Disclaimer: Don't own them.

A/N: Eh, I guess they aren't really independent one-shots since the first and second parts are connected, but they're one-shots in my mind because it's only marriage proposals and I skip a lot of stuff. –shrug- Make of it what you want.

In this chapter: NejiGaara, SasuNaru

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Second Try

The second proposal came a few months after the first one, and it started out much like the first.

"Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you marry me?"

Gaara turned to face Neji, who was staring straight ahead so he wouldn't crash the car he was currently driving. "It's this again?"

Neji gave him a quick smile before turning his attention back to the road. "Yup, it's this again."

"Hmph. Why don't you just wait until I'm ready and ask you to marry me?"

"Because that wouldn't be as fun, Gaara-chan!"

The redhead's eye twitched. "First, never call me Gaara-chan, or I just might retaliate. Harshly. Second, are you trying to make me dump you? I mean, the first time you knew I was going to say no and don't you deny it. And now, you ask me right after I meet what could be my future in-laws. Almost all of whom, by the way, I abhor. Hinata is ok now that she's gotten over her stutter, I don't mind her, but your uncle! And Hanabi! The way she simpers is enough to set me running in the opposite direction!" Gaara shuddered just thinking about it.

Neji smirked. "And you haven't seen the worse of it. Hanabi was behaving unusually well tonight; I think she actually has a crush on you. Of course, she knows that you're absolutely off-limits and won't try anything unless she wants to get beaten up by her efforts."

"Oh, so I rank over family?"

"Well, I was hoping that you'd do the actual beating up, since I'd probably be thrown out of the family for a stunt like that. Even when it's over you. And yes, you do indeed rank over Hanabi. Heck, even the Uchiha ranks over Hanabi. And you're over my uncle, but just by a little bit. But Hinata? Not really. I see her as a little sister, and siblings, the ones that I actually like, trump boyfriends. Of course, spouses trump all others in my point of view." Neji shot his redhead a sly look. They were near Gaara's apartment now, and he wanted an answer.

Gaara chewed his lip as he thought about it a little, but he knew that he still wasn't ready for something as big as marriage. "I'm sorry Neji, but I still can't give you a fair answer. Will you wait a little more?"

As Neji drove into Gaara's apartment building's parking lot and parked, he laid a hand over Gaara's own and smiled, understanding shining through, though there was a little bit of sadness too. "Of course, Gaara." And then, to lighten the mood, he commented, "After all, I need to think about my future in-laws too. Having Temari as a sister-in-law? That's a scary thought. But I think I'd survive if I had you with me."

Neji patted Gaara's hand once, a far-away look in his eyes (but isn't there always?), before getting out of the car. "Come on, I'll walk you up to your apartment."

"No, it's fine." Gaara protested. "You don't need to."

Neji opened the car door and motioned for Gaara to get out, saying, "Nonsense. I want to walk you up. And give you your goodnight kiss, of course. Weren't you the one that refused to participate in any form of PDA?"

Gaara reluctantly got out and Neji closed and locked his car, following the redhead into the apartment building. They rode the elevator up to the 8th floor, and Gaara led the way to his apartment, 826. He stopped in front of it and winced. There were definitely sounds of someone (two someones really) making out (and maybe more) in the apartment that he shared with Naruto.

"I knew this was going to happen." Gaara muttered as he turned around to face Neji. "It's Naruto." the redhead explained. "With Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" Neji raised an eyebrow. "As in Uchiha Sasuke?"

Gaara sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. When he's not with Naruto, he can be a total bastard. Their relationship's supposed to be a secret, since some people would, ah, disapprove, but I doubt you'll tell." Then he shot a crafty look at the door. "Wanna go in and make them uncomfortable? You'll even see the Uchiha blush."

Neji chuckled at his boyfriend's thinking, and nodded agreeably. This would be fun. He watched as Gaara unlocked the door and followed the redhead in, just in time to hear him say, "Naruto, what did I tell you about having sex on our couch? I'm not buying another one this time, you are. And clean up this mess!"

Neji laughed at the scene before him. Gaara was somewhat of a neat freak, and this apartment had empty ramen cups scattered around it (must've drove the redhead crazy), along with, at the moment, two sets of clothes. Naruto and Sasuke were sprawled on the couch, equally naked, and equally blushing. Neji laughed again as Sasuke grabbed for a blanket to cover them, and Naruto spluttered out protests and half-curses. He finally managed a coherent sentence after a few more seconds.

"Gaara! I…I thought you were going to spend the night at Neji's! Oh, err, hi Neji." Naruto tried to smile while looking at him upside-down and below Sasuke. "How are you?"

"Very amused, Naruto, very amused."

Naruto pouted. "Bastards." he said grumpily. "Stop staring already."

Neji took pity on the blonde and moved on to Sasuke. The two of them had been acquaintances for quite a few years, but they had never been more than that, perhaps because they both were the cold and aloof type. They needed either loud and annoyingly cute types like Naruto or very sexy and spontaneous types like Gaara (the beginning of Neji and Gaara's relationship had consisted of Gaara jumping Neji and kissing him senseless) to break through their respective shells. Neji doubted they'd ever be really close; they were just too similar. Of course, they were close enough for Neji to take joy in poking fun at the Uchiha.

"So, Uchiha, afraid of your distraught fangirls once this gets out to the public? If I were you I'd say to hell with them and be proud of my sexuality. Oh, that's right, I've already done that."

Neji smirked at the pissed off expression on the Uchiha's face, and went over to kiss Gaara. He had indeed done that during the first two weeks of his and Gaara's relationship, after he had ascertained that he was not just a fling to Gaara (who had thought that in the beginning but Neji had convinced him otherwise). Neji then had sent a letter to the head of his fanclub, telling her very politely that he was 1. Gay and 2. Taken.

The reaction had been explosive, to say the least. Neji's fangirls had been out for blood (they hadn't know his boyfriend was Gaara) before they had come upon both Neji and Gaara. Making out. And not paying any attention to the rest of the world. When they had surfaced from their kissing, they had seen a crowd of fangirls around them, all passed out from nosebleeds. That was a treasured memory for Neji.

"Shut up Hyuuga. I'm only keeping this relationship quiet because Naruto's afraid of the big bad fangirls, not me." The Uchiha's voice brought Neji back down to Earth.

"Hey!" The blonde protested as Gaara threw him his boxers and pants. "I'm not afraid of your fangirls, ok? I'm just being…considerate."

"Considerate, dobe?" The two were rapidly dressing under their blanket, trying not to dislodge it while still half-naked, and Neji and Gaara listened on with some interest to their conversation. How did everything they say seem to sound like an argument?

"Yes, considerate, teme, a word I doubt you have in your vocabulary. And besides, when you dump me I'll have no one to shield from Sakura. The rest of your fangirls I can take, but Sakura-chan's different."

"…when I dump you? Where did that come from, dobe? What have you done that would make me want to leave you?" Sasuke had stopped dressing, and was glaring at Naruto. The blonde scratched his head nervously.

"Nothing, Sasuke, nothing at all. It's just…you know, what I think of as an inevitability. Someday you're going to dump me." Naruto tried to shrug but Sasuke's glare just got scarier. "What? What did I say wrong?"

"Don't underestimate my love, dobe." he growled before throwing off the blanket and walking out of the apartment, putting on his shirt in the process. Naruto just laid there, staring off into space and still without his shirt on. Neji shook their head at their predicament (he himself knew that there was always a chance that Gaara could dump him, but didn't think of it as a certainty; it'd just depress him), and pulled on Gaara's sleeve to get his attention.

"I'm going to go now." He told the redhead softly, leaning down to place a kiss on Gaara's tattoo. "Goodnight. And try to cheer Naruto up, k?"

Gaara nodded, stroking Neji's cheek as he leaned up to give his own goodnight kiss, a small one on the mouth. "Goodnight, Neji."

Neji nodded and walked out. A few minutes later he got into his car and drove away, to his own apartment on the other side of the city as it began to rain.

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A/N: Next one should be out fairly quickly, I seem to have a lot of inspiration right now. Thank you for all the reviews!