sweet, impromptu kisses running amok through his mind.
But it did help when he realized that Naruto hadn't pulled away at all, and had even (well, he assumed) agreed to go with him to Sakura's party.
It amazed him how much harder it had been to invite the blonde to the party and how easy it had been to casually take him to lunch. He supposed it had something to do with those kisses.
Damned things wouldn't leave him alone.
He had given up asking himself why he had kissed the dobe, for he all ready knew. He promised himself that he wouldn't hide from himself any more, and if he felt like kissing Naruto…
Then he'd damn well do so. Whenever he liked at that.
With a satisfied smirk and a deep breath to cool his jittery nerves, he set off for the Uchiha Estates.
Tonight shall be eventful.
Vocab—
Okonomiyaki – oh-koh-noh-mee-yah-kee – known as the "cabbage pancake" or the "Japanese pizza". It's made with shredded cabbage, eggs, a little flour, water, and deep fried in a wok with whatever topping desired, be it bacon, sausage, or whatever. I can send a recipe to those who'd like to try it. And, just for the record: In Japan, Okonomiyaki restaurants have a big, flat grill in the middle of the table. Traditionally, you make your own, and the store just gives you the batter and some assorted toppings (plus drinks and stuff, but whatever). So it's pretty cool, pretty involved, and a great place to go with friends.
Seiza – say-zah – This is the official name for proper sitting when on your knees. Ya know, when you've got your legs tucked up under you on a cushion or floor. It's kinda formal.